Had A Car Accident Yesterday - Insurance Advice
Hey all, just wondering if anyone could assist me on what to do next.
Yesterday morning on the way to work i hit a patch of ice, lost control of the car and had a head on collision with another car; luckily no-one was harmed at all (neither of us were going hard enough thankfully) However both cars are looking pretty poorly.
Now i rang my insurance company yesterday to try and get things sortted as soon as i can, but am unsure of what is going to happen. Now as it was me who had lost control then i am responsible for both cars, so one thing i want to know is whether if i claim for both cars it will count as 1 or 2 claims? And if i were to pay for the damage to my car personally, and only claim for the other car on the insurence, would that make the amount my insurence would be increased by less? Because i'm currently paying £155 a month, and really can't afford for it to go up any more.
Also, the insurance company told me that because of the age of the car (T Reg) and the fact that most of the front on the car is smashed in, it wouldn't be economically viable to repair it, so will contact me in a couple of days about collecting my car so it can be taken for valuing; However, we have a mechanic in the family who would be able to do it up for £300-£400, which is less than what they would give me for the car (Predicted around £600) As the car is in great condition (before the accident anyway) because the previous owner had died and had it sitting in his garage, being undriven for a couple of years, meaning it's only done 45,000 miles. So what do people feel is the best way to go about things?
Yesterday morning on the way to work i hit a patch of ice, lost control of the car and had a head on collision with another car; luckily no-one was harmed at all (neither of us were going hard enough thankfully) However both cars are looking pretty poorly.
Now i rang my insurance company yesterday to try and get things sortted as soon as i can, but am unsure of what is going to happen. Now as it was me who had lost control then i am responsible for both cars, so one thing i want to know is whether if i claim for both cars it will count as 1 or 2 claims? And if i were to pay for the damage to my car personally, and only claim for the other car on the insurence, would that make the amount my insurence would be increased by less? Because i'm currently paying £155 a month, and really can't afford for it to go up any more.
Also, the insurance company told me that because of the age of the car (T Reg) and the fact that most of the front on the car is smashed in, it wouldn't be economically viable to repair it, so will contact me in a couple of days about collecting my car so it can be taken for valuing; However, we have a mechanic in the family who would be able to do it up for £300-£400, which is less than what they would give me for the car (Predicted around £600) As the car is in great condition (before the accident anyway) because the previous owner had died and had it sitting in his garage, being undriven for a couple of years, meaning it's only done 45,000 miles. So what do people feel is the best way to go about things?
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Your insurance will not increase until the end of the current year and it depends on your policy, I lost 2 years NCD.
They will not allow you to repair the car and many now won't resell to you. You can ask when a settlement is agreed.
Also don't forget that you have an excess that they will deduct from the value.
As for insurance going forward, sorry but its most likely going to go up.
Good grief; corporate gobbledegook creeps into the DS forums now.
My car cost over £6k to repair and my premium went up £70. Depends on the terms of your insurance.
Seeing as OP is already paying close on 2 grand a year on a car worth less then a grand then I am guessing a young high risk driver. Its going to go up a fair amount.
Realistically, on a car with a value of £600, almost any insurance repair is going to write it off, because they will be expecting that new, dealer supplied parts will be used.
However, providing the damage is largely cosmetic (ie take parts off, fit new parts, no structural damage) the insurance company may allow you to do what's sometimes known as a 'contract repair'; this is where non original or secondhand parts are used, while other parts may be repaired, instead of being replaced.
This work will need to be done by a proper repairer, so your 'family mechanic' will be OK, provided he works at a garage and isn't just an uncle who's going to fix it up in the street.
This way, you'll get your car back, but it still won't stop you from losing some of your NCD.
PS Don't let the insurance company take it away!
Possession is 9/10 of the law; if you've got it, you can negotiate to get it repaired, if they've got it, you'll never see it again.
One word of warning if you do this though - check that your insurance is still valid. Unbeknown to me, my insurance company cancelled mine - I was driving around with no insurance for 3 months without realising!
TBH there is not a lot you can do to stop them.
Also if the accident is registered s a "fault" claim against you, the MINIMUM NCB you will lose is 2 years (unless protected). You could lose a lot more and if you are due for renewal during the time it takes to get the claim sorted then you could lose the NCB in the short term while the claim is sorted.
I would also concur with what is noted above. A lot of insurers will declare a vehicle a total loss if the repairs will cost equal to or more than 50% of the value of the vehicle.
That's very possible, although if the car was ever declared a total loss then you would need to provide an MOT dated after the accident and possibly evidence of passing a VIC test ( http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/BuyingAndSellingAVehicle/AdviceOnBuyingAndSellingAVehicle/DG_4022107 ).
Even though your claim was cancelled it will still be on your insurance record as a claim and could effect your premiums.
You have made a claim and the insurance company want to do an inspection, little you can do really.
They may say no car no claim !! Be careful its a minefield
Sounds like there will be a claim for sure from the other driver ?
They gave her £550 and the car. She got it fixed for £300 and used it for another year. Seemed strange to me that they gave her a cheque and the car - but she wasn't arguing.
They said as it was a R reg car it wasn't worth repairing (it was only a dent in the door!)
Dad didn't want that and eventually the insurance agreed that if he could get an MOT done (even although it has one still in date) to prove the car was in proper condition they wouldn't write off the car.
It was quite a long drawn out process - AND he had to pay his excess too, but at least he kept his car!