Write Off Criteria

[Luke_bank]

Recently involved in a fairly serious collision with my 4 week old Leon (sore issue, don’t wind me up too much please).

I’ve never been involved in a collision before, so the insurance process is new to me. Whilst I’m waiting for my car to be assessed, it got me thinking about how an assessor/estimator decides whether a car is repairable or not.

Is it purely value, or is it more technical?

It’s easy to look at a car and think “ouch, that’s write off”, but when you break it down into what’s actually damaged, I wonder.

Attached is a pic of my car, looks bad but is it really that bad? The other pic is the Fiesta (driven by someone who was arrested for drink drive ), that’s surely ******!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Curtly]

Insurers will generally write the car off if the cost of a safe repair is more expensive than the value of the vehicle.

 

[andycupra]

write off cut off will be somewhere between 60- 80% of vehicle value.
If its purely financial and the car is repairable they will then sell the car on to their 'network'.

Its not easy to tell from your pics, - at first I thought that's repairable, although the fiesta looks a mess so perhaps the damage to the leon is a bit more than the photo shows.

However, it looks like front slam panel, rad ,air con rad, intercooler, some pipes, bumper, bonnet, wings, headlight(s), fogs a bit of spraying.. some set up on jig.. all very doable well within the cut off for a new car as long as the chassis wasn't affected or suspension areas as these can get expensive.
the bit that I cant see is damage within the engine bay, - I presume there is no oil spill and the engine is unaffected?

EDIT: as others hand mentioned, I have forgotten to factor in safety items, such as airbags, seatbelt pretensioners etc.
However I am still thinking car is repairable. (so if you want to go that route appeal any decision to write off, as any decision to write off will include a sell on factor.. eg value: 20k repair cost 15k but can sell car on in current condition for 8k... so repair costs them 15k while write off costs 20k less 8k sell on so 12k. with a lot less trouble and hassle. you can see why insurers write off readily).
These figures are entirely made up for an example only!

Where there is any potential for replacement of the car for a new one over repair I'd be going for the replacement. a repaired car is just nto the same anymore.
In this case its clearly not your fault and so you and your insurance company should be able to push for a good settlement.

 

[Bleon]

It’s hard to tell but have both front airbags deployed? If so, considering the other damage then I would be fairly confident it would be written off, hard to tell for certain though. Certainly if more airbags deployed then it would be even more costly to repair

 

[SRGTD]

There’s no agreed industry figure that all insurers work to in determining whether or not the cost of repairs make it uneconomic to repair a vehicle. - it will vary from one insurer to another.

Most insurers will write a car off if the ‘repair to value ratio’ exceeds a figure in the range 50% - 70%, so if the cost of repairs exceeds the value set by an insurer in that 50-70% range, they’ll consider it uneconomic to repair and write the vehicle off. With modern cars having become increasingly laden with expensive tech (e.g. radars, sensors etc) - and much of the tech positioned at the front of the vehicle, so susceptible to damage or - in the case of airbags - deployed in a front end impact, it doesn’t take long for repair costs to mount up. Also bear in mind the labour costs associated with a repair can add a significant chunk to the overall repair costs. Some insurers will also factor in the cost of a courtesy car being provided into their overall estimate of repair costs, as this will form a part of the overall cost to the insurer of settling the claim. In addition to the items listed in Andycupra’s post, as the airbags were deployed, then you’re also looking at replacing any interior parts the were damaged as a result of the airbags doing their job (new dashboard, interior trim panels etc.).

Most insurers include a clause in their policy documentation that allows for a car to be replaced with a brand new one of the same type and spec if it is written off within 12 months of the car first being registered and you are the first registered keeper. In the OP’s situation, I’d be hoping the car is written off, and replaced with a new one, rather than repaired.

 

[ganticus]

I encountered black ice in my Cupra Black before the New Year, could not regain traction and hit at brick wall head on at about 45mph. The repairer considered the car a total loss, citing that the A-frame and suspension were badly damaged. Judging from the pictures above, mine was in slightly better condition than yours to be fair. He estimated the repairs would be in the region of £10K to £12K. In the end, the payout from the insurer was significantly more, enabling me to get a like-for-like replacement. So, the process remains a mystery to me.

The accident was just two weeks outside the 12 month period!!

 

[Owen83]

Would you buy a car that has had significant damage to the structural parts? I.E a Pillars, chassis legs, suspension turrets etc... If they have to put it on a jig to re-align it I would never want to drive it again... I'm speaking form experience when my car had to be jigged. it never drove right again and was unpredictable in corners

 

[zeffania]

Personally I would want it written off, 4 weeks old, I would want new not tainted. I am guessing you had to wait a while for the car first time round?

 

[russbellrfs]

I would say Luke if given the option go for like for like replacement. Lead times have come down a bit over the past weeks. I would assume a courtesy car would be given while u wait!

I would never feel safe in a car that has suffered significant damage.

Whatever way ur car goes is irrelevant compared to u getting better!!

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

 

[SRGTD]

I would say Luke if given the option go for like for like replacement. Lead times have come down a bit over the past weeks. I would assume a courtesy car would be given while u wait!

Most insurers limit the length of time that a courtesy car is provided for; typically a couple of weeks, so I’d check your policy document or check with your insurer.

