Do You Have to Use Your Insurer's Approved Repairer?

You have had an accident, you ring your insurer, and within a minute they are arranging for your car to go to one of their approved repairers. It is presented as the process rather than as a choice.

It is a choice. Here is what the term actually means and what your options are.

What “insurance approved” means

An approved repairer is a body shop that holds a commercial agreement with an insurance company to carry out repairs on its behalf, usually at negotiated rates. Insurers typically require shops in their network to meet industry standards such as BS 10125 and Thatcham accreditation.

Two things follow from that which are worth being clear about. Approval is a commercial relationship, not a government licence. And the quality standards involved can be met by shops that are not in any insurer network, because the standard and the contract are separate things.

Your right to choose

Under UK law you are free to choose who repairs your car. Your insurer cannot compel you to use their network, and they cannot refuse a valid claim purely because you used an independent body shop. The point has been raised in Parliament often enough that approved-repairer schemes have been the subject of an Early Day Motion.

The wording in your policy matters, though, and this is where people get caught out.

The trade-offs, honestly

Choosing your own repairer can have consequences, and any shop that tells you otherwise is not being straight with you.

Your excess may be higher. Many policies apply a larger excess when you go outside the approved network. That figure is in your policy documents.

The insurer may pay less. They negotiate rates with their network, and they may only settle at those rates, leaving you to cover a difference.

Courtesy car arrangements may differ. A courtesy car is often tied to using the approved network. Check before you assume you will get one.

Approved repairers usually carry a work guarantee backed through the insurer, often for a set number of years.

When choosing your own shop makes sense

When the car is not a standard repair. Older vehicles, unusual colours and cars where you care about the paint matching properly often do better with a shop you have chosen and can speak to directly.

When you want to talk to the person doing the work. In a large approved network you are a claim reference. In a small shop you can walk in and ask.

When it is not going through insurance at all. For damage below or near your excess, a claim can cost you more in lost no-claims discount and raised premiums than the repair itself. It is always worth getting a repair price before you report it.

What to do if you have had an accident

Take photographs at the scene, get the other driver's details, and report it to your insurer even if you do not intend to claim, because most policies require notification regardless.

Then get a repair quote before you commit to anything. If you decide to use us, bring your claim reference and we will work with the insurer and handle the paperwork with you.