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My son's car has been written off but it is on finance - what should he do?

My son hit a badger and his insurance has written off the car as a Category N. It is on finance and they are saying he cannot have the repairs done through insurance and will have to pay the shortfall. This means that as his work is 20 miles away he will lose his job as he cannot afford another car. Any advice on what he can do? His insurers have given him until Monday to decide.

Asked on 25 November 2019 by lynne mayland

Answered by Honest John
There should be no shortfall, your contract of indemnity insures your son up to the market value. It is your son's car and your son's claim. Do not be bullied into anything. Firstly you need to establish if the car is indeed a total loss. A vehicle is only ever a total loss when the repair cost exceeds the market value. Request a 'Full Engineer's Audatex Report'. Do not let the insurer try and fob you off with the 'summary' report. Is the cost of the repair less than then market value? If it is, insist they repair the car up to the market value. Do not take no for an answer. If the repair costs are more than the market value, then the car is indeed a total loss. Control your asset, do not let the Insurer take control of the car until you are happy with which way the claim is going.

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