Car insurance paid for repair rather than writing car off

ER1993

I have had my car since August 2023, in December I had a car accident which went down as my fault as I did not have a dash cam to prove that it was joint fault. Regardless, the car was repaired but this took a lengthy time due to waiting for parts from Japan. I had another problem with the car in May (flat battery, likely due to the car sitting so long waiting for parts). My insurance is due for renewal in August, so I needed to find out how much the repairs cost. I purchased my car for ~£20,000 in August 2023, and I was told by my insurance company Admiral yesterday that they spent £25,000 to repair the car. I was flabbergasted, as the cost of the repairs exceeded the original cost of the car. I have raised a complaint with admiral regarding this. Furthermore, this morning, there is another small problem with my car, which is potentially related to the original repair. It seems ridiculous that they paid to repair the car which exceeded the cost of the car, I have had issues since and to be honest do not want the hassle/do not trust the car now, that I am considering of getting rid and finding a new car. It seems ridiculous that admiral decided to repair the car, and now I am left with a car that is not reliable, and I will be out of pocket getting a new one. Other than complaining to the insurance company and then potentially going to the ombudsman, I'm not sure what to do. Has anyone had a similar problem before / have any advice?

cw8825

I would be shocked if they have spent that much to repair your car. 

Could that be the total cost of claim including the third party?

Regarding problems you have had since. You need to confirm whether they are linked and as a result. 

If they are you can then speak to the insurer and give them chance to put right

How bad did the damage look? Did you raise concerns about them repairing the car? 

DullGreyGuy

ER1993 said:

I have had my car since August 2023, in December I had a car accident which went down as my fault as I did not have a dash cam to prove that it was joint fault. Regardless, the car was repaired but this took a lengthy time due to waiting for parts from Japan. I had another problem with the car in May (flat battery, likely due to the car sitting so long waiting for parts). My insurance is due for renewal in August, so I needed to find out how much the repairs cost. I purchased my car for ~£20,000 in August 2023, and I was told by my insurance company Admiral yesterday that they spent £25,000 to repair the car. I was flabbergasted, as the cost of the repairs exceeded the original cost of the car. I have raised a complaint with admiral regarding this. Furthermore, this morning, there is another small problem with my car, which is potentially related to the original repair. It seems ridiculous that they paid to repair the car which exceeded the cost of the car, I have had issues since and to be honest do not want the hassle/do not trust the car now, that I am considering of getting rid and finding a new car. It seems ridiculous that admiral decided to repair the car, and now I am left with a car that is not reliable, and I will be out of pocket getting a new one. Other than complaining to the insurance company and then potentially going to the ombudsman, I'm not sure what to do. Has anyone had a similar problem before / have any advice?

Presumably when they authorised repairs the estimate wasnt £20k 

Let's say it was £15k original repair estimates. As time went on other things were found, parts were problematic so became more expensive and suddenly they've spent £15k and repairs are still not complete. If they were to then call it quits they'd have to pay you out the circa £20k value meaning total outlay was £35k. However they can push forward and repair it for another £10k and so total bill is £25k and cheaper than £35k for writing it off mid repair. 

Depending on the garage, their relationship to Admiral etc then when the car went back in the bill could have been picked up by Admiral so maybe it was £20k when you first collected it and the extra £5k was yet another unexpected increase. 

BarelySentientAI

I don't think you can complain that they repaired your car.  That would seem very odd.

If the repairs haven't 'worked' and there are things that still need to be fixed, then the insurer should get them fixed.

It's not really their problem that you don't fancy having that car any more, that's entirely on you.  Most people are out of pocket when they sell a used car and buy another one.  Their job, having decided to repair rather than settle for scrap, is to fix whatever was damaged in the incident that you claimed for - not to fund you changing car.

dunstonh

 I was told by my insurance company Admiral yesterday that they spent £25,000 to repair the car. 

Did they say it was £25k to repair the car or the cost of the claim was £25k?
The two things are not the same as the cost to repair the car would be lower than the cost of the claim.  If they have only told you the cost of the repair, then you need to go back to them to ask the cost of the claim as that is what you declare to other insurers.

Have you used a hire car or courtesy car in this period?    That would be included in the cost.
As would the costs of the damage to third parties and their associated costs.

 I have raised a complaint with admiral regarding this.

That is a bizarre complaint.  It has nothing to do with you what they decide to do as it is their money.

Aretnap

The terms of your policy will give the insurer the right to decide whether to repair the car or write it off. If they did choose to pay more than it was worth to repair that would be a bit of a strange decision on their part, but ultimately one that they were within their rights to make. You can't complain that they spent too much money fixing your car for you - it's their money not yours that they're wasting.

You CAN complain if you don't think that the repairs have been done to a high standard of course - they are responsible for ensuring that any problems caused by the repairs are put right. But you can't insist that they write it off retrospectively because you no longer want the car, or have a vague, ill defined mistrust of it.

Have to say the majority of complaints we see are the opposite to yours - the insurer writes of a customer's car and the customer wants to insist that they repair it instead, almost regardless of the cost. So I guess insurers are damned if they do, damned if they don't.