Two insurance questions

[Misstoddler]

My beloved mini cooper sports (old style) was stolen two weeks ago and I am expecting a battle with the insurance company regarding its market value.

1. If your vehicle is stolen, and thus you make a claim, do you lose your accumulated no-claims bonus?

2. Four years ago, my au-pair, who was insured to drive my vehicle, was involved in an accident which he claimed was not his fault. I don't actually know the outcome of this case, contested by the other side, but I do recall my then insurance company telling me I would not lose my no-claims bonus. Not sure whether this was because I wasn't driving or whether it was because we weren't at fault. I have thus gone on to claim full no-claims bonus.

I suspect my current insurer will now try to wriggle out of current claim by saying I was not entitled to a full no-claims bonus.

Views?

If you are involved in a no-fault accident, do you lose your no-claims?

Thank you so much. All very worrying - and haven't even started to negotiate the "market value" of my car yet. I wonder how that value can be proved??

[boxtops]

My car was vandalised and written off a couple of years ago - it did affect my NCB until the claim was settled and found not to be my fault, then it was reinstated, but you still have to declare the claim if you go to a new insurance company (it may not make any difference though, you just need to declare it).
OH was shunted and he lost his NCB too until the claim was settled - as soon as the third party paid up, it was reinstated.

[boxtops]

PS Look up your car in Glass's Guide - that's what the insurance companies will use to determine the value of your car.

[Misstoddler]

But Glass's guide gives the trade price not the market value? The difference being the dealer's margin.

My understanding was I should be in a position where I can replace the car that was stolen with like-for-like, which obviously I can't at trade value.

[pauln90]

Don't look at Glass's guide rather look at autotrader and similar publications and see what cars with a similar age spec etc are being offered for sale at then negotiate with the insurance company around these prices. Be prepared to refuse their first and maybe their second offer to get near the figure you want.

[Misstoddler]

Thank you. Good idea re Autotrader. Will buy today!

[tali1]

Stolen car = loss of NCB
Insurers as, pauln90 said , will ask you to show adverts from autotrader of similar cars asking price -or given it is a classic car you could pay for a valuation certificate from an official mini club - trouble is depends on current state of your car -the less damage the more accurately they can value it

[SpikeyBush]

My wife wrote off two cars in the space of one year. In both instances her insurers when making an offer quoted similar vehicles they had seen for sale onsecond-hand car websites.

At around the same time as her first crash, two weeks before my insurance was up for renewal an old geezer drove into the back of me at the lights. My renewal would have been affected until settlement had my NCD not been protected.