Insurance Claim for stolen vehicle

DB1904

sheramber said:

If the police caused damage to the car by ramming it then your insurance company may want to claim from them- hence wanting the police report.

The stolen report won't help then insurance company if that's the case. It could also be argued the driver of the OP's car is responsible in part for the damage. 

8871Jlw

sheramber said:

If the police caused damage to the car by ramming it then your insurance company may want to claim from them- hence wanting the police report.

Not quite as there would be no claim for damage - it’s a claim for theft of the vehicle and the insurer can’t provide an indemnity to the thief regarding the collision/damage  

A stolen but recovered vehicle is merely now scrap/salvage value and the insurer sends it to their salvage agent for an agreed fee (once the claim is validated and the policy holder paid his pre-theft valuation).  

I imagine the salvage will get returned to the OP at some point given it’s been found but the claim not accepted 

Herzlos

8871Jlw said:

My advice - buy another car 

That's the most important advice here. The car is a total loss, so you're not going to get a courtesy car and you may or may not get reimbursed for it, but that process could take months especially if they reject the claim and you need to appeal. So you're going to need to get another car anyway, you may as well start looking now.

DB1904

8871Jlw said:

sheramber said:

If the police caused damage to the car by ramming it then your insurance company may want to claim from them- hence wanting the police report.

Not quite as there would be no claim for damage - it’s a claim for theft of the vehicle and the insurer can’t provide an indemnity to the thief regarding the collision/damage  

A stolen but recovered vehicle is merely now scrap/salvage value and the insurer sends it to their salvage agent for an agreed fee (once the claim is validated and the policy holder paid his pre-theft valuation).  

I imagine the salvage will get returned to the OP at some point given it’s been found but the claim not accepted 

But the police have insurance. 

Sandtree

sheramber said:

If the police caused damage to the car by ramming it then your insurance company may want to claim from them- hence wanting the police report.

Yeah no

There are some places you just dont go for something as minor as a written off car. A former client did consider suing the Fire Brigade for damage to a building because the fire itself caused about £20k of damage but the water damage was over £10m (large office block, all the infrastructure in the basement which is exactly where all the water goes if you soak the building for 6 hours). PR department quickly stopped that one. Didnt help that it was the insurers own office.

8871Jlw

DB1904 said:

8871Jlw said:

sheramber said:

If the police caused damage to the car by ramming it then your insurance company may want to claim from them- hence wanting the police report.

Not quite as there would be no claim for damage - it’s a claim for theft of the vehicle and the insurer can’t provide an indemnity to the thief regarding the collision/damage  

A stolen but recovered vehicle is merely now scrap/salvage value and the insurer sends it to their salvage agent for an agreed fee (once the claim is validated and the policy holder paid his pre-theft valuation).  

I imagine the salvage will get returned to the OP at some point given it’s been found but the claim not accepted 

But the police have insurance. 

Yes Okay,  but who would pursue the police’s insurance? There is no indemnity in place for the thief to drive the vehicle, so there would never be a damage claim made in order to pursue the police for. 

The only recourse of recovery the insurance company has is against the thief if they have been identified, which we don’t even bother with because it’s generally a non-starter! 

DB1904

8871Jlw said:

DB1904 said:

8871Jlw said:

sheramber said:

If the police caused damage to the car by ramming it then your insurance company may want to claim from them- hence wanting the police report.

Not quite as there would be no claim for damage - it’s a claim for theft of the vehicle and the insurer can’t provide an indemnity to the thief regarding the collision/damage  

A stolen but recovered vehicle is merely now scrap/salvage value and the insurer sends it to their salvage agent for an agreed fee (once the claim is validated and the policy holder paid his pre-theft valuation).  

I imagine the salvage will get returned to the OP at some point given it’s been found but the claim not accepted 

But the police have insurance. 

Yes Okay,  but who would pursue the police’s insurance? There is no indemnity in place for the thief to drive the vehicle, so there would never be a damage claim made in order to pursue the police for. 

The only recourse of recovery the insurance company has is against the thief if they have been identified, which we don’t even bother with because it’s generally a non-starter! 

If you go out for a drive today and run into the back of an uninsured vehicle. You are still liable and can claim from your insurance who will pay. 

Sandtree

DB1904 said:

8871Jlw said:

sheramber said:

If the police caused damage to the car by ramming it then your insurance company may want to claim from them- hence wanting the police report.

Not quite as there would be no claim for damage - it’s a claim for theft of the vehicle and the insurer can’t provide an indemnity to the thief regarding the collision/damage  

A stolen but recovered vehicle is merely now scrap/salvage value and the insurer sends it to their salvage agent for an agreed fee (once the claim is validated and the policy holder paid his pre-theft valuation).  

I imagine the salvage will get returned to the OP at some point given it’s been found but the claim not accepted 

But the police have insurance. 

Road Traffic Act 1988 (legislation.gov.uk)

Police are exempt from having to have insurance... same as any owners of large fleets of vehicles there is no point paying for ground up insurance because its not a question of if you will have a claim this year or not but how many will there be. Whilst companies arent exempt from the insurance requirement there are mechanisms that can be put in place that effectively makes it an excess of loss style policy with an aggregate attachment point... eg the insurance kicks in after the losses exceeds £100m in a year.

Whilst the police are exempt from having insurance I suspect that some will have policies that deal with either the largest losses and/or aggregate losses but the small stuff like this is just self insured. 

DB1904

Sandtree said:

DB1904 said:

8871Jlw said:

sheramber said:

If the police caused damage to the car by ramming it then your insurance company may want to claim from them- hence wanting the police report.

Not quite as there would be no claim for damage - it’s a claim for theft of the vehicle and the insurer can’t provide an indemnity to the thief regarding the collision/damage  

A stolen but recovered vehicle is merely now scrap/salvage value and the insurer sends it to their salvage agent for an agreed fee (once the claim is validated and the policy holder paid his pre-theft valuation).  

I imagine the salvage will get returned to the OP at some point given it’s been found but the claim not accepted 

But the police have insurance. 

Road Traffic Act 1988 (legislation.gov.uk)

Police are exempt from having to have insurance... same as any owners of large fleets of vehicles there is no point paying for ground up insurance because its not a question of if you will have a claim this year or not but how many will there be. Whilst companies arent exempt from the insurance requirement there are mechanisms that can be put in place that effectively makes it an excess of loss style policy with an aggregate attachment point... eg the insurance kicks in after the losses exceeds £100m in a year.

Whilst the police are exempt from having insurance I suspect that some will have policies that deal with either the largest losses and/or aggregate losses but the small stuff like this is just self insured. 

You're being pedantic now, as you well know no one actually needs insurance. A surety against third party risks is enough but most can't afford that.

Whether the police have insurance or a surety there is money there to pay a third party. Whether they are liable is another matter. If a vehicle is damaged in the tactical phase of a pursuit who is liable? I don't know whether it's the police for trying to box or a suspect for not complying.

If the Police decide to use tactical contact then there's no doubt that they have caused the damage. 

8871Jlw

DB1904 said:

8871Jlw said:

DB1904 said:

8871Jlw said:

sheramber said:

If the police caused damage to the car by ramming it then your insurance company may want to claim from them- hence wanting the police report.

Not quite as there would be no claim for damage - it’s a claim for theft of the vehicle and the insurer can’t provide an indemnity to the thief regarding the collision/damage  

A stolen but recovered vehicle is merely now scrap/salvage value and the insurer sends it to their salvage agent for an agreed fee (once the claim is validated and the policy holder paid his pre-theft valuation).  

I imagine the salvage will get returned to the OP at some point given it’s been found but the claim not accepted 

But the police have insurance. 

Yes Okay,  but who would pursue the police’s insurance? There is no indemnity in place for the thief to drive the vehicle, so there would never be a damage claim made in order to pursue the police for. 

The only recourse of recovery the insurance company has is against the thief if they have been identified, which we don’t even bother with because it’s generally a non-starter! 

If you go out for a drive today and run into the back of an uninsured vehicle. You are still liable and can claim from your insurance who will pay. 

You’re describing scenarios that aren’t related to the OPs issue.  Any collision following a theft taking place is not relevant to the claim the OP is making.