How long do I have to make a car insurance claim?

[AndHarry]

My car was dented by another car in December 2011. We know who it was and have an independent witness but at the time the driver denied it and I was recovering from serious surgery and was too unwell to pursue it. Can I still make a claim on it or is it too late?

It's almost certainly too late if you didn't notify your insurer at the time - car insurance is generally on a "claims made" basis, which means it will cover claims made at the time the policy was in force or claims which are brought later but which relate back to an incident which was notified to the insurers at the time it happened.

You could still claim against the person responsible, but you'll probably have to do it yourself rather than with the assistance of your insurer. Their insurance is also unlikely to respond unless they notified the accident at the time so whether it's worth claiming might depend on whether they are good for the money. Were the police notified? If so any report obtained might help you with evidence.

Thanks, that's pretty much what I thought. I was really in no state to be chasing up insurance and my car was hit as it was parked and out of use so I didn't bother. Bum.