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.
Similar questions
My car was parked on a single yellow line on a main road in London, when I came back to my car a couple of hours later I found the driver's side of my car had scratch and dents. There was a note left on...
While parked, my wing mirror was knocked off by a passing vehicle. He wants to pay me cash. Should I accept or go through my insurance
I was leaving a business park on Friday morning when my car slid on black ice and hit the entrance gate. My car is damaged and the owner of the business park wants me to pay for damage to the gate. The...
 

Value my car

Save £75 on Warranty using code HJ75

with MotorEasy

Get a warranty quote

Save 12% on GAP Insurance

Use HJ21 to save on an ALA policy

See offer