Car Insurance : Challenge a write off valuation

stuartbrookes

Hi, will keep this short... Has anyone ever successfully challenged a car valuation claim via appeal or Ombudsman?

Our Volvo XC90 has been deemed a write off after a non-liability accident - the 3rd party has admitted liability and there are witnesses also to confirm this.  Our insurance company have today provided a value of £8,100 for our car - Volvo XC90 2.4 D5 (200bhp) SE Luxury  5d Geartronic 2012/12 - it had 103k on the clock.

I've trawled various internet sites, right now on Autotrader, then to replace a similar model is a min of £10,250...  So I'm over £2,000 out of pocket.

Two questions:
1) Has anyone had success appealing a valuation?
2) If I do face a shortfall, would I have grounds for a small claims court appeal against the individual via civil means? I have his name, number and address.

Thanks in advance.

Sandtree

1) Make sure you understand the offer correctly... there are a number of deductions that can be taken off the vehicle value (eg outstanding premiums, excess etc) and people mistake the settlement value for the vehicle value. Included in this is if they are assuming you are surrendering the vehicle to them or retaining it.

2) It sounds like you are looking at advertised prices not sale prices. I can put an advert in Autotrader tomorrow for any car at £100,000 and they'll gladly take my money but if its a 1998 Ford Fiesta I can tell you it won't be selling at that price. When I used to sit near the desk engineers they'd phone up the numbers in the adverts and have a conversation with the seller to see the price they'd accept (normally with a story of being far away and not wanting to travel if the price isnt going to be negotiable etc)

In answer to your question... yes, lots of people successfully appeal valuations but a lot don't succeed... a minority even get a reduction. The Ombudsman website explains their approach but it very much guide driven so if Glasses say £8,200 but the engineer has noted skuffed alloys all round so knowledge an extra £100 off then the ombudsman is likely to side with them. 


The answer to two is "its complex". Remember that once your insurers pay out they will themselves be pursuing the third party for what they have paid out, which can end up in court if there are issues. There can only be one court case for one incident and so you and your insurers would both be there claiming off the TP... who'd be represented by their insurers... with your insurers saying they paid out £8,100 as the total loss value and you saying you think the total loss value should have been higher.  

The ombudsman is more lenient than the courts generally but you'd almost be better taking the civil action against your insurers and if you win then your insurers take the enhanced cost as a claim against the TP. Whereas the Ombudsman will look up in the glass guide etc to value the vehicle the judge won't so you'd need to have evidence that the value is too low which would normally be in the form of an independent engineers report that you'd pay for and add to the cost of the claim... obviously you lose then its your cost to bare (plus the court fees, the allowable expenses etc)

Brie

I had an accident a few years back and was offered a very low amount of money to settle it.  I went on to autotrader etc and pulled a couple of ads for cars similar to mine - same model, age, mileage.  These were for about twice what I'd been offered and I told the insurance company that I would expect something similar.  They didn't quite match it but the next offer was much better and one that I could live with.

stuartbrookes

Sorted this afternoon...  They upped their offer by nearly 20% - it isn't great, but it is acceptable and I think puts me in a decent position as a cash buyer hopefully.

Thanks for the feedback.