If someone else was at fault
You usually don’t need your own insurer at all. You can claim against the at-fault driver’s insurer — typically no excess and no effect on your own claims history. Minor or not, there’s rarely a reason to pay for someone else’s mistake. Not-at-fault accidents.
If it was your fault (or nobody else’s)
Compare three numbers:
- The repair cost — get a quote first (we can quote from photos)
- Your excess — what you’d pay anyway if you claimed
- The longer-term cost — a claim may affect your no-claim bonus or future premiums
If the repair costs about the same as your excess, or only a little more, paying privately is often cheaper overall. Small scratches, scuffs and dents are often far cheaper to repair than people expect. How much do smash repairs cost?
Get the quote before you decide
Send us a few photos and we’ll tell you what it’s likely to cost. Then you can decide whether to claim, with real numbers in front of you — and either way, we collect the car or you drop it off.
General information only, current as at 14 October 2026. It isn’t legal advice — for advice about your situation, speak to a lawyer or your insurer.