Not upheld: claims handling and settlement fairness complaint against Admiral Insurance (Gibraltar) Limited

Decision detail

Summary

Mr A complained that Admiral Insurance mishandled his motor insurance claim following a collision on 19 July 2025 where his vehicle struck the rear of a third party's vehicle at a roundabout. Mr A objected to Admiral's early acceptance of liability, reduction of his no claims bonus, and settlement of third party injury and damage claims, arguing the impact was low-speed and that liability investigation was incomplete. The ombudsman found that Admiral's view that Mr A was responsible was reasonable based on Mr A's own account, and that settlements of the damage claim (supported by engineer evidence) and injury claims (supported by medical evidence) were fair. The ombudsman did not find the fault recording unfair despite its ongoing adverse consequences and therefore did not uphold the complaint.

The Ombudsman's reasoning

The ombudsman found that Admiral's view that Mr A was responsible for the accident was reasonable and fair, even at an early stