Car Insurance question?

If you scratch someones car in a minor bump on private land and offer to pay to get it fixed do you have to go through insurance?

I did the decent thing and hung around and offered to get the damage repaired by sending someone out to fix it at a cost of around £100. They are now demanding it goes through insurance and they have a courtesy car and have the bumper fully resprayed! Even if not at fault it will increase their premiums and I think they are cutting off their nose to spite their face here! I have not pointed this out to them but perhaps they do not realise.

Personaly I find this a bit harsh as it could look like new for £100 and it is an old car plus I could have just pissed off!

Where do I stand on this? Any advice?

If you scratch someones car in a minor bump on private land and offer to pay to get it fixed do you have to go through insurance?

I did the decent thing and hung around and offered to get the damage repaired by sending someone out to fix it at a cost of around £100. They are now demanding it goes through insurance and they have a courtesy car and have the bumper fully resprayed! Even if not at fault it will increase their premiums and I think they are cutting off their nose to spite their face here! I have not pointed this out to them but perhaps they do not realise.

Personaly I find this a bit harsh as it could look like new for £100 and it is an old car plus I could have just pissed off!

Where do I stand on this? Any advice?

Unfortunately as your fault he as right to go to insurance but seeing as damage is £100 and you are willing to pay i suspect yours and possibly his ins companies wont persue matter as cost to both parties wont be worth claim! Best thing is tell your ins company and see what they say?
Ps if my experience before regarding bumper i suspect it will cost £500 at specialist repair centre photo of damage would help ypur case with ins company

Last edited by pembroke allan on Sun Aug 27, 2017 7:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

If you scratch someones car in a minor bump on private land and offer to pay to get it fixed do you have to go through insurance?

I did the decent thing and hung around and offered to get the damage repaired by sending someone out to fix it at a cost of around £100. They are now demanding it goes through insurance and they have a courtesy car and have the bumper fully resprayed! Even if not at fault it will increase their premiums and I think they are cutting off their nose to spite their face here! I have not pointed this out to them but perhaps they do not realise.

Personaly I find this a bit harsh as it could look like new for £100 and it is an old car plus I could have just pissed off!

Where do I stand on this? Any advice?

If you were at fault, then they won't lose their no claims bonus, as they'll claim off your insurance.

Do not say a word to your insurance.

My BMW went through a flood on a road outside reading festival I mentioned to insurance company and my insurance went up even though I paid for everything myself as you are classed as being a higher risk.

Do not say a word to your insurance.

My BMW went through a flood on a road outside reading festival I mentioned to insurance company and my insurance went up even though I paid for everything myself as you are classed as being a higher risk.

He'll have no choice if he's at fault and the other party contacts his/hers own insurance company, as that insurance company will contact his.

It says here that even if its not your fault a claim will almost certainly incresae your premiums which seems nuts! They say they want a courtesy car but surely it is a job that can be done in a day? He was fine with me sending someone out to repair it until he spoke to his wife and now wants to go to the extreme!

https://www.confused.com/motor-insuranc ... -good-idea

It will cost me hundreds for a few scratches but based on this link will cost them too. If someone was good enough to own up I would go the cheap route but obvioulsly the wife thinks it will not be up to the mark! I put my neck on the block but have been given no slack at all. I think as soon as the insurance is contacted it will cost hundreds in no claims and costs. Think it is shit really when it could be fixed tidy for £100 or even resprayed for perhaps £250!

Its far better for both parties to settle things without insurance getting involved as both parties will ultimately be deemed at risk when comes to renuing time! One of questions is have you been involved in accident wether your fault or not and It does effect premiums according to insurance companies.
Ps expect 3 days to fix it

Its far better for both parties to settle things without insurance getting involved as both parties will ultimately be deemed at risk when comes to renuing time! One of questions is have you been involved in accident wether your fault or not and It does effect premiums according to insurance companies.
Ps expect 3 days to fix it

I will give him a ring tomorrow and try and reason with him but I get the feeling he has been told that is what is happening and there will be no reasoning! Cant do anything till Tuesday anyway. He was on about sending an email so hope he hasn't!

Thanks for your replies!

It says here that even if its not your fault a claim will almost certainly incresae your premiums which seems nuts! They say they want a courtesy car but surely it is a job that can be done in a day? He was fine with me sending someone out to repair it until he spoke to his wife and now wants to go to the extreme!

https://www.confused.com/motor-insuranc ... -good-idea

It will cost me hundreds for a few scratches but based on this link will cost them too. If someone was good enough to own up I would go the cheap route but obvioulsly the wife thinks it will not be up to the mark! I put my neck on the block but have been given no slack at all. I think as soon as the insurance is contacted it will cost hundreds in no claims and costs. Think it is shit really when it could be fixed tidy for £100 or even resprayed for perhaps £250!

