This page tells you what you can do if the accident wasn’t your fault and what you need to think about before your vehicle is repaired.
You could use an Accident Management company rather than claim on your own Insurance policy and you won’t have to pay the excess on your policy or risk losing your no claims bonus. The Company will liaise with your insurance company and the other parties involved and give you a like for like replacement vehicle. They may also offer services to organise repairs with a reputable Accident Repair Centre and help with claiming compensation for other injuries or losses because of the accident. Some people just think that it is compulsory to claim through their own Insurer but this is not the case.
If you wish to preserve your no claims discount and you could even decide to pay for the repairs yourself (or attempt to recover the costs from the other driver), you don’t have to submit your claim to your insurer. However you do have to tell your insurer, you should send your insurer a letter telling them what’s happened but make it crystal clear that this is for ‘Information Only’ and you don’t wish to make a claim. This should ensure your insurer doesn’t settle with the other party’s insurer without your knowledge or consent. Although the damage to your vehicle may seem small the cost of repairing and repainting vehicles to manufacturer’s standards can go into thousands of pounds.