Car fire - insurance situation

Oh they will if they can.

2 Likes

More slippery than an eel.

2 Likes

Double checking - your insurer will pay 3rd party claims.

Then come after you for restitution of their payout (in most cases).

As I said its a loan not insurance

1 Like

I’m pretty sure they’re very tightly constrained by law, at least for 3rd party liability. That’s not to say that the insurer won’t come after you if you’ve been naughty and operating outside the policy conditions but I’m pretty confident that they can’t wriggle out of the 3rd party element.

I’d slightly misremembered it - they will pay 3rd party claims. then come after you to recover their loss.

To be fair, having had a pretty expensive car stolen, I’m probably winning the insurance game.

I think it will all hinge on the fire brigades report, have to wait and see if there is a fault with that vehicle either manufacturer or after market mod or whatever.

1 Like

Counting chickens again :smiling_face:

1 Like

Maybe but the payout was more than the sum of all I’ve paid in over the years, and I did say “winning” not “have won”.

At my current premium I’ve probably got about ten years to go for “break even”.

1 Like

No claims bonus and your future premiums used to be unaffected if not your fault.

Then greedy wily insurers cranked up your premium anyway. Even if a claim was ruled as not your fault. On the basis that regardless of fault, if you had claimed, then you were a worse risk.

This, even if you had a protected No Claims Bonus, which I had for decades and had paid a higher premium for each year.

If the policy includes Legal Protection or if she has it on her house insurance or via a membership (such as the AA and RAC used to have or maybe a union membership or a legal helpline benefit from work) then use that for advice (and check if her own insurance company should be pursuing her claim against the third party for damages - ISTR there is something in UK law that says they should be pursuing it on her behalf).

As to the claim it’s possible just to ‘notify’ her insurance co but not actually declare it as a claim from them eg if she was going to repair any damage herself. I think the claim will be too large not to need to claim though.

Unless there was an independent cause to both cars burning then I’d say especially as she’s fully comprehensive then her own insurance co must pay her out regardless of whether her insurers are able to recover from the other car’s insurers or the other car owner themselves if it turns out the other car had no valid insurance. That would be what I’d try first.

She should keep a note and any receipts etc. for all her expenses and losses - every tiny amount - since her vehicle became unuseable and claim these off the other side as well as actual cost of car replacement off insurer (ideally) or other side/their insurer if written off. Don’t let the insurer try to pay out less than a replacement actually costs though they’ll try that on - get comparative local quotes when buying.

2 Likes

As @SuePJ says, direct to the CEO (find his home address so it doesn’t go via a secretary) and nobody junior. It has worked for me at least twice.

2 Likes

Reading this thread remined me of the Luton Airport fire a few years ago.
I wonder whether all those who had their cars damaged were able to claim.

1 Like

Friday in Sarlat… 3 cars involved in the fire…

Do you have any information on the insurance situation?

Well, it’s reckoned to be a “criminal” fire… with no identified criminal as yet… so I guess one contacts one’s own Insurers and it moves on through them…

10th October 2023

Edit: most claims settled by the end of 2023.

I’m between Belgium and France. 10 years ago in Belgium my car was written off by a drunk policeman who rear ended me on the motorway around midnight. Fortunately I had not been drinking. It was a 110 limit and we think he was doing 160+. My car was replaced with a good payout plus €10k for back pain. He tried arguing with the policewoman on the scene and spent the night in jail. Never found out if he kept a job.
I had no issues with insurance but I suspect he did.

I’m guessing this was an electric car? Petrol cars don’t tend to self combust. I doubt the owner was negligent. However, this should clearly be under his third party liability insurance and your insurance company should be fighting the case on your behalf.
Is she dealing directly with the insurer, or through a broker. A good broker should definitely work on her behalf.
She may need a lawyer. Definitely get the fire report. She is 100% in the right.

No comment.

At the moment she’s dealing directly with her insurer. I’ve suggested that she looks for an independent adviser/expert.

When she called the Legal Advice Team (‘included’ in her policy at an additional cost) their advice was to claim on her own insurance.

I’ve advised her to keep a record of all conversations as I’m sure they’ll be useful when she submits a case to the Insurance Ombudsman.

3 Likes