 

[Andy665]

With that structural damage evident in the pictures I'd be amazed if that was not declared a total loss - hope you have a GAP policy

 

[russbellrfs]

Most insurers limit the length of time that a courtesy car is provided for; typically a couple of weeks, so I’d check your policy document or check with your insurer.

IIRC you can get higher courtesy car cover which will cover for length u are without car.

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

 

[yozza1987]

Looking at your picture, front airbags deployed, headlight smashed, bonnet, bumper, radiator, engine may have moved back, chassis twisted? I would say it would be a write Off. Obviously assessor will see it a lot better than picture. Being as it is less than a year old I would want a replacement car anyway but that is a personal opinion

 

[Lmbarrett83]

Most insurers limit the length of time that a courtesy car is provided for; typically a couple of weeks, so I’d check your policy document or check with your insurer.

I was told I would keep the courtesy car for as long as

A) it took for my vehicle to be repaired and returned
Or
B) until the money had been received in the event of a write-off

With SEAT ensurance I was given a Mercedes GLE 350 for just under a week before transferring to a Audi S3 for over 2 months , whilst my Cupra was repaired.

At the time of the incident It's market value at the high end was between 17-19k and the damage estimate was from the body shop was 11k.

My insurers threshold was 65%.

 

['& Son' managed]

The best outcome from this bad situation would be if they write the car off and supply you with a new one. Due to the likely damage already mentioned by others I would expect that to be the case.
In addition I've noticed the passenger side curtain airbag has also been deployed and I would assume the driver's knee bag also - both add further complication and expense to any potential repair.
Most parts from the rear half of the car can be salvaged, along with some untouched parts further forward. These all have some value to those who deal in such things, but it's probably better if the bodyshell is scrapped.

 

[andycupra]

RE courtesy car...
as it is not your fault, and you are in a position to claim costs of the other party/insurer then you are not bound by the usual policy limits, as its not your policy that's paying out. - your insurer may approve a set period as a standard policy upfront, this is the amount they are happy to underwrite from the outset, but once fault is established, then they should be able to reassess/extend cover. Alternatively you could deal direct with the other parties insurance, they often like this approach as they can use their approved suppliers, (which they often get kick backs from)
you are entitled to claim for reasonable costs (this includes a like for like courtesy car, so no supermini car to cover the loss of your Ferrari for example).

Would be good to have a discussion with your insurer to establish if the other party if disputing and get a feeling how helpful your insurer will be and discuss potential options. especially regards new car replacement as it take a long time to get a new replacement car.

 

[russbellrfs]

RE courtesy car...
as it is not your fault, and you are in a position to claim costs of the other party/insurer then you are not bound by the usual policy limits, as its not your policy that's paying out. - your insurer may approve a set period as a standard policy upfront, this is the amount they are happy to underwrite from the outset, but once fault is established, then they should be able to reassess/extend cover. Alternatively you could deal direct with the other parties insurance, they often like this approach as they can use their approved suppliers, (which they often get kick backs from)
you are entitled to claim for reasonable costs (this includes a like for like courtesy car, so no supermini car to cover the loss of your Ferrari for example).

Would be good to have a discussion with your insurer to establish if the other party if disputing and get a feeling how helpful your insurer will be and discuss potential options. especially regards new car replacement as it take a long time to get a new replacement car.

Was thinking the same claim the courtesy car from their insurers

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

 

[Lmbarrett83]

Was thinking the same claim the courtesy car from their insurers

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

Yeah this was my experience. They charged the "at fault" insurer for the hire cost of the Mercedes and the audi for over two months and it wasn't cheap

Seat Ensurance used a company called performance car hire based in Warrington.
www.performancecarhire.co.uk
They work with insurers.
They have a fleet of:
Aston Martins
Ferrari
Bentlys
Mercs
BMW
AUDI
VW
Ironically not SEATs

They deliver to a location of your choosing and could do same/next day depending on availability. They gave me weekly texts/updates too.

All in all it would have cost the "at fault" insurer a fortune.

Probably not helping the cost of our premiums these days.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

 

[russbellrfs]

Yeah this was my experience. They charged the "at fault" insurer for the hire cost of the Mercedes and the audi for over two months and it wasn't cheap

Seat Ensurance used a company called performance car hire based in Warrington.
www.performancecarhire.co.uk
They work with insurers.
They have a fleet of:
Aston Martins
Ferrari
Bentlys
Mercs
BMW
AUDI
VW
Ironically not SEATs

They deliver to a location of your choosing and could do same/next day depending on availability. They gave me weekly texts/updates too.

All in all it would have cost the "at fault" insurer a fortune.

Probably not helping the cost of our premiums these days.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

SEAT, VW, Audi, all the same....

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

 

[Lmbarrett83]

SEAT, VW, Audi, all the same....

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

Yeah my point was they don't have any SEATs in their fleet of cars.

When I told agent what I was driving he said " ok, the closet we have to your Cupra is an S3 which will become available in a few days. You can either wait for that or if you don't mind you can have a Mercedes GLE 350 until then"

The interior of the Audi was much better.

I looked up the book price of the Mercedes and it was over 60k new.


Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk