If you have a comprehensive car insurance policy contact your car insurer for advice, as your insurer may recommend a particular garage or windscreen repairer, which could avoid the need for you to arrange an estimate for the work required that will need to be approved by your insurer before the repair work can commence.

As well as speeding up the repair considerably, this could allow your insurer to mitigate and control costs by taking advantage of any discounts secured in advance with certain repairers.

Many insurers’ recommended repairers will also be able to provide you with a courtesy car for the duration of repair (whilst your vehicle is being repaired) if this isn’t provided for separately as a policy benefit.

With most car Insurance providers it will be your choice as to whether you take your car to another repairer. If you choose this route you will need to advise your Insurer of your intention and provide them with full details of the repairer in question.

You will need to send the chosen repairer’s estimate to your Insurer. Once in possession of the estimate your Insurer will usually employ a MIMA qualified motor engineer to assess the estimate, the viability of the repair, if it is agreed, they will authorise repairs and oversee the management of any repair subject to your completing a satisfactory claim form.

When you collect your vehicle following it’s repair you will have to pay any applicable policy excess (the first part of the claim that you are responsible for). If you are presenting the claim under your own policy (and not claiming directly from the responsible party’s Insurer) you pay this money directly to the garage, whether or not you were to blame for the accident.

Your insurers may also ask you to pay a contribution towards part of the cost of repairs if your car is put into a better condition than before the accident. This is a standard industry practice known as betterment.

The cost of repairs is your responsibility until your insurers have agreed to pay. Therefore, f or your peace of mind you may wish to obtain confirmation from your insurer that they accept liability and will pay the cost of repair.