When is it worth involving insurance for car accident? (1 Viewer)

[Nigel]

On Monday night I backed into another car in a parking lot. There was no visible damage, it was dark, but I gave the lady my contact info just in case. She wanted to look at it in daylight. Yesterday she called to say the hood is dented and one of the headlights is pushed in a little. Now I need to figure out if it's worth getting insurance involved or if I should just pay for it, but how do I go about it? I have a $500 deductible, at what dollar amount does it make sense to pay it myself given the down the road hikes my premium will see? And how do I go about getting an estimate on the damage to her car without it being a pain in the ### for her?

 

[badger]

Do you have an insurance agent? They should be able to help in times like this. If you've bought off the internet, you may have to rely on a call center. Any good agent should be able to tell you how it would impact your rates. Also, your deductible shouldn't apply if it's your fault, this would be a liability claim under your property damage coverage. More than likely, you'll be rated in the future with an accident, but things like size of claim, previous claims free or length of tenure could keep this from impacting your rates. I suggest contacting your insurance agent.