I have strong opinions about insurers ripping us all off. In particular, how they have developed well established arrangements with claims management firms and recovery companies to grab your damaged car asap as a valuable asset and write it off even with minimal damage. If immediately after an accident where no one is injured and you have been shunted in the back with only minor or modest damage, I have employed a different tactic (three times) successfully with previous cars. The following doesn’t apply where the fault of the accident isn’t clear cut. Firstly be friendly and non confrontational. Exchange particulars but make it clear that you will be claiming against their insurers to reinstate the car to its previous condition as the accident wasn’t your fault. Photograph the scene and take fulsome pictures of your car and theirs and witness details if any. Photograph any pre existing damage on their car….Don’t telephone your insurers at the scene and don’t use your insurers tow-in provider or any national towing company, as you may never see it again…Get the car back home using friends, your local independent garage with a tow truck or under its own steam if it seems safe and legal. Get the car locked up at home and impossible to tow away if you aren’t present. Notify your insurers of the accident at this stage for information purposes only, making it clear that you are adamant that you aren’t responsible in any way for the the rear end shunt to your car. Clearly state you are going to claim against the other party in the first instance without their involvement, as the damage seems repairable and non structural. E mail them this. Decline offers of hire cars and claims management intermediaries. Tell them you will come back to them if the other party proves difficult, but you believe your car can be economically repaired and that you believe that is in everyone’s interests. Notify the other insurers and tell them the car can be economically repaired and that you are going to obtain quotations for the repairs where appropriate using aftermarket parts or panels where safe and appropriate. Send them photos of the damage and keep maintaining that they have a duty to put you back with your prized car in the same condition it was before their insured party damaged it. Obtain quotes, but use independent sensible competent car sprayers and not the big insurance company panel beaters that act in concert with the insurers. Make sure that the companies you obtain quotes from give the car a check to make sure that structural distortion hasn’t occurred and that the car can be safely repaired. Always keep the car under your control and possession, don’t leave it unattended with an ‘engineer’ for the insurers calling to see the damage… He may put it on his towing lorry that he forgot to mention he had parked nearby. Also make sure that anyone giving you a quote keep costs to a minimum. Tell them you will be paying, so that they don’t bump up the price for the insurers. Consider the costs they provide versus the cost of replacing your car, the likely write off value, and whether you have any likely mechanical costs likely to arise in the near future within your knowledge. If you really think repair is the cheapest and best option also consider whether you can obtain good second hand panels in the same colour that may be cheaper to use rather than panel beating, filling and respraying the existing. Offering to do this, will provide encouragement on the insurer to settle with you, and also go in your favour should disputes arise later on. In my three cases I made my cars very ‘street legal’ to drive to repairers to strengthen my argument that the car shouldn’t be written off. In each of my cases the repair costs were far less than likely write off value / replacement cost of me buying another car in similar age, mileage and condition. Hence the other sides insurers have coughed up my claims in full. In one instance they even covered my travel cost and subsistence of a days meals to collect a replacement tailgate in identical colour. ( From a wonderful scrapyard in Cornwall 200 miles away from home that not only saved respray costs, but also unwittingly provided me a spare unbroken tail light cluster, a spare high vis led light and a spare rear wiper motor that weren’t damaged in the shunt). After repair and settlement I notified my insurer to advise that the other parties insurers have settled with me. I have then provided my insurers a fresh MOT and separate note from my friendly independent garage that my car is sound and restored to its previous condition.
My approach isn’t for the faint hearted and isn’t for everyone. In my case I have always balanced the repair costs I would be prepared to pay, if the other side lied, suddenly refused to pay and if I lost a subsequent small claims court case.. However in each instance the insurers played ball, the shunt hasn’t left me out of pocket apart from the early MOT cost. Win win anll round. Also there were no insurance excesses to pay, no Cat S or N on my car, and ( surprisingly to many), no increase in my following years insurance. I accept it helps if you have developed good relations with a local independent garage and panel beater over the years and have a second car available..All the above incidents were within 10 miles of my home.
In addition other factors I think one should avoid in all insurance claims. In my view, the minute you accept the ‘kind’ offer of a so called free hire car from a claims management company appointed by your insurers, you are almost certainly making sure your own car will be written off and you will end up heavily out of pocket.
Your own insurers will be putting these costs into the claim costs which rapidly escalates the total claim as being above economic repair of your car. Also if you accept a claims management firms offer of a car on the basis that you aren’t to blame, but the other party subsequently argues otherwise, the small print of the claims management companies contract will likely mean that you end up owing them the full hire costs…I buy fully comprehensive insurance not to financially protect me from minor accidents not of my making or to have a hire car, but only to provide me the best cover, if ever I am at fault or injured….I don’t doubt that others may disagree with all I have said from their experience, and it may be that some insurers will resist settling with individuals or make obstacles. All I can say is that I am a friendly but very persistent person who doesn’t take no for an answer without good reason. The above process has worked for me three times over the years I have been driving in no fault situations, the last time being quite recent in the autumn 2025… So whether you agree with me or otherwise, Good Luck, safe driving and think hard and take time out before being pushed by an insurance company.
