Why should you claim on your own insurance policy if your car was damaged by a driver who was clearly in the wrong?

That’s a natural reaction, given the fairness factor, plus the fact that when you claim on your policy, there is an excess to pay — often quite high — plus the loss of a no-claim bonus and the strong likelihood that your premium will increase as a result of the claim.

But third-party insurance claims — holding the “guilty” party’s insurer responsible for the repairs or paying out for a “written-off” car — are notoriously tricky and usually drag on for months...