Damaged someone else's car. Where do i stand?

Amber26

Hi i just wondered if anyone can help me.

My partner bumped into someones car in a car park and their vehicle had what i would describe as minor damages (scuffed paint work).
Our vehicle also has minor cosmetic damages but we are not too bothered it.

The man in the other car received a quote of around £300 to repair the damages from a reputable garage and said it doesn't matter if we pay him directly or through the insurance as long as his car is repaired.

I should really know this but i don't have a clue what to do for the best.

My partner had an excess of £300 on our insurance when the accident happened but as he has just had his birthday (25th) it has gone down to £75. If we did go through our insurance would we pay the excess at the time of the accident or the excess on the day the claim was put in?
Other than loosing our 5 years no claims bonus and the insurance cost rising would anything else happen?

If i decide it is best to pay it ourselves is it best to ask for a couple of quotes and pay the garage directly or just pay the £300 to the first garage the person has been to.

I really don't know how to go about this. We accept full responsibility for the damage and i want to make it as effortless as possible for the this person to get his car repaired but obviously want to keep the cost down as much as possible.

The person has said that i am more than welcome to see if i can get a cheaper quote but this can only be done by the person visiting garages with his car isn't it?

I know i sound really stupid and i should really know this but i don't and lesson learnt!

Thanks for any help!

Aretnap

The excess is only payable if you claim for damage to your own car - not for third party damage. So if you go through your insurance you won't have to pay a penny - for the moment at least.

It might well cost you more than £300 in increased premiums over the next few years though. Ultimately if you want to avoid that you're not in a strong position when it comes to negotiating with the other guy - if you start asking him to visit lots of garages and get lots of quotes he might just decide that it's less hassle to go through insurance instead, and there'd be nothing you could do to stop him. Personally I'd grit my teeth and pay him the £300 to make it go away.

captainawsome

I'd pay the£300 and consider it a close call. 5 years NCB at 25 will probably be worth more than £300 at renewal time

ACG

Id pay the £300 - that isnt unreasonable, someone bumped into my car 2 years ago and to knock out a slight dent and repaint it was £350.

I would rather pay £300 and keep 5 years no claims.

chrisw

Although you wouldn't lose the whole 5 years NCB. Usually insurers knock 2 years off so you'd be down to 3 years - you will have to see what your policy says.

Quentin

Bear in mind that when you are responsible for causing any damage, then you (or your insurer) are liable for all costs the third party is put to and not just the garage bill (eg hire car whilst car off road etc).


Additionally not informing your insurer is a breach of your policy conditions - so it's your call on that. If you let your insurer deal with this and it is cost effective you can reimburse them their outlay and get your 2 years "lost" NCD reinstated.

Amber26

Thanks everyone! I will contact the insurance company tomorrow to inform them as i didn't know this was a requirement.

Each of the 4 marks are the size of a 50 pence piece i thought the garage may be taking advantage of the situation hence slight hesitation to immediatly pay out.

I will speak to the insurance company in the morning and see what they suggest and i think i will just pay it out directly to the garage if that can be done.

Thanks again!

Moto2

Never mind calling the insurance company , just get the other car fixed and be done with it.

facade

When you inform your insurance company, they will add a note to your file that you had an "accident" and this will mean that statistically you are much more likely to have another, and so your insurance policy will cost lots and lots and lots more at renewall to reflect this.

If you don't claim, because you pay yourself, then you will keep your no-claims bonus, so your discount will come off a bigger initial figure.

The overall result is much higher insurance prices for the next 5 years.

Obviously, we cannot advise you on a public forum to breach the terms of your policy, by sinply paying up and "forgetting" about the incident, and thus saving hunderds, if not thousands of pounds over the next 5 years, you must do as you see fit.

loskie

You are obliged to inform your insurance co. I imagine that in most cases like this folks don't.
It's your call but I know what I would do.

For minor damage a company like Chips Away may be able to do a smart repair.

arcon5

I'd pay it and protect the ncb next year now you've hit 5yrs.

If he's reported it then defo tell yours to. If he hasn't make a judgement call about his integrity