Non-fault claim or notification of incident?

[lloydyyy]

Recently my car was reversed into in a supermarket carpark by a third party. The third party denied liability initially but an independent witness was there at the scene and the third party's insurer is holding their policyholder at fault. I've notified my insurer for notification purposes only. Only minor damage to the front nearside corner - seems to be superficial.

The third party's insurer has contacted me to offer their services (car repair and hire car). I've been informed by the third party's insurer that this is an accident but not a claim, won't affect future policies and can declare it as notification only or no claim made. They initially told me that I wouldn't even need to declare it as notification only, but I was wary of this and suspected this was incorrect advice.

For future policies, would I need to declare this as notification only/no claim made, or non-fault claim? According to the third party's insurer, it's not a claim because I haven't claimed on my policy. Would appreciate any advice.

[lloydyyy]

Thanks for the replies. I spoke to both my insurer (Direct Line) and the third party's insurer's third party care team (Aviva). They both pretty much said the same thing - if I get the repair done privately or walk away, then I could declare the incident as notification only if future insurers that I go with offer this option. If an insurer doesn't offer a claim type as notification only or no claim made, then I'll need to declare the incident as a non-fault accident, even if I get the repair done privately and don't claim.

The third party's insurer is keen to handle the matter and repair the damage to the bumper. I've been offered a choice of three repairers but I've narrowed it down to two as one of them didn't have good reviews. I'm trying to decide whether to go with RGM in Swansea or SJ Fuller in Bridgend. The third party's insurer will offer a lifetime warranty on the repair for as long as I own the car.

I'm a bit nervous about having the repair done as I've had to get remedial work done in the past for another car that I owned; two separate incidents - I used my own insurer for one incident and the third party's insurer for the other incident. The damage to my car appears to be superficial - it looks like the paint has cracked but the plastic hasn't cracked - but I'm not 100% sure that there is no damage behind the bumper, so I think it might be best to leave the insurer handle it just in case.

There is the choice of getting the repair done privately but as the third party probably won't claim for his own damage (car is a lot older than mine and is marked), then he wouldn't have to pay an excess. If he isn't claiming for his own damage and therefore no costs to pay, then I can't see him willing to pay for my repair to be done privately.

Would it be best to leave the third party's insurer deal with the matter or get my insurer to sort it? Can I insist on the car going to a repairer of my choice or would it be best to send it to one of the insurer's approved repairers for the lifetime warranty and in case there are issues with the repair where the insurer can then step in?

Edited by lloydyyy on Sunday 7th March 15:03