I Made A Car Insurance Claim But The Other Party Is Not Responding. What Can I Do?

By Danielle Newton. Last Updated 8th May 2023. Are you in the UK attempting to make a car insurance claim, but the other party is not responding? If you’ve been injured in a car accident due to the negligence of another party, you could potentially claim compensation. 

car insurance claim other party not responding UK

A guide to making a car insurance claim if the other party is not responding (UK)

All road users should be familiar with The Highway Code. This outlines the duty of care roads users have. For motorists, this means adhering to the standards of skill of the average driver. The Highway Code also explains how other road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and scooter riders, should behave on the roads. 

If a road user breaches this duty of care, you could come to harm. If you could prove that your injury was the fault of another party, you could potentially claim compensation. However, the other party may not always reply to your claim. 

Read on to find out what to do in the UK if you’ve made a car insurance claim, but the other party is not responding. You can also get in touch with our team of advisors at any time for free legal advice about your case. They could pass you on to an expert solicitor from our panel to help you with your claim. 

Select A Section

  1. What Happens If An Insurance Company Doesn’t Respond To A Claim?
  2. Submitting The Letter Of Claim
  3. How Long Do Insurance Companies Have To Respond To A Claim In The UK?
  4. I Have Made A Car Insurance Claim But The Other Party Is Not Responding (UK)
  5. Road Traffic Accident Calculator
  6. Talk To Us About A Car Insurance Claim Where The Other Party Isn’t Responding In The UK

What Happens If An Insurance Company Doesn’t Respond To A Claim?

To know what to do if an insurance company is not responding to your claim, we should first look at the early steps of a personal injury claim. The initial steps of a personal injury claim are also known as the pre-action protocols. These aim to help you resolve the claim without needing to go to court. 

Generally, these steps include:

  • Letter of Notification – You or your solicitor will inform the faulting party about your intentions to pursue compensation in a personal injury claim. 
  • Rehabilitation – Both parties will assess your physical and mental condition after the injury to decide if you have reasonable needs that could be met by medical treatment. Consideration of rehabilitation should be an ongoing process throughout the case. 
  • Letter of Claim – A Letter of Claim should include sufficient evidence for the defendant to assess liability. This could include a summary of the event and the physical or financial effects it has had on you as the claimant. At this stage, the claimant may also make an offer to settle the claim early. 
  • The Response – The response should address any early settlement offers made. This article will look at what happens if the faulting party does not respond within the time limit and what the time limit is. 
  • Disclosure – The defendant should disclose information that could lead to a resolution. Your solicitor could request these documents in the Letter of Claim. 

To find out more about the pre-action protocols, get in touch with our team of advisors today. 

Submitting The Letter Of Claim

Submitting the Letter of Claim is an important step in the pre-action protocols and your personal injury claim in general. This will allow the defendant to consider what liability they will accept for your injuries and move the case closer towards you potentially receiving compensation from them. It should include a description of injuries and financial losses caused. 

This Letter of Claim must be acknowledged and responded to appropriately within the time limit. This time limit is 21 days from the date it was sent to acknowledge it, and then a further 3 months is allowed in which the defendant can investigate and provide a full response. If they do not respond within this time, this would breach the pre-action protocol. You could issue proceedings if this happens. 

To find out more about the Letter of Claim, contact us now. You can also discuss making a car insurance claim if the other party isn’t responding in the UK.

How Long Do Insurance Companies Have To Respond To A Claim In The UK?

Time limitations are important when responding to a claim, as a late or non-existent response can delay the claim unnecessarily, leaving you without compensation when you might need it. 

Time Limits For Responses

There are time limits for responses for both the Letter of Notification and the Letter of Claim. For the Letter of Notification, the defendant should acknowledge it within 14 days of receipt. This indicates that they are aware you are going to start a claim against them and gives them appropriate time to consider their actions. 

The defendant should acknowledge the Letter of Claim within 21 days and respond to it within 3 months of acknowledgement. The response is important, as it will address any settlement offers and may begin discussions about liability. 

If the accident happened outside England and Wales or the defendant is outside of that jurisdiction, the 21-day and 3-month time limits can be extended to up to 42 days and six months.

How Long Do You Have To Make a Car Insurance Claim in the UK?

This article focuses on the time limits within the claims process after a car insurance claim has already begun. However, you may want to know more about the car insurance claim time limit in the UK.

