The other driver's insurance company wants to fix my car. Do I have to say yes?

What usually happens

A day or two after the crash, the other driver's insurer rings or writes. They accept their driver was at fault and they would like to sort the repair for you. It sounds helpful, and often it is meant well. Usually it means a garage on their approved list, an estimate produced by or for the insurer, and their choice of parts and repair methods. Sometimes a courtesy car comes with it, sometimes not.

None of that is wrong in itself. But it is their process, run to their cost, and the estimate is theirs. You are entitled to have the damage looked at by someone independent before you agree to anything.

What to do today

• Say thank you, and that you will come back to them. You do not have to accept or refuse anything on the phone.
• Do not let anyone start repairing or stripping the car until there is a written authority to repair based on an independent assessment.
• Take the ten photos if you have not already. The list is here.
• Let your own insurer know, when you get a chance. It is not a claim and it does not use your policy.

Source: Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, "Making a car insurance claim": "You can make a claim directly from the other person's insurance company" and "Notify your insurer as soon as possible, even if you do not plan to claim."

What the other driver's insurer will do next

Insurers in Ireland have set timelines for claims. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission lists them: once you tell the insurer you want to claim, they must send you a claim form within 5 working days; they must let you know their decision within 5 working days of making it; and they must pay within 10 working days of you accepting an offer.

Once you appoint someone in writing to act for you, the insurer must deal with that person. That is what our authority form does. From then on the calls come to us, not to you.

Sources: Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, "Making a car insurance claim" (timelines); Central Bank of Ireland, Consumer Protection Code 2025 (an insurer must engage with a claimant's appointed representative on the claimant's written request).

What Not My Fault does instead

We take over the claim against the other driver's insurer, in writing, so they deal with us. An independent assessor, who is not the repairer, puts a written figure on the damage and on any value the car will lose from having a repair on its history. Where you need a car, we arrange a replacement while yours is off the road, with the cost pursued as part of your claim. The repair is done at one of our vetted partner garages, to the assessor's figure, and we chase the claim until it is settled.

There is no upfront cost. Everything, including our fee, is confirmed in writing before you sign anything.

Every step, from the first call to your car back on the road.

What we do not do

We do not handle injury. If anyone was hurt, that is a matter for a solicitor. We do not give legal advice, and we do not promise an outcome or a timeframe. We tell you what we expect and what we know.