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Minor damage caused by delivery van - do I have to notify insurer?

Yesterday we received a delivery from Currys. The van driver parked his van close to my wife's car which was parked on private property, i.e. the tarmac frontage to our house. Unfortunately, one of the rear doors of the van swung open, gouging a sizeable dent in the car bonnet and scratching the paint. The car is only 14 months old, so we were not best pleased! My wife and I were both inside the house when this happened. The driver and his mate both admitted liability but wanted our insurance details which we refused to provide, fearing a rise in insurance premiums if our insurer becomes aware of the damage to the vehicle. As liability cannot be disputed (we hope!) and the cost of repair is likely to be less than the excess on our policy, do we have to notify our insurance company? What would you recommend as the best method of getting this damage repaired at Currys' expense?

Asked on 5 September 2015 by James Mould

Answered by Honest John
They will claim the damage on their insurance so it will go down on the Motor Insurer's Database and if you don't inform your insurer you will be penalised for not disclosing a claim. Unfortunately, there is no way out of this one. You won't have to fork out your excess because you are the no fault party to the claim. You might see a slight rise on your next premium for having been involved in a no fault claim, or might not.
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