Getting Your Car Repaired After an Accident: What to Expect from Your Insurance Company

Posted on: 6 December 2016

Having your vehicle repaired after an accident can be expensive, but this is where your insurance company comes in. Dealing with your insurance company after an accident doesn't have to be complicated, and your vehicle should be repaired by a mechanic (and will quickly be back on the road) without too much fuss. So what can you expect?

Can You Choose Your Own Mechanic?

It's wise to contact your insurance company immediately after your vehicle has been damaged. You might have preferred mechanics, but your insurance company might require that your vehicle is taken to an authorised mechanic of their choosing. Perhaps your insurance company will permit the repairs to be carried out by your preferred mechanic, but this will need to confirmed before the vehicle is transported. You should enquire about this immediately to ensure that your vehicle is taken to the correct location and will not need to be moved again at a later stage. The insurance company will send a vehicle assessor to the mechanic to examine the state of your vehicle. Hopefully this will all be rather straightforward, with the assessor granting approval for the cost of the repairs, meaning the mechanic can begin work immediately. Depending on your specific policy, you might need to pay an excess before this repair work can begin.

Does an Accident Affect Your No Claim Bonus?

Your No Claim Bonus (NCB) might be affected, but this is dependent on the terms of your policy.

  • It can be usual for your NCB to be affected when the accident is deemed to be your fault.
  • It can also be affected if you are not able to provide the details of the other party involved in the accident (when you are not at fault).

This is why you should collect the name and contact details of the other party when an accident occurs. You should also note the other vehicle's registration number. But what about when your vehicle has been damaged while parked and the other party has simply driven off? You might need to demonstrate that you have made a reasonable effort to locate the other party. This might be as simple as having filed a police report to the effect that your vehicle was damaged by unknown persons—thereby putting the onus on the police to locate the other party involved in the accident (even if this is not successful).

Hopefully dealing with your insurance company after an accident will be straightforward enough, but it's important to know what to expect.

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