Damage To Car

[Khandro]

Driving along a little used single track road, an idiot 'farmer' shot out of a side lane in a tractor hitting me amidships, badly damaging the driver's door & mirror, rear door plus the rear quarter. The junction is behind a dense hedge & he didn't pause to see if the road was clear. 

There was absolutely nothing I could do & he's no doubt 100% wrong.

But, to repair the damage would cost considerably more than the car's value - a 12 year old Honda Jazz automatic in fine order, low mileage for the year, & always serviced by Honda.

What is the normal outcome in a claim against his insurance company in such a circumstance ?

The cost of the repair or the value of the car ?

 

[bookbinder]

I'm no expert, but I would guess your insurance company would pay out the value of the car.

[albaqwerty]

As far as I know, if cost of repair is greater, then you'll get "book value".

If you wish to keep the car, you can get it repaired yourself, use insurance money to help fund the cost.

[Buenchico]

Things might be a bit different in Germany!

However this is from the (UK) Financial Ombudsman's website:
"[Q]. What is a write-off?

[A]. Insurers sometimes call a write-off a ‘total loss’. A vehicle might be written off because: 

● it isn’t worth the cost of repairing it

● it’s been stolen and never found

If your vehicle’s been written off, your insurer will usually pay out its market value. This is the amount your vehicle would have been worth just before it was stolen or damaged."

Source:
https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/consumers/complaints-can-help/insurance/motor-insurance/vehicle-valuations-write-offs

[Buenchico]

In Germany:
https://www.allianz.de/auto/kfz-versicherung/wirtschaftlicher-totalschaden/

[jourdain2]

OH's foot slipped from the brake to accelerator as he was parking my 10 yr old. car in our drive last year. It swerved into a concrete fence post (incidentally damaging a neighbour's parked car when the post went over).

Insurance wrote off my car, because repairs would have cost more than its value, and paid me top market value on it (it was low mileage and in good condition) so I could buy another with just topping-up another thousand.

We actually paid for neighbour's bodywork damage, because the firm the Ins. Co. suggested is known to pay rock-bottom rates and they just fill and spray-paint dents. A good local chap did a proper job.

I can't answer for Germany, but in France conditions of car insurance were much the same as here.

[gulliver1]

Khandro ..What makes you think the farmer was the idiot and was 100% Wrong. How long have you been Infallible .Just asking😎 

[Old_Geezer]

IMO  It'd be designated a write off and you'd get offered whatever the assessor thinks it's worth. Don't forget to point out any additions etc. or they won't get taken into consideration. You may well be able to buy it back off them to repair (sometimes you can get things fixed cheaper than the insurance company) but from your description it seems like you wouldn't be interested.

[Maydup]

What a shock, could have been even worse I guess.  The car will be written off if repairs are deemed more costly than the value. Naturally insurers want to pay out the least possible sum. For that reason you must refuse their offer. Simple say you do not accept the amount offered and request a review in light of the good condition of the car before the incident. They will increase the sum, it's common practice.

[davebro3]

Almost certainly be written off. Haggle for the best price. Here in the UK I would want around £6000 for such a car.

[newmodarmy]

Gulliver....why do you feel the need to derail threads. Khandro has explained the circumstances. Do you have any reason to think he might be deemed to be at fault?

[vickylee88]

In this situation,  badly damaging the driver's door & mirror, rear door plus the rear quarter.the insurance company will likely consider the car a total loss. They'll compensate you for the car's actual cash value (ACV) before the accident, not the repair cost which is higher than the car's worth. You might be able to keep the car but will get the ACV minus its salvage value.

[Khandro]

vickylee: I'll probably have to settle for that. The only problem with the car other than its appearance is that because of the dent in the driver's door, that window only opens about 6". At the very least I'll get that hammered out and might carry on driving it as it is while I decide what to do.

I've sent the paperwork off to his insurers and am awaiting their reply.