It still doesn't mean that the other party will incur an increase in their premiums, when they come to renew their policy, especially if they've got protected No Claims. However, I'd direct them to the link you've posted and see if there's a climb-down.

If on private land though isn't there a loophole where insurance doesn't have to be used?

Premiums go up regardless of fault or as I found out even if there is no actual claim!

It cost me 1400 notes to get my car repaired plus increased premiums just for advising them like they tell you to.

Check the terms & conditions of your insurance policy. Sometimes it is not valid for accidents which occur on private land.

Your liability to this fella is to put him back in a pre-accident position i.e. fix the damage caused. He has no right to expect you to enhance his bumper and if he wants a full re-spray/courtesy car then he will have to show the court why this is reasonable for you to do which is not as easy as most people believe.

He will also have court costs which he won't be able to claim back from you even if he wins.

Of course if your insurance does cover you on private land then unfortunately he can ask them to deal with it.

Do not say a word to your insurance.

My BMW went through a flood on a road outside reading festival I mentioned to insurance company and my insurance went up even though I paid for everything myself as you are classed as being a higher risk.

He'll have no choice if he's at fault and the other party contacts his/hers own insurance company, as that insurance company will contact his.

If on private land though isn't there a loophole where insurance doesn't have to be used?

Premiums go up regardless of fault or as I found out even if there is no actual claim!

It cost me 1400 notes to get my car repaired plus increased premiums just for advising them like they tell you to.

As Tony Blue Williams has posted below, it will depend on the terms of his insurance policy, but as I said in response to your previous post, if the other party has such cover and he/she contacts their insurance company, then he'll have no choice but to speak to his own insurance company, if they pursue him through the policy.

Ok, apart from the photography work I do, some will know that I have dealt with Car Accident claims for 25 years. I spent nearly 10 years working for Admiral and now work for a law firm in Skelmersdale (Near Wigan) dealing with Personal Injury claims.

A few pointers.

Firstly most Insurance Policies require you to report ALL ACCIDENTS within a reasonable period of time. At Admiral we regarded a reasonable period as 7 days. Importantly the policy did not say Major or Minor accidents - So I would report the accident. But it is up to you.

The other reason I would report it to your insurance company is because, if he chooses to make a Personal Injury claim against you, your insurance company will have the opportunity to inspect his vehicle and get an engineers report. Trust me on this. 2 months ago I received a claim from someone who had £27 worth of damage to her car. I told her I wasnt prepared to act for her.

The other point is what is the legal definition of a road.

The definition of a road in England and Wales is 'any highway and any other road to which the public has access and includes bridges over which a road passes' ( RTA 1988 sect 192(1))

The important words here are "which the public has access". So if the accident took place in a Car Park - well that car park has a entrance which allows public access. The same for a farmers field. In fact there are not many exclusions. I remember years ago the definition was changed to include multi storey car parks.

I know you do not want to lose your NCB but trust me it is a lot better to give your insurance company the opportunity to do what they need to do and get an engineers report (of both vehicles) than you face a PI claim and have no engineering evidence.

Ok, apart from the photography work I do, some will know that I have dealt with Car Accident claims for 25 years. I spent nearly 10 years working for Admiral and now work for a law firm in Skelmersdale (Near Wigan) dealing with Personal Injury claims.

A few pointers.

Firstly most Insurance Policies require you to report ALL ACCIDENTS within a reasonable period of time. At Admiral we regarded a reasonable period as 7 days. Importantly the policy did not say Major or Minor accidents - So I would report the accident. But it is up to you.

The other reason I would report it to your insurance company is because, if he chooses to make a Personal Injury claim against you, your insurance company will have the opportunity to inspect his vehicle and get an engineers report. Trust me on this. 2 months ago I received a claim from someone who had £27 worth of damage to her car. I told her I wasnt prepared to act for her.

The other point is what is the legal definition of a road.

The definition of a road in England and Wales is 'any highway and any other road to which the public has access and includes bridges over which a road passes' ( RTA 1988 sect 192(1))

The important words here are "which the public has access". So if the accident took place in a Car Park - well that car park has a entrance which allows public access. The same for a farmers field. In fact there are not many exclusions. I remember years ago the definition was changed to include multi storey car parks.

