Car accident (small) what to do?

[Bigtrip2026]

I hit a stationary car yesterday. Totally my fault.
No one injured although there were 3 people in the car. I apologised gave them my phone number and name. I took their name number reg of car. Took photos of both.

Damage is scratches to my car not deep but dent in the door of their car.

What do I do now?
Should I just offer to pay for damages after getting quotes or go through insurance.? Is there anything else I should have done or do? I'm too embarrassed to ask friends or family as the circumstances are totally idiotic. I have been berating myself continually since.

The car was being driven by owners daughter who was with friends. She is not local to me. Driver seemed pretty unperturbed as did her passenger seat friend whose side I hit, she just stayed in the car eating her sandwich!

I think you're meant to report to the police within 24 hours

Also report to your insurance company.

No need as details were exchanged and no one was injured. Unless the OP thinks the other driver committed a driving offence, which seems unlikely if stationary.

Is it mandatory to report to insurance company? Is that breaking the law if we decide not to? . Totally my fault. No injury to anyone . The other parties father hasn't contacted me so I don't have his insurance details as his daughter didn't know them at the scene.

It is more of a prang than an rta if you know what I mean.

In this case, as you damaged another car and your own, you will need to go to your insurers

You need to go via insurance for two reasons. One, if you don’t they could technically say your insurance is invalid (read the fine print) and two if one of the passengers suddenly gets back ache or the like it could become a much bigger claim very quickly!

If you have the registration number, your insurance company will be able to find their's. Just report it to your insurance company.

If you don’t want to go through insurance you need to be 100% sure that the other party doesn’t mind this and is happy for you to settle the damages. If they decide to pursue through their insurer at a later date you will be a whole world of trouble for not reporting the incident to your insurer. You normally have about 48 hours to report (check your policy), so if I were you I would contact the other party asap to find out what they want to do.

The last thing you want is to have your insurance cancelled for not reporting as you’ll find it near impossible to get another policy. Legally you should tell your insurer anyway but I know plenty of people don’t and choose to settle privately.

Thanks for the messages and explaining the intricacies of it all. I think I will just contact my insurance company anyway and be on the safe side. I accidently rang the driver last night and she was in a pub so I suspect they are here for the weekend (seaside resort) and so she is maybe not going to be home for a few days. The accident happened about 1 pm yesterday and I haven't heard from her father.

Perhaps she hasn't told her father yet?

You may think the damage is minor but they could turn around and whack you with a huge bill for hidden damage plus whiplash.

You only pay an excess if you claim for damage to your own car, which you don’t have to do. The insurance will fully cover the damage to the other car. It stays on your record for about five years and may cause your premium to go up, but tbh premiums fluctuate anyway so you may not actually end up paying any more.

Don't try to deal with this outside insurance. It sometimes works, but sometimes causes a lot of problems, especially if they "discover" other problems, injuries etc at a later date.

Just phone your insurer and give them all the details you can. You don't have to claim for the damage/repairs to your own car, as if damage is minor, it's probably cheaper to make your own arrangements with a local/small bodyshop than pay the excess.

Let the insurer deal with the third party - don't engage with them at all, there's no need. It may well be that they don't make a claim anyway (especially if they weren't insured as is the case quite often, especially if daughter was driving under father's policy, it may not have covered her at all).

None of what you have posted matters at all. You contact your insurance company give the other drivers details leave it all to them.

It is up to her when she tells her Dad/how bothered about the accident she is/wether she is in the area on holiday etc etc. None of it makes any difference to how you proceed. There aren't really any intricacies you just tell the insurance company and let them do their job.

Thanks again for the info. Insurance company informed.