Do I need to declare a minor scrape to my insurers if it can be settled amicably?
Some time ago, my partner passed her driving test, got into her car, which is parked on the road outside our house and scraped our neighbour's car by accident as she was trying to pull out of a tight space.
Clearly, there was some damage to both cars, but we were more concerned about the neighbour's car rather than her own. We told our neighbour who owned the car, apologised and left it be to see what would happen.
For a good few weeks, nothing was mentioned, so we thought that perhaps our neighbour wasn't too bothered and shrugged it off as 'one of those things'
My neighbour has now informed us that he has obtained a quote to have the scrape repaired at a local car body shop and will give us the quote for it to be repaired, which is about £360.
We are quite happy to pay for the damage caused and to settle it amicably, but is it necessary to let the insurance company know, as it is unlikely we will make an insurance claim, seeing as the incident occurred a while ago and not recently?
Just wondering what the correct procedure is?
Clearly, there was some damage to both cars, but we were more concerned about the neighbour's car rather than her own. We told our neighbour who owned the car, apologised and left it be to see what would happen.
For a good few weeks, nothing was mentioned, so we thought that perhaps our neighbour wasn't too bothered and shrugged it off as 'one of those things'
My neighbour has now informed us that he has obtained a quote to have the scrape repaired at a local car body shop and will give us the quote for it to be repaired, which is about £360.
We are quite happy to pay for the damage caused and to settle it amicably, but is it necessary to let the insurance company know, as it is unlikely we will make an insurance claim, seeing as the incident occurred a while ago and not recently?
Just wondering what the correct procedure is?
Asked on 4 September 2025 by A14J59
Answered by
Rhydian Jones
Thank you for your message. Even if you don’t intend to make a claim, you should inform your insurer of any incident involving your vehicle. By not notifying your insurer, your cover could be affected in the future. While you could reimburse your neighbour directly, it would be right to report the incident so your policy remains valid.
Tags:
insurance claims
insurance
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