What to do if someone hits your car

So someone’s bumped into your car. You’ve stopped, switched off the engine, turned on the hazard lights and checked to see if everyone’s okay. What next?

Call 999 if…

someone has been seriously injured
you think an offence has been committed
the incident is blocking the road or causing danger to other road users

If there’s no emergency, what should I do?

Don’t admit any responsibility for the collision. Stay calm and exchange contact details with the other driver or drivers involved, making sure you get their car registration number(s). Ask them for their insurance details and give them yours too.

If someone who’s involved won’t tell you their name and address or they leave the scene before you get a chance to ask, call the police on 101 while you’re still at the location of the accident. You should also call the police if a vehicle is seriously damaged and can’t be driven safely.

Other things worth noting while you’re at the site of the collision are the driving conditions – such as the weather, lighting and road quality – any damage you can see has been caused to your vehicle and the contact details of any witnesses. Take as many pictures as you can of any visible damage and make a note of any minor injuries people have mentioned.

You don’t need to report a crash to the police if you’ve exchanged insurance details, nobody was injured and there are no allegations of driving offences. But you do need to report the incident to your insurance company, even if you’re not planning to make a claim.

Someone hit my car – whose insurance do I call?

You should always call your own insurance company as soon as you can – they’ll be keen to hear from you within 24 hours. They’ll take all the details of the incident and deal with things from there. Tell them if you’ve taken photos or you have dashcam footage.

You should let your insurer know what happened even if you don’t want to make a claim. If you’re planning to pay for repairs yourself, you need to make this clear and may even need to put something in writing to confirm this.

It can be useful to write down the names of any other companies your insurer tells you might contact you – such as an underwriter, repairer or replacement car provider – so you know who are legitimate callers.

How do I claim on my insurance if someone hits my car?

Whether you’ve got a Comprehensive policy or third party cover, your insurer can make a claim against the driver that hit you if the accident wasn’t your fault. If your car was hit while parked or hit by an uninsured driver, you’ll need a Comprehensive policy that covers these events otherwise it may not be possible to claim back the cost of repairs from another insurer.

Do I have to pay an excess if it wasn’t my fault?

You may have to pay an excess until your insurance company has confirmed that the accident wasn’t your fault or that you have a valid uninsured driver claim. If your policy is due for renewal during this time, you may also temporarily lose your no claims discount.

Once the costs have been recovered and the claim resolved, these payments will normally be refunded and your no claims discount will be restored.

What happens when my car goes in for repair?

If your insurance policy covers you for a guaranteed replacement car, you’ll be offered another vehicle to get around in while your car is being fixed at an approved garage. Read more about how Saga can keep you on the move in a courtesy car for the whole time your car is at the repairers.

Is there anything I can do to help avoid road traffic accidents in the future?

The volume of traffic on UK roads and the extremes and unpredictability of the weather can prove challenging to even the most experienced drivers. Plus, we all know how testing it can be driving in the period after the clocks go back in the autumn, when your normal commute might suddenly be in the dark or when the sun is dazzlingly low in the sky.

If you don’t feel confident driving in the above conditions or you’d just like to improve your ability to anticipate what other road users might do, an advanced driving course could help. See our round-up of the most popular courses available in the UK.

A promise for Saga customers

Saga offers 3 Comprehensive car insurance cover levels at 3 different price ranges, all of which include our promise that you won’t lose your no claims discount or pay an excess if you’re hit by an uninsured driver and you provide their vehicle details.

You also get a courtesy car after a UK accident when you use our nationwide network of approved repairers. See what else you could get with Saga Car Insurance.