If the other driver/other driver’s insurance company has made a claim against you, you need to decide whether or not you think the amount they are claiming is reasonable. You can only be asked to pay the costs of damage caused by the accident so you do not have to pay for any damage that was there before. However, a number of reasonable costs can be legitimately claimed by the other driver including:

If you do not agree with the amount being claimed you will need to get an independent assessment of the damage but you will require the other party’s permission to do this and must pay for the assessment yourself.

Where an insurance assessor has checked the repair quote or the valuation of a vehicle, it may be difficult to dispute the amount claimed unless it can be established that the other driver is claiming for unnecessary work. For example, you do not have to pay for new panels when second hand would do.