Usually, you have three years to start a claim, beginning from the date of the accident or the date you discovered that you sustained injuries due to negligence. This time limit for car insurance claims and other types of claims is outlined in the Limitation Act 1980.

However, some exceptions do apply to this.

  • If you suffered an injury as a child, you have three years from the date of your eighteenth birthday to claim. Furthermore, if you want to claim before the age of eighteen, a court-approved litigation friend can claim on your behalf.
  • You can also claim on the behalf of a loved one if they lack the mental capacity to claim themselves. You would also do this using a litigation friend. If they continue to lack mental capacity, no time limit is in place to begin a claim. However, if mental capacity is restored to the injured person, they would then have three years from that date to begin the claim.

Please bear in mind that the information in this section applies exclusively to potential claims in England and Wales. For additional information about making a car insurance claim, please contact us for free legal advice.

I Have Made A Car Insurance Claim But The Other Party Is Not Responding (UK)

If an insurance company is not responding to your claim, there are certain steps you can take to deal with the situation.

Your solicitor will often follow the pre-action protocols for personal injury claims. This includes sending a letter of notification to the defendant making them aware that a claim is being made. The letter of notification should be acknowledged within 14 days. However, if there is no response to the letter of notification, court proceedings could be issued.

Whilst it is not always necessary to hire a solicitor for an insurance claim, the advice and help they can offer in situations such as these could benefit you.

Please speak to an adviser if you would like more details about what you can do when another party, such as an insurance company, is not responding to the claim.

What To Do If The Insurance Company Is Stalling

There could be incidents where the insurance company delays settling a car accident claim. These include when the other party’s insurer is:

  • Investigating the road traffic accident. They may take longer than they are supposed to as set out in the Pre-Action Protocols.
  • There could be a dispute in the liability due to a lack of sufficient evidence. As such, they may request more evidence which can take time.

If you feel the other party’s insurer is stalling, you might want to instruct a solicitor to help you with your car insurance claim. They could help gather more evidence if this is what the other party’s insurance company requires to settle the claim.

If you would like free advice about what to do if the other party’s insurance company is stalling, get in touch with our advisors using the details at the top of the screen. In addition to free advice about the claiming process, they can assess your chances of succeeding with a claim and if it seems like you might be eligible, you could be put in touch with one of our No Win No Fee solicitors from our panel.

Road Traffic Accident Calculator

This section includes a table of potential compensation amounts for car accident claims. These figures are taken from the Judicial College Guidelines; a document legal professionals use to help value general damages in a personal injury claim.

What are the average payouts for car accident insurance claims?

Now we’ve clarified the car insurance claim time limit, this section will illustrate what compensation you may be able to receive as part of the claims process.

Compensation awarded in a successful personal injury claim will cover at least one type of damages known as general damages. Compensation for these damages is meant to reflect the severity of your injury and how much pain and suffering it has caused.

The Judicial College Guidelines can give you a better idea of your potential general damages compensation. These figures have been taken from the latest guidelines, published in 2022. However, these fingers are not guaranteed. You could receive a different amount depending on the different aspects of your claim. To help calculate your general damages payment, an independent medical assessment will be performed as part of the claims process to determine the severity of your injury.

The table below contains some figures from the JCG, which are to be used as a guide. It also contains figures from the whiplash tariff outlined in the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021. These are fixed amounts.

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Injury Severity Amount Notes
Facial Disfigurement Very severe scarring £29,780 to £97,330 This level is usually awarded to claimants who are very young (teens to early 30s) that have suffered a psychological reaction that is severe. The cosmetic effect of the injury are considered very disfiguring.
Knee Severe (ii) £52,120 to £69,730 Leg fracture extends into the knee joint, causing constant and permanent pain. There will also be limited movement or impaired agility and a high risk of osteoarthritis and arthroplasty.
Eye (d) The total loss of one eye £54,830 to £65,710 This bracket will be judged by age, cosmetic effect and psychiatric consequences.
Toe (a) Amputation of all toes £36,520 to £56,080 This bracket will be judged upon whether the amputation was surgical or traumatic, the extent of the loss of the forefoot, and the effects on mobility.
Hand (f) Severe fractures to fingers Up to £36,740 Severe fractures to the fingers that may lead to partial amputations. The result will be deformity, impairment of grip, disturbed sensation and reduced mechanical function.
Leg Less serious (i) £17,960 to £27,760 Fractures or serious soft tissue injuries where an incomplete recovery has been made. For fractures, the claimant may still have a limp or defective gait, impaired mobility, and discomfort. The soft tissue injury could cause significant cosmetic defect or some nerve damage in the lower limbs.
Spleen (a) £20,800 to £26,290 Loss of spleen. There will be a continual risk of infection and disorders due to damage to the immune system.
Neck Moderate (ii) £13,740 to £24,990 Disc lesions, soft tissue injuries and wrenching-type injuries of the more severe kind. The result could be cervical spondylosis, serious limitation of movement, stiffness or discomfort, recurring or permanent pain, and the possible need for further surgery. There may also be a vulnerability to further trauma.
Back Minor (i) £7,890 to £12,510 A full recovery without surgery will have been made within around 2-5 years. This bracket could also cover the short term exacerbation of pre-existing conditions.
Teeth (i) £8,730 to £11,410 Several front teeth will be seriously damaged or lost.
Whiplash One or multiple whiplash injuries with one or multiple minor psychological injuries £4,345 Symptoms lasting between 18-24 months.
Whiplash One or multiple whiplash injuries £4,215 Symptoms lasting between 18-24 months.

The other potential head of claim relates to the losses you’ve suffered financially because of the injury. These are referred to as special damages. Expenses you could claim include:

  • Loss of earnings
  • Travel costs
  • Adjustments to your home
  • Travel expenses

You would need to prove these losses (through financial evidence, such as receipts and invoices) to potentially receive compensation. If you would like more free car insurance claims advice, please contact us using the above details.

Could The Whiplash Reforms Affect My Claim?

As per the introduction of the Whiplash Reform Programme, the way certain claims for a road traffic accident are made has changed. Now, if you are an adult passenger or driver of a vehicle with injuries valued at £5,000 or less, you will claim in a different way. Additionally, any whiplash injuries you have sustained will be valued in accordance with the tariff set out in the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021.

If you have additional injuries that bring the value of your claim over £5,000, you will claim in the traditional way. Also, any injuries not included in the whiplash tariff will be valued traditionally. However, whiplash related injuries will still have their value assessed using the tariff.

For more information on the avenue you will need to take to pursue your car accident claim, get in touch on the number above.

Talk To Us About A Car Insurance Claim Where The Other Party Isn’t Responding In The UK

If you’re looking for legal representation for a car insurance claim in the UK where the other party is not responding, you may be considering No Win No Fee. So how do these agreements work?

If you’re put through to a solicitor from our panel, they could offer their services on a No Win No Fee basis. This is designed on the basis of risk and reward: the solicitor takes on the risk alongside you. If your case does not succeed, you will not have to pay your solicitor for their services. Upfront and ongoing solicitor fees also won’t be an issue. 

If your claim is successful, the solicitor would deduct a success fee from the compensation. However, you don’t need to worry about being left without compensation, as this success fee is subject to a small legal cap. Your solicitor would also only deduct their fee once your payout has come through.

If No Win No Fee sounds like it could benefit you, get in touch with us today. Our team of advisors are available 24/7 to provide support and advice. If they think your case has a good chance of success, they could pass you on to a solicitor from our panel who could represent you in your road traffic accident claim. 

Further Resources

Thank you for reading our guide explaining what to do when making a car insurance claim, and the other party is not responding in the UK. For further resources, please see below. 

My Child Got Hit By a Car – Can I Claim? – Learn how to claim compensation if your child has been hit by a car. 

Hit and Run Compensation Claim – If you’ve been in a hit and run accident, our article can help you figure out how to claim compensation. 

How Long After a Road Traffic Accident Do You Have to Claim? – Learn about the time limitations attached to starting a road traffic accident claim. 

Limitation Act 1980 – This legislation outlines how long you have to start a compensation claim. 

Whiplash Reform Programme – The government guide on how low valued car accident claims are handled. 

Motor Insurers’ Bureau – You could claim through the MIB if the faulting party was uninsured or untraceable. 

If you have any questions about what to do if making a car insurance claim but the other party is not responding in the UK, get in touch. Our advisors are available 24/7.  

Article by AO

Publisher UI