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Original poster

Quick minor car accident question

28 replies

Losingthescatterplot · 27/02/2023 23:52

My parked car was hit by another driver. There’s a bit of damage but nothing too bad. We exchanged details, he apologised profusely and said he would of course pay for the repair.

I would like to inform my insurance company as obviously you’re supposed to but also in case he doesn’t pay. If I inform them but don’t make a claim, will they contact his insurers? What will the repercussions be for him? It was a silly accident and I want to avoid making things difficult.

OP posts:
ToLongToCharge · 27/02/2023 23:58

Just a thing to remember

If you had car seats in the car at the time
Check if they need to be changed or not

Some do, no matter how minor the accident

Original poster
Losingthescatterplot · 27/02/2023 23:59

No car seats but thanks!

OP posts:
Redebs · 28/02/2023 00:02

Tell your insurers and they will make a note of it. Give them his details. You can tell them you are expecting him to put right damage without a claim, but sometimes people do change their mind and it's as well to have informed them. It won't count as a claim unless you make a claim.

HeddaGarbled · 28/02/2023 00:07

They won’t be able to contact his insurers if they don’t know who his insurers are.

Original poster
Losingthescatterplot · 28/02/2023 00:13

Can’t they get that information from the reg plate?

OP posts:
Original poster
Losingthescatterplot · 28/02/2023 00:13

Meant to quote @HeddaGarbled

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kittykarate · 28/02/2023 08:06

If you have the car reg, the insurance company will be able to get the other persons details and insurance company from the MID database.

Blanketpolicy · 28/02/2023 08:11

You are supposed to tell your insurance about any accidents whether you claim or not, and it does protect you incase he doesn't pay out.

It wont count as a claim or affect your NCD if you tell your insurance. But your insurance will probably still go up.

Kucinghitam · 28/02/2023 08:18

Sorry to hear about your accident!

I agree with the previous posts, I always understood that you're "supposed" to inform your insurers. Annoyingly, IME it will increase your premiums even if it's not your fault.

GoodChat · 28/02/2023 08:20

It'll be added to a database that his insurance can see but generally don't check if they need to.

GoodChat · 28/02/2023 08:20

HeddaGarbled · 28/02/2023 00:07

They won’t be able to contact his insurers if they don’t know who his insurers are.

Why do people always post nonsense on threads they know nothing about?

percypercypercy · 28/02/2023 08:26

HeddaGarbled · 28/02/2023 00:07

They won’t be able to contact his insurers if they don’t know who his insurers are.

They can find out. Very easily. Almost it's as if it's their job.

gogohmm · 28/02/2023 08:29

But it really depends how small, if it's the sort of scratch you can polish out I wouldn't because both his and your insurance will increase. I haven't reported low speed prangs

freckles20 · 28/02/2023 08:32

I had a similar experience OP- I wasn't at fault, fairly minor damage (bumper, reversing sensor broken and reverse light). The other driver was very apologetic and said he'd rather pay himself then claim on his insurance.

I wasn't sure what to do at the time so I asked for his details anyway which he did give to me.

I called my insurance and asked for their advice and they said that it was ok for the other driver to pay. They did make a note of the details though and said that I could go back to them if necessary.

Other driver asked me to get 3 quotes for the repairs- fair enough but this took me some time and effort especially as most busy garages don't seem to want to quote for minor repairs.

He was surprised by the costs of the quotes and did try to suggest that I was trying to get a full resoray on a van which had less than perfect exterior paint before the accident. I wasn't claiming for any paintwork so that was easily clarified but I guess that kind of thing can be tricky whereas an assessor will decide what needs doing if you use insurance . He did eventually agree to the cheapest quote after a final quibble about needing a working reverse sensor- I drive a van with a solid bulkhead so have no rear view mirror and the sensor is very much needed!

I also needed to use a garage that would provide a courtesy van, and which would not take too long over the repairs as I rely on having a van to be able to work safely.

I had to persuade the other driver that I needed a courtesy van.

I guess what I'm saying is that going via your / their insurance can make sure that things are done in a more convenient way etc.. It also removes any quibbles about costs, extent of repairs, and the worry about hand over of payment (I asked other driver to pay garage in advance).

It might be best to correspond with the other driver by email if possible so that you have an audit trail.

freckles20 · 28/02/2023 08:33

P.S. it did not affect my NCB or premiums.

Original poster
Losingthescatterplot · 28/02/2023 10:24

Thanks @freckles20, that’s really helpful. I’ve been to the repair shop this morning for a quote and I’ll give my insurers a call to let them know what’s happened but that I don’t want to make a claim at this point. The repair shop are saying it’s looking like it’s going to be around £500 + VAT which I definitely can’t afford at the moment if something goes wrong.

OP posts:
Original poster
Losingthescatterplot · 28/02/2023 15:49

What a surprise, he doesn’t like the quote which is actually a lot cheaper than the first quote I got. Why is nothing ever simple 🙄

OP posts:
AdobeWanKenobi · 28/02/2023 16:02

Losingthescatterplot · 28/02/2023 15:49

What a surprise, he doesn’t like the quote which is actually a lot cheaper than the first quote I got. Why is nothing ever simple 🙄

Just go straight to your insurance. These people never like paying when the chips are down.

Poscapen · 28/02/2023 16:13

It is really simple - pass it over to your insurance company and don't speak to him about it any more. There is nothing more to do.

freckles20 · 28/02/2023 18:22

Losingthescatterplot · 28/02/2023 15:49

What a surprise, he doesn’t like the quote which is actually a lot cheaper than the first quote I got. Why is nothing ever simple 🙄

Sounds frustrating already! If he's unhappy about the quote at this point it's probably a red flag and you'd be better going to your insurers.

Margarita45 · 28/02/2023 18:29

It’s obviously what you are comfortable with but I’ve had a recent experience of a minor bump where the person wanted to pay cash. On the face of it the damage looked minimal but lots of bumpers etc are plastic so bounce back - but the damage is behind.

I had a garage look at it and gave an initial quote of £900 - quick replacement front grill and a paint. Once the new parts came in and they got they stripped the car in front, they found loads of clips broken and my whole radar/sensor system was damaged. In addition there’s been new regulatory guidance that one of the specific panels must be replaced for new if it’s been damaged in any way. The cost has now shot to to close to £3k.

Thankfully I pushed to go through insurance as I’d need a courtesy car etc, but you just never know how things are going to go. So I’d be careful with cash deals.

Original poster
Losingthescatterplot · 28/02/2023 19:05

Margarita45 · 28/02/2023 18:29

It’s obviously what you are comfortable with but I’ve had a recent experience of a minor bump where the person wanted to pay cash. On the face of it the damage looked minimal but lots of bumpers etc are plastic so bounce back - but the damage is behind.

I had a garage look at it and gave an initial quote of £900 - quick replacement front grill and a paint. Once the new parts came in and they got they stripped the car in front, they found loads of clips broken and my whole radar/sensor system was damaged. In addition there’s been new regulatory guidance that one of the specific panels must be replaced for new if it’s been damaged in any way. The cost has now shot to to close to £3k.

Thankfully I pushed to go through insurance as I’d need a courtesy car etc, but you just never know how things are going to go. So I’d be careful with cash deals.

This is something I’ve been worrying about to be honest. I don’t want to find a bigger problem further down the road and be out of pocket. Unlikely but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

He wants to come round to have a look himself even thought I sent him a series of clear pictures this morning (it was too dark at the time although I did shine my torch on it). I’m inclined to say no, the repair costs what it costs and having him quibbling over the damage is a headache I could do without. I’m going to go through insurance I think.

OP posts:
AdobeWanKenobi · 28/02/2023 19:20

Losingthescatterplot · 28/02/2023 19:05

This is something I’ve been worrying about to be honest. I don’t want to find a bigger problem further down the road and be out of pocket. Unlikely but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

He wants to come round to have a look himself even thought I sent him a series of clear pictures this morning (it was too dark at the time although I did shine my torch on it). I’m inclined to say no, the repair costs what it costs and having him quibbling over the damage is a headache I could do without. I’m going to go through insurance I think.

Show quote history

Please don’t let him.
if you must contact him again send a simple text to say that you’ve decided to go through the insurance and please keep any further contact to his own insurance company.
Then block.

All that will come of his inspection is a lot of posturing, intimidation and pretending to be the big man who knows about mechanics. Don’t put yourself in that position.

DueyCheatemAndHow · 28/02/2023 19:26

Seriously make life easy for yourself. We had exactly this- someone reversed into us when we were stationery (teenager driving her fathers Porsche 4x4). He asked to go outside the insurers, I agreed then he stared quibbling. So off to the insurers I went. Was all sorted easily.

Original poster
Losingthescatterplot · 28/02/2023 19:41

I’ve just sent a short text to say ‘I’ve decided it’s best to go through insurance to avoid any arguments about damage. You have the photos for your reference.’ and blocked. I can’t deal with an arsey response.

OP posts: