Driving home from work last week in the rain, in old Volvo 740, well maintained, all receipts and history - recent garage bills, new tyre, mot etc. etc.  Young man in company van coming opposite direction skidded into me (it was very wet, and he said his brakes had locked).  Nobody stopped presumably because of the rain, even a van load of policemen who looked but carried on driving.  Result, my car is a write off, I can drive it, but insurance company say beyond repair as driver's door and side caved in and won't shut properly.  Expensive job.  Otherwise car was very good runner.  Not my fault, insurers offered £350 - I have fully comp insurance with the insurer and have maximum no claims bonus.  Are they okay to do this and offer so little irrespective of blame, and state of my car.  It seems I am punished for maintaining my car.  Do I have any other options.

Help needed

It may be too late for the best option - not tell your insurance company - but remember that the more your insurers pay out today, the more they'll load your premiums over the next few years.

Ideally the claim should go through the van owner's insurance and you should not need to make a claim on your policy.

The insurance payout should be at the value of an equivalent replacement vehicle. With older vehicles, the ones in good condition change hands for similar amounts to the others. £350 does sound a bit low though and you should try to persuade them to go higher. Blame and recent garage bills are not that relevant. The figure should be the cost to buy a vehicle of similar age and in similar condition. Have a look at www.autotrader.co.uk to see some prices and perhaps pass the results on to the insurance company.