Should I make a claim after a not-at-fault accident?
If you’re considering making an insurance claim, the most relevant factor to consider is whether you can get the other driver at fault to pay for the damage.
If the other driver in the accident can be found at fault:
Request the driver to cover damages through their insurance.
If the other driver is underinsured or uninsured:
It might makes financial sense to claim on your own insurance especially if you can’t pay for your vehicle damages out of pocket.
Other Scenarios
If the damage to your vehicle is less than your excess or the other driver can’t pay: it’s usually not worth making a claim.
Do I make the insurance claim through my insurance company or the insurer of the at-fault driver?
If you have full comprehensive insurance yourself, the only scenario whereby you can approach the other driver’s insurance company directly is if the other driver has passed away or cannot be located.
Under nearly every other circumstance, your starting point of contact needs to be the driver who is at fault.
You do have the option of hiring a solicitor to act on your behalf, and if the other vehicle driver decides to claim on their insurance, their insurance company will contact you to request the necessary information as well to access to your vehicle so it can make an independent assessment of the damage caused.
