I was offered £500 by Aviva after a crash to not use my insurer – how it works

Résumé détaillé

Drivers involved in accidents are being offered hundreds of pounds in cash by rival insurers in a legal practice known as third-party capture ...

Drivers involved in accidents are being offered hundreds of pounds in cash by rival insurers to let them take control of their claim.

Some motorists are finding that they are being contacted by the insurer of the driver who caused the accident before their own insurer has finished dealing with the case.

In one recent case seen by The i Paper, Aviva offered a driver £500, which it paid by bank transfer, to allow it to handle their claim rather than continuing through their own insurer.

The driver had been involved in an accident caused by an Aviva customer and had already notified their own insurer.

But Aviva proactively contacted the customer and offered to arrange the repairs and replacement vehicle, as well as paying him £500 if he allowed it to manage the claim instead.

The practice is known in the insurance industry as “third-party capture” or “third-party assistance” and can often save the insurer dealing with the incident a lot of money.

It is legal and has been used by insurers for years, but rising motor claims costs mean there is a significant financial incentive for insurers to get control of claims as quickly as possible.

Figures published by insurance broker Marsh show that where an insurer successfully captures a third-party claim, the average saving for the company is £3,067 per claim. The figures are based on commercial motor claims data between 2022 and 2025.

That means even offering a motorist several hundred pounds as an incentive could potentially leave the insurer significantly better off than if the claim were handled elsewhere.

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