UK motor insurance claims procedure

VoidStarNull

Hello all,
I've a question on the process for making a claim against another party's motor insurance in the UK, that I'm hoping someone can help me with.

While on holiday across the water recently I was hit by another vehicle in circumstances where it was pretty clear that it was the other driver's fault. Fortunately there were no injuries but several euro of damage to my car.

I lodged a claim against her UK insurance company but they tell me that she now denies any liability, she has given them a somewhat confused statement implying that I was making an illegal maneuver and while they admit that her statement is confused they say they will not consider my claim. Their advice if I want to pursue the matter is that I should make a claim with my own insurer who will then "come to agreement" with them on who is at fault.

Since the case seemed clear cut and the other driver did not dispute the facts at the time of the accident, I didn't get any withness statements nor did I call the police. I do have a few photos showing the road scene after the accident. I'm not confident that I can win a dispute without witnesses, so I would prefer not to claim against my own insurance as I still have my no claims bonus.

The damage is "only" several hundred euro, nevertheless I'm pretty annoyed at the other party who appears to be acting dishonestly. Is there any reasonable next step I can take here? Or am I better off to drop it? So far I have only been talking to these people on the phone - can I ask for a written copy of her statement to at least force her to put her lies in writing and sign it?

Thanks for any advice

Otis Driftwood

Not getting the police called was a mistake.Its now your word against her's.You could pursue it but would not be garaunteed to win and may end up having to pay legal expenses.Its a pain in the face but without witnesses or police you are probably snookered.

pow wow

With no alternative witnesses it's your word against hers at this stage and even if you were to involve your insurers now they'd have essentially the same problem you have in that she says it's your fault. After a protracted exercise back and forth the insurers may well decide to settle on a 50/50 basis meaning she has the potential to recoup part of her damages against your insurance too, or a situation where you each pay for your own damages making claiming pretty pointless in the first place.

There's not really much you can do tbh without involving your insurer, and even then that's only as good as the claims handler they have negotiating on your behalf. I handled motor claims for years in the UK and with a relatively small repair bill of 700 euro and a NCB you don't want to jeopardise you don't really have too many options.

VoidStarNull

Thanks for your responses. In the end we decided not to pursue the claim, as it doesn't seem to be worth it. What a nuisance!

I've had a few bumps over the years and in every other case the parties behaved honorably. But you never know when someone is going to pull a fast one.