Can my insurer choose where my car is repaired?

Why insurers steer you to their own garages

Most insurers run a network of approved repairers. They agree labour rates and parts prices with those bodyshops in advance, and they can book the car in and arrange a courtesy car without anyone outside their own system getting involved. It's cheaper and simpler for them.

None of that makes an approved repairer a bad choice. Plenty of good bodyshops sit on insurer panels, and Newbridge has been insurance approved since 2005. The point is that the recommendation comes out of a commercial arrangement, so you're entitled to ask a few questions before you go along with it.

Do I have to use my insurer's garage?

Normally you don't. The policy decides what it costs you to go elsewhere, and the conditions we see most often are these:

• a separate, higher excess if you use your own repairer
• a cap on the repair cost, usually set at what their own network would have charged, with you paying any difference
• no courtesy car, because the courtesy car is supplied through the approved repairer
• a different guarantee: with their garage, the insurer often stands behind the work, while elsewhere the guarantee comes from the bodyshop

Not every policy has all of these. Some have none of them. The only way to know is to read the wording, or ring and ask.

What to ask your insurer before you decide

When you call the claims line, have a pen ready and ask:

• Is there an extra excess if I use my own bodyshop, and how much is it?
• Is there a limit on what you'll pay for the repair?
• Do I still get a courtesy car if I go elsewhere?
• Do you want photos and an estimate from my bodyshop, or will you send an engineer?
• Will you pay the bodyshop directly?
• If more damage turns up once the car is stripped down, how does that get approved?

Note the name of the person you spoke to and the date, or ask them to confirm the answers by email.

If the accident wasn't your fault, it's a different question

If you aren't claiming on your own policy at all, your insurer's approved repairer conditions don't come into it. The at-fault driver's insurer is responsible for putting your car right, and you can choose who does the work.

You may get a call from the other driver's insurer offering to repair your car through their own network. You don't have to accept. It's their customer who caused the accident, and keeping their own costs down is part of the reason for the offer.

With a non-fault accident claim through Newbridge, we deal with the at-fault insurer for you and an independent engineer agrees the repair costs after inspecting the car. You also get a replacement car similar to yours. That's a different thing from a standard courtesy car, and courtesy car or replacement car explains why it matters. If you're still at the roadside, start with what to do after a car accident.

Picking a bodyshop yourself

If you're choosing your own repairer, check a few things before you hand over the keys:

• Certification. The BSI Kitemark for Vehicle Damage Repair (BS 10125) means the bodyshop's repair processes are checked by independent audit.
• The guarantee. Ask how long it lasts, and get it in writing.
• Who talks to the insurer. A bodyshop that handles the claim itself saves you a lot of phone calls.
• A car while yours is off the road, if your policy won't provide one.

Recent Google reviews are worth a look too, especially ones that mention how the claim went rather than just the finish.

How Newbridge works with your insurer

On a fault claim, tell your insurer you'd like to use your own repairer and give them our details. We send them an estimate and, once they've approved it, deal with the claim from there. We contribute £150 towards your excess, and if your insurer won't provide a courtesy car, we may be able to give you one of ours. Our Sydenham site has held the BSI Kitemark since 2012 and Dartford since November 2023, and the repair is guaranteed for as long as the car is yours.

Call our Basildon bodyshop on 01268 590 722, our Dartford bodyshop on 01322 930 719 or our Sydenham bodyshop on 020 8659 2221, or send us photos for a repair quote. There's more on how we handle claims on our accident repairs page, and our Dartford Google reviews show what other customers made of it.