I know you do not want to lose your NCB but trust me it is a lot better to give your insurance company the opportunity to do what they need to do and get an engineers report (of both vehicles) than you face a PI claim and have no engineering evidence.

But surely then proof would be required to substantiate that injury claim?

Ok, apart from the photography work I do, some will know that I have dealt with Car Accident claims for 25 years. I spent nearly 10 years working for Admiral and now work for a law firm in Skelmersdale (Near Wigan) dealing with Personal Injury claims.

A few pointers.

Firstly most Insurance Policies require you to report ALL ACCIDENTS within a reasonable period of time. At Admiral we regarded a reasonable period as 7 days. Importantly the policy did not say Major or Minor accidents - So I would report the accident. But it is up to you.

The other reason I would report it to your insurance company is because, if he chooses to make a Personal Injury claim against you, your insurance company will have the opportunity to inspect his vehicle and get an engineers report. Trust me on this. 2 months ago I received a claim from someone who had £27 worth of damage to her car. I told her I wasnt prepared to act for her.

The other point is what is the legal definition of a road.

The definition of a road in England and Wales is 'any highway and any other road to which the public has access and includes bridges over which a road passes' ( RTA 1988 sect 192(1))

The important words here are "which the public has access". So if the accident took place in a Car Park - well that car park has a entrance which allows public access. The same for a farmers field. In fact there are not many exclusions. I remember years ago the definition was changed to include multi storey car parks.

I know you do not want to lose your NCB but trust me it is a lot better to give your insurance company the opportunity to do what they need to do and get an engineers report (of both vehicles) than you face a PI claim and have no engineering evidence.

But surely then proof would be required to substantiate that injury claim?

Not really i wad involved in an accident years ago i ran into a big van i didn't hurt myself but the other driver claimed whiplash even though he was stationary and his vehicle didn't move an inch! He quoted word for word the definition of whiplash injuries and its basically cheaper to pay than to contest even though i told insurers he was lying.

He wasn't in the vehicle at the time when I scuffed his bumper.

He wasn't in the vehicle at the time when I scuffed his bumper.

Guessed he wasnt! How old is his car ?

He wasn't in the vehicle at the time when I scuffed his bumper.

Guessed he wasnt! How old is his car ?

6 years old! I think it is really bad form that I have offered to pay for the damage but at perhaps at a few hundred pounds further expense to myself I now have to go through insurance so they can be sure of having it done right and get a courtesy car!

It seems very selfish to me and it really makes you wonder if honesty really is the best policy! I hope their premiums sky rocket too!

With that kind of attitude it makes you wonder

A. If he was in the car would he be claiming whiplash?
B. If he hit my car would he just drive off?

Get a feeling like I am sort of being legally stitched up here!

With that kind of attitude it makes you wonder

A. If he was in the car would he be claiming whiplash?
B. If he hit my car would he just drive off?

Get a feeling like I am sort of being legally stitched up here!

I think you are mate.

Have you given him anything in writing?

If not I would be telling him he either takes the cash or I will deny any knowledge of it.

With that kind of attitude it makes you wonder

A. If he was in the car would he be claiming whiplash?
B. If he hit my car would he just drive off?

Get a feeling like I am sort of being legally stitched up here!

I think you are mate.

Have you given him anything in writing?

If not I would be telling him he either takes the cash or I will deny any knowledge of it.

I had someone swipe my car whilst they were pulling out of a multi-story a few weeks ago, seen it happen myself and they just drove off. Seen someone else notice it so I got a witness report from them, had the reg number and a vague description of the girl that done it. Went to the police with all of the above information and they wouldn't even listen to me after I mentioned it was in a private car park.

So even though it's immoral, if you have put nothing in writing, denying everything might be the best thing to do for your insurances sake, police won't get involved if my case is anything to go by

Ok, apart from the photography work I do, some will know that I have dealt with Car Accident claims for 25 years. I spent nearly 10 years working for Admiral and now work for a law firm in Skelmersdale (Near Wigan) dealing with Personal Injury claims.

A few pointers.

Firstly most Insurance Policies require you to report ALL ACCIDENTS within a reasonable period of time. At Admiral we regarded a reasonable period as 7 days. Importantly the policy did not say Major or Minor accidents - So I would report the accident. But it is up to you.

The other reason I would report it to your insurance company is because, if he chooses to make a Personal Injury claim against you, your insurance company will have the opportunity to inspect his vehicle and get an engineers report. Trust me on this. 2 months ago I received a claim from someone who had £27 worth of damage to her car. I told her I wasnt prepared to act for her.

