Car hit while parked, insurer saying write-off, advice needed.
Hi all, just after a bit of advice.
My 2007 Freelander 2 (135k miles) got hit while parked in a pub car park, the other driver (a waitress there, only been driving about a month) misjudged parking and went into my wheel arch. She admitted fault and it’s all gone through insurance.
I’ve gone through my own insurer (no excess, NCB protected) and they’ve been fine so far.
They’ve offered an early settlement of about £1850 and said it’ll likely be classed as an uneconomical write-off, but that’s before an engineer has looked at it.
Damage is around the wheel arch/side which doesn’t look too major to me, and the car’s (while quite old) has been reliable and had some recent work done, so I’d rather keep it and sort it myself if I can.
The other driver’s insurer has been calling a few times a day trying to get me to go through them instead and stop my claim. They’re saying the benefit is no excess and my no claims staying protected, but I already have £0 excess and protected NCB anyway. They’ve even offered an extra £200 if I switch to them, which feels a bit pushy.
Just wondering:
- Is £1850 likely a low offer?
- Should I hold off and wait for a proper valuation?
- Can I keep the car if it does get written off?
- Is there any reason I should consider going through their insurer instead?
TIA
Posted Apr 7, 2026, 11:17 AM UTC