What happens next?
Some car insurance claims are more complex than others but our aim is always to help you through the experience as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Reviewing your cover
When you call to report an incident, we’ll look at your policy and answer any questions about what is covered and what excess you’ll have to pay, if any.
Repairing your car
Once we know that everyone is safe and well, the most important thing is to get your car repaired as quickly as possible.
Privilege uses a nationwide network of recommended repairers that gets 480,000 customers back on the road each year and consistently achieve high customer satisfaction ratings.
If you use our recommended repair network, you won’t need to get an estimate for the repairs and we’ll allocate you a repairer straight away. The repairer will call you within 3 working hours and will be able to arrange collection of your vehicle if you’d like.
At the repairer, the damage to your car will be fully assessed. They will then contact us with an estimate of the cost of the repairs and once authorised, repair work will begin.
Each repair is carried out in accordance with recognised industry standards and all work is guaranteed for 5 years.
In the last six months our recommended repair network has completed repairs in an average of less than 8 working days, but if at any stage you need an update on the progress of your repair, you’ll be able to contact the garage directly.
What happens if your car is written off
In the event of an accident or loss, your vehicle may be considered uneconomical to repair and will therefore be deemed a Total Loss. In these cases it is necessary for us to place a settlement value on your vehicle.
If your car is less than one year old and you are the first and only registered owner in order to get you back on the road as quickly as possible with the minimum amount of hassle, we will attempt to offer you a permanent replacement vehicle of the same make and model. In cases where this is not possible, your claim will be settled based on the market value of your vehicle at the date of loss.
What happens if your car is stolen?
If your car is stolen then you will need to obtain a crime reference number from the police. When you report your claim to us we’ll take some basic details and arrange a convenient time to discuss the theft in more detail. The outcome of your claim will depend on whether your car is recovered or not.
Keeping mobile
You may be entitled to a courtesy or hire car whilst your car is being repaired. We’ll explain the options when you call to report your claim.
Our Guaranteed Hire Car or Guaranteed Hire Car Plus options guarantee your entitlement to a hire car. If you selected one of these cover options, your claims advisor will be able to contact the hire car company for you.
Whose fault was the accident?
In some cases the fault is clear but it often isn’t. There are occasionally a number of different opinions on what happened. We’ll listen to your description of the accident and then look objectively at all other information available. We have specialist teams to deal with complex claims and we’ll liaise with third parties and other insurers on your behalf.
Impact on no claims discount
The nature of your claim and whether or not your no claims discount is protected will dictate any impact on your discount. Your claims handler will try to give you an estimate of the impact when you report your claim, although this isn’t always possible.
Injury claims
If somebody has been hurt in an accident, the first priority is to ensure that they’re OK. Claims involving injury can be quite complex so one of our specialist teams may be involved to support you through the process. We handle thousands of injury claims each year and strive to deal with them all fairly and promptly.
Recovery of expenses
If you took out motor legal protection with your Privilege car insurance policy, you’ll be covered for up to £100,000 of legal costs to help you recover losses that cannot be claimed from any insurance policy (if a third party was at fault and their insurer have been identified).
Who determines the value of your vehicle?
We employ a specialist team of highly skilled Motor Engineers to ensure we place an accurate value on your vehicle. The Motor Engineers follow a consistent process to ensure that every vehicle is valued using the same methodology, whilst also considering the local market conditions. We aim to ensure that a fair market value on your vehicle is delivered first time every time.
How do we ascertain the market value for your vehicle?
In order to determine the market value of your vehicle we use a starting point from the UK’s leading valuation publication, Glass’s guide. The retail figure from Glass’s is used, which would be the amount you would expect to pay if you bought a vehicle from a used car dealership.
What other factors have a bearing on the value of your vehicle?
Overall mileage and condition - if the vehicle has low mileage this will increase the value; if it has high mileage this will decrease the value.
Full service history - the quality of the service history will have a bearing on the valuation.
Optional extras and modifications above the vehicles stated specification - this is taken into account in accordance with Glass’s guide recommendations.
The pre-accident condition of the vehicle - as our starting point is Glass’s Guide “retail” we consider areas of damage that would need to be rectified in order to achieve that retail value. We calculate these deductions using standard repair methods, using our discounted Group rates.
The local market place - finally, we look at the local market to ensure the value we have placed on your vehicle would allow you to purchase a similar vehicle in the local area.
When will you receive your settlement cheque?
When you’ve agreed a valuation with the engineer, they’ll notify us and we’ll arrange for a payment to be made. Payments are usually made by cheque and once requested, take around 5 working days to be processed.
Any agreed settlement will be subject to your agreed policy excess, and/or premium adjustment where applicable.