The other point is what is the legal definition of a road.

The definition of a road in England and Wales is 'any highway and any other road to which the public has access and includes bridges over which a road passes' ( RTA 1988 sect 192(1))

The important words here are "which the public has access". So if the accident took place in a Car Park - well that car park has a entrance which allows public access. The same for a farmers field. In fact there are not many exclusions. I remember years ago the definition was changed to include multi storey car parks.

I know you do not want to lose your NCB but trust me it is a lot better to give your insurance company the opportunity to do what they need to do and get an engineers report (of both vehicles) than you face a PI claim and have no engineering evidence.

There is unlikely to be a personal injury claim as the OP claims he did the decent thing and 'hung around' to offer a settlement for the damage. I might be wrong but that infers that no-one was in the car when the accident happened.

That said the rest of your advice seems to be very sound.

With that kind of attitude it makes you wonder

A. If he was in the car would he be claiming whiplash?
B. If he hit my car would he just drive off?

Get a feeling like I am sort of being legally stitched up here!

I think you are mate.

Have you given him anything in writing?

If not I would be telling him he either takes the cash or I will deny any knowledge of it.

I had someone swipe my car whilst they were pulling out of a multi-story a few weeks ago, seen it happen myself and they just drove off. Seen someone else notice it so I got a witness report from them, had the reg number and a vague description of the girl that done it. Went to the police with all of the above information and they wouldn't even listen to me after I mentioned it was in a private car park.

So even though it's immoral, if you have put nothing in writing, denying everything might be the best thing to do for your insurances sake, police won't get involved if my case is anything to go by

As no-one was hurt the Police would consider this incident as a civil matter and won't get involved. If you have the registration number then report it to your insurance and they should do the rest.

Ok, apart from the photography work I do, some will know that I have dealt with Car Accident claims for 25 years. I spent nearly 10 years working for Admiral and now work for a law firm in Skelmersdale (Near Wigan) dealing with Personal Injury claims.

A few pointers.

Firstly most Insurance Policies require you to report ALL ACCIDENTS within a reasonable period of time. At Admiral we regarded a reasonable period as 7 days. Importantly the policy did not say Major or Minor accidents - So I would report the accident. But it is up to you.

The other reason I would report it to your insurance company is because, if he chooses to make a Personal Injury claim against you, your insurance company will have the opportunity to inspect his vehicle and get an engineers report. Trust me on this. 2 months ago I received a claim from someone who had £27 worth of damage to her car. I told her I wasnt prepared to act for her.

The other point is what is the legal definition of a road.

The definition of a road in England and Wales is 'any highway and any other road to which the public has access and includes bridges over which a road passes' ( RTA 1988 sect 192(1))

The important words here are "which the public has access". So if the accident took place in a Car Park - well that car park has a entrance which allows public access. The same for a farmers field. In fact there are not many exclusions. I remember years ago the definition was changed to include multi storey car parks.

I know you do not want to lose your NCB but trust me it is a lot better to give your insurance company the opportunity to do what they need to do and get an engineers report (of both vehicles) than you face a PI claim and have no engineering evidence.

But surely then proof would be required to substantiate that injury claim?

Paul Keevil Reply:

Paul sorry Im late coming back on this question.

You are right that any Claimant needs to substantiate their injuries, by way of a medical report, but often medicals take place 2 months after the accident and medical experts will put in their report what people tell them how they feel.

I work on the Claimant side now and have done for 11 years. Trust me, what I havent seen over the years, isnt worth writing about.

If I were a betting man. Actually I am. I would have £20 on the fact that they will claim for Personal Injury.

Thats why I say protect yourself. Get your insurers involved - and I only hope, if this person does claim they dont claim through where I work, as I would be conflicted with giving this advice lol!!!!

He wasn't in the vehicle at the time when I scuffed his bumper.

PK Reply:

That does make a difference then

You should be ok

Still report it to your insurers though - If you wanted you could tell them its for Information Purposes Only

It is mad, had someone come into the back of me a few months ago, she admit fault and her insurance rang me and agreed to pay for all the damage and courtesy car. Asked if I was going to claim for any injury, said I don't know I'm OK at the moment depends if I feel worse. Instantly offered £750 and they then phoned my wife and offered £800.

People say I could have claimed thousands but I'm not the type of person to be honest and hadn't planned on claiming anything. I can imagine people going to town on it though.

If you hung around, I'm assuming the car was empty when it was bumped, so there is no claim.

Stick to your guns, cash only.