Car written off, insurance offering too little to replace - anyone knowledgeable aronud?

[PacificState]

DP and I were in a collision a week ago -- thankfully everyone concerned was fine but our lovely car was written off.

The other party has admitted fault.

We're now at the stage of looking at the cost for replacing our car - and our insurer, Admiral, is offering around £2k below the price of the exact replacements we can find on AutoTrader. Even more confusingly, Admiral says (and has sent us the PDF to prove it) that the £2k-under price is one they've gotten from Admiral's 'market value' tool.

I just don't know where this number comes from -- it doesn't bear any relation to what we're seeing on AutoTrader.

Admiral is also saying there's 'no haggling' about the amount they're offering us, because 'the regulations have changed' and 'we don't do that any more'.

If anyone knows more about car insurance than I do I'd be really grateful for some insight - basically, is it worth pushing for more or do we just take it on the chin (and never go with Admiral again, obviously).

Thank you!

@PacificState no useful advice except currently in almost identical situation with different insurer - mum was hit, wrote off car, other driver admitted liability, they offered us way less than we needed to replace her (also petrol and automatic) car although older car so figures lower than yours. We were advised to go through our own insurance rather than the third party claims of other driver and I wish we hadn't - it's been a nightmare and I've lost so much working time to it 😭 have complained, they have extended the amount of time it's going to take them to reply, and we will be taking them to the ombudsman unless they sort out a much better amount for the car, acknowledge their customer service has been worse than shit, and make some serious improvements to their processes.

Also be aware that once you have a claim record, even if no fault, premiums go up and if you're over 70, LV won't insure you at all. My poor mum has had to pay £1025 for her insurance for new (similar to old) car as well as being out of pocket for buying it 😭

Edited to add - I'm glad you also walked away from your accident, and I can't decide whether I'm reassured or furious/despairing that someone else is in the same situation! Insurance companies do seem to always come out on top :(

Urgh I’m sorry @hilariousnamehere I hope your mum is ok. It’s just unfair. And, as you say, the sheer amount of time it takes up! Which of course they string out as much as possible in the hope you’ll give up. I’ve always thought car insurance was a bit of a racket (because it’s compulsory), but I guess I imagined the one scenario in which it might work properly was the one in which you are absolutely, demonstrably, 100% not at fault. Absolutely infuriating. (We are under 70, but sorry to hear your mum can’t get the insurance.)

how old is it op?

It was 2018 reg. I think the exact spec (+ automatic, petrol) is quite rare, which makes me think we might have a chance with the ombudsman - one of the case studies they have is of someone whose vehicle was so rare that it was difficult to come up with a reliable current value.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202411076055552

automatic
55k miles
less than 10k

Haven't read the whole thread but is the car definitely a write off? Neighbour had this after a collision so didn't accept the offer and just replaced one headlight and knocked out a dent himself, cost about £50.

AI

**The value of a Volvo V60 T4 SE Nav depends on the model year and condition of the car:

• 2010–2018 model: The used price range for a 2010–2018 Volvo V60 T4 SE Nav is £6,590–£14,030.
• 2018 model: A 2018 Volvo V60 T4 SE Nav with a 1969 cc engine and two previous owners was listed for £11,480.
• 2018 model: A 2018 Volvo V60 SE Nav T4 5dr was listed for £9,900

on the basis of a 5 minute google of exact same model car, automatic, similar mileage… i’m with your insurer re the value

sorry here’s the link

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202411065992754

£13.5 for same model, automatic and 55k miles

@thanksicloud this is what I can’t grasp - I accept that those are the CAP values, I just can’t actually find any at those prices. The very cheapest one I’ve seen (not previously written off) was nearly £14k. And the principle is that we should be in the same position we were before someone else drove into us, isn’t it? Which means roughly the same car sitting outside our house. And that’s going to cost us £14k, at minimum. The difference between these two propositions is what feels very mysterious and unfair.

I have access to the dealer side of the Autotrader portal. If you DM me the reg and mileage I can put it in and tell you a rough guide of how much to part exchange it, and how much we could retail or for.

Sorry, x-posted. The one you’ve linked is manual I think? But even an auto at £13.5 leaves us £1k out of pocket, and I don’t see why we should be out of pocket.

that was a 5 minute google

and you’d easily negotiate £1k off i suspect t

but that literally a couple of mins

it’s automatic

oh sorry that one manual

give me 3 mins and i reckon. i’ll find an automatic

there are loads

Thank you very much - we’ve already had a kind soul check the reg for us and confirm the CAP value. I don’t honestly want to go through all the admin of reclaiming it from the scrap yard and part-exing (it’s definitely a write-off, the whole driver side front wheel was torn off). But thank you

Thanks @thanksicloud !

(I hate negotiating. How do you negotiate £1k off when it will already be the cheapest car of its type on the market? This is a genuine question!)

sorry don’t have time now as got to get car for MOT but later!

perhaps you overpaid 5 years ago if both you and your husband feel comfortable negotiating?

Also - and I know this is picky but again, we’re supposed to be restored to the position we were in before - we’re right next to London, would not want to be out of pocket for delivery/collection costs, and ULEZ compliant means a premium around here.

Yep, quite possibly! But we’re not trying to claim the purchase cost - we’re trying to claim the replacement cost. Do insurers assume that sticker prices are always £1k more than the purchase price? Is there evidence that supports that? (Maybe there is!)

Sorry @thanksicloud i was burbling away and didn’t see your update. Good luck with the MOT

No, we didn't. The second-hand market was mad when we bought it just over a year ago, and tbh I got the impression that a lot of dealers were much less willing to haggle (not that we were bursting to do it anyway). We were looking at things being listed on sales sites and they would be sold the next day - it was a sellers' market. We specifically wanted an 5-7 year old automatic Volvo with satnav, so not a lot of wiggle room.

@hilariousnamehere 'Also be aware that once you have a claim record, even if no fault, premiums go up and if you're over 70, LV won't insure you at all.'

Protected NCB kept my premiums the same after a no-fault accident two years ago.

Do you have a link for the LV age limit, because I googled it & found something saying their age limit was 86 but they've now removed any limit?

I had a terrible time getting the insurance company to fund car repairs, & I'm still waiting to get my excess back!