Car insurance claim

[Tohaveandtohold]

My friend has only being driving for 3 years and has never had an accident before so she’s unsure of why her insurance company is asking her to pay her excess.
She was involved in an accident and not at fault. She was on the right lane at a roundabout because she was turning right (third exit) and the other car was on the left lane (his lane is meant to either exit the roundabout or straight) but instead, he was turning right too so he hit her car from behind. She took pictures and collected the other drivers insurance details etc.
She reported to her insurance company and they told her they’ll investigate but they’ll repair her car and she needs to pay the excess first. And if they discover the other party is at fault, the cost is passed over to his insurance company.
Is this the way its meant to be? Because I was thinking she was meant to be claiming off the other person’s insurance. Like if she’s not at fault, why would she now be £300 out of pocket. I’ve never had an accident so don’t know how this works either but is this correct?

I had a similar situation recently and was told the same, although they then texted me and confirmed my excess had been waived for some reason.

The other option is for her to contact his insurer direct and claim that way I think (if he accepts liability).

It is normal for a driver to have to pay the excess following an accident unless it is clear the other driver was at fault. When the insurer is certain your friend isn't at fault the excess will be refunded.

If he accepts liability its a good idea to go through his insurance, it's in their interest to sort this out quickly, cheaply and to your satisfaction

It’s reassuring that they’ll refund her if they find that she’s not at fault.
The thing is, he knew he was clearly at fault but didn’t accept liability. He gave her his details and his insurance details and just left.

Your friends excess is an "uninsured loss". They pay it, and in theory if they are not at fault they claim it back from the driver who is at fault. Who then passes it onto their insurer who ultimately coughs up.

Recovery of the excess used to be (and may still be) a determining factor in whether you keep your NCB. If the excess isn't recovered, you lose your NCB.

If, for whatever reason the other driver/insurance don't cough up, your friend is out of pocket, I'm afraid.

Thank you @ProfessorSlocombe, that explains it better. I hope they cough up though as losing the ncb is worse if one is not at fault.

@Tohaveandtohold

Thank you *@ProfessorSlocombe*, that explains it better. I hope they cough up though as losing the ncb is worse if one is not at fault.

The biggest problem will be your insurers won't give a toss about getting your excess back (since it's cost them £0).

This is why it's never a bad idea to bolt on a "claims recovery" add-on to your insurance for a few quid a year. It's their job to chase up the excess (and incidental losses) for you and they are usually quite good at it (since they get the costs ...).

Do you have legal cover on your household insurance ? Some policies will also chase up uninsured losses for you.

This is where the danger of a large excess to reduce a premium can bite. It's all very well (say) choosing a £500 excess. But that's potentially £500 you need to write off if you ever claim.

It is a no claims bonus, not a no blame bonus.

When I have had damage to my car of a low level, I have dealt with it myself direct and didn't go through my insurers (reported it though as an incident)

What this meant was I controlled it and stopped the insurers agreeing "knock for knock" and taking my no claims bonus. Worked better as each time the other party has changed their mind after leaving the scene and decided it wasn't their fault. Both occasions they decided they didn't fancy a day out in court and when I issued the letter before claim the insurers took it over and settled it straight away.