If you've never claimed before, the insurance repair process can feel like a black box. Here's what actually happens, in order.

1. Lodge your claim

Contact your insurer and give them the accident details. They'll open a claim and tell you your excess — the amount you contribute toward the repair.

2. Get a quote

Your chosen repairer assesses the damage and sends a detailed quote to your insurer. This covers parts, paint, labour, and any structural work.

3. Assessment and approval

The insurer reviews the quote, sometimes via their own assessor. Once approved, repairs are authorised. If hidden damage turns up once panels come off, the repairer submits a supplementary quote for the extra work.

4. The repair

Panels are repaired or replaced, the car is prepped, painted, and reassembled, then quality-checked and often given a post-repair wheel alignment and safety check.

5. Pick-up

You pay your excess (usually to the repairer or insurer), collect your car, and keep the paperwork. A good repairer backs the work with a lifetime workmanship warranty. Throughout, a repairer who deals directly with your insurer saves you most of the phone calls.

After an accident, you might hear your car could be "written off". Here's what that means and how the decision is made.

It's mostly about cost

Insurers compare the cost of repairs against the car's market value. When repairs approach or exceed a set percentage of what the car is worth, it's usually declared a total loss (write-off) rather than repaired.

Two kinds of write-off

• Statutory write-off: damage is severe enough that the car can never be re-registered. It can only be sold for parts or scrap.
• Repairable write-off: uneconomical for the insurer to repair, but it can potentially be repaired and re-registered later under strict inspection.

What you receive

If your car is written off on a comprehensive policy, the insurer typically pays out the agreed or market value, minus any excess. Older, lower-value cars are written off more easily because even moderate damage can outweigh their worth.

If you disagree

You can ask how the valuation was calculated and provide evidence (service history, condition, comparable listings) if you think the payout is low. A repairer can also give you an independent view on whether the damage is genuinely repairable.