Leased vehicle Non Fault claim pathway

Sleggsy

I lease my Car. At the start of the week I was hit by a vehicle coming from a Give Way junction. My car has damage to both passenger-side doors. I am fairly confident I am not at fault.

As I lease the vehicle, I initially reported the collision to my Insurance Company but made no claim. The insurers have given me two options:

1 Non Fault Credit Service
2 Make a claim (and lose my excess but maybe can recover it later)

I'm really not keen on using the credit service. The other driver is very young and I have no interest in making life any more difficult/expensive for him than necessary (and it seems these companies drive up costs, which then upsets the other party's insurance company). I just need to get my car repaired.

I'm fairly sure, as the car isn't mine, that the option of discussing directly with the other driver's insurance company wouldn't be an option for me? Anyone have any advice?

Okell

The car may not be owned by you, but presumably you are responsible to the lease company for any damage and you have insurance in your name?

Doesn't the lease agreement cover this?

Mildly_Miffed

The fact its leased makes zero difference to whether you claim from your insurer or the other driver's insurer.

If the other driver doesn't accept liability, then their insurer won't take your claim.

DullGreyGuy

Sleggsy said:

I lease my Car. At the start of the week I was hit by a vehicle coming from a Give Way junction. My car has damage to both passenger-side doors. I am fairly confident I am not at fault.

As I lease the vehicle, I initially reported the collision to my Insurance Company but made no claim. The insurers have given me two options:

1 Non Fault Credit Service
2 Make a claim (and lose my excess but maybe can recover it later)

I'm really not keen on using the credit service. The other driver is very young and I have no interest in making life any more difficult/expensive for him than necessary (and it seems these companies drive up costs, which then upsets the other party's insurance company). I just need to get my car repaired.

I'm fairly sure, as the car isn't mine, that the option of discussing directly with the other driver's insurance company wouldn't be an option for me? Anyone have any advice?

The young driver will know almost nothing about your claim unless they are interested in knowing and bother asking. If you claim £1 or £1,000,000 will make no difference to them.

If its a Lease/PCH then no the car isn't yours but it is your responsibility. Were you to speak to the finance company then almost certainly push you to their own non-fault Credit Service because companies pay good referral money for Credit Hire. 

Assuming it isn't a total loss then most would deal with it themselves and not think to speak to the lease company. When you come to return the vehicle there will be a high chance of the surveyor spotting (with a device they use) that the pain on the doors is thicker.

When I gave back our last car back their device spotted the paint on the rear corner registered it was much thicker. They asked if it had been in an accident... I mentioned that on one service the garage had called and said they needed to keep the car for an extra couple of days and I've no idea why but maybe? The keeping it a few extra days did happen for reasons they never explained but I did also reverse into a post on that corner.