What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
Best way to challenge car valuation after write-off?
Three weeks ago my wife's car, a 2003 plate Range Rover LPG, was hit outside our house by a drunk driver. The driver was arrested and charged.
We have gone through our insurance who have provided a hire car, but they have written off our car as the repair costs are £6400. We paid £7750 for it just six months ago, but have been offered just £6265, which I believe is insulting. Looking around I can't find any cars similar to ours for under £8000 and even those without LPG are few and far between for the price they have offered us. I have complained about the offer and it is now with their complaints department.
They have now offered the £6265 as an interim payment, do you think we should accept that? What can we do to get a better offer?
We have gone through our insurance who have provided a hire car, but they have written off our car as the repair costs are £6400. We paid £7750 for it just six months ago, but have been offered just £6265, which I believe is insulting. Looking around I can't find any cars similar to ours for under £8000 and even those without LPG are few and far between for the price they have offered us. I have complained about the offer and it is now with their complaints department.
They have now offered the £6265 as an interim payment, do you think we should accept that? What can we do to get a better offer?
Asked on 24 November 2016 by James Coldrick
Answered by
Honest John
As long as you don't have to sign anything that this is the "full and final settlement", okay. Any doubt, write "interim settlement" on anything you sign.
County Courts have repeatedly ruled that the requirement to "put you in the position you were in before the damage was done" is met by giving you "Market Value" for your written-off car. So to get more than the £6285 you have to prove with overwhelming documented evidence (print-offs of private advertisements from AutoTrader, eBay, Motors UK, Gumtree, etc.) that the insurer's offer is inadequate. If they won't offer any more, use your evidence to sue the driver who did the damage directly in the Small Claims track of the County Court.
County Courts have repeatedly ruled that the requirement to "put you in the position you were in before the damage was done" is met by giving you "Market Value" for your written-off car. So to get more than the £6285 you have to prove with overwhelming documented evidence (print-offs of private advertisements from AutoTrader, eBay, Motors UK, Gumtree, etc.) that the insurer's offer is inadequate. If they won't offer any more, use your evidence to sue the driver who did the damage directly in the Small Claims track of the County Court.
We give you the low down on how to save on insurance, little-known tricks and tips, what insurance groups mean and how to use insurance aggregators to beat insurers.
Insurance group finder and how to save on insurance
Dear Honest John,
Please help me choose my next car. I would like it to have:
Please help me choose my next car. I would like it to have:
Similar questions
My sister has put a £200 deposit on a £3990 2012 Hyundai i10 1.2 today. When phoning for an insurance quote, the call centre operative asked her if she had an outstanding claim on the car from 2014. She...
I plan to buy a Volkswagen Golf 2009 which was a Category D Write off in 2012. The car belongs to a single owner and the full service history and log book is available. The car is currently available at...
If my car is deemed to be written off following an accident, not my fault, can I buy it back?
.jpg)
