Car insurance and bumps. Do I claim?

evansmummy

Hello,

Last week someone bumped into the back of me at a roundabout. Nothing serious, a few scratches on the bumper.
Cut a 'person bumping didn't stop' story short and it was a hire car and the police have given me the name and address of 'bumper' and as their car was a hire car the insurance details of the car rental company.
Now question is 1. do I claim? as even though I've got protected no claims and they are accepting responsibility will it affect my premiums at all? and 2. who am I claiming against and what's the procedure?

Thank you all in advance

BertTheRaccoon

You are claiming against the other driver in name as they are the negligent party, but just direct the communications to the hire company in the first instance as the odds are, they will be self-insured upto about £25k (if it's one of the big rental companies), therefore the claim will be settled out of their own pockets rather than by their insurer.

As to whether to claim, that's up to you. They owe you the repair cost to your vehicle, but by starting the claims procedure, there is no way you can not declare this non-fault incident to any future insurer when you are getting a quote. Experience is showing that individuals who are the non-fault party in a claim, even when making a 100% recovery on their losses, are experiencing a rise in premiums because of the non-fault incident.

thenudeone

You have had an accident which is recorded by the police so there is no way you can "forget about it". You must declare it to any prospective insurer for the next 5 years, and yes, it may affect your premium. You should also tell your current insurer but ensure that they log it just for information and not as part of a claim.

The best thing to do is contact the car hire company or their insurer and get the to repair your car. Otherwise you insurance company may deduct your NCD at renewal, on the basis that they expect a claim to arrive from the other party. If the other party accept liability and pays for your car repair, that should satisfy your insurer that no claim will ever arrive. You can also (in theory at least) claim back the extra cost that having a no-fault claim has on your own insurance for 5 years, but you will need to more persuasive about it.

You should also remind the police that they should find the driver (they can request details of the hirer from the hire company) and prosecute them for failing to stop after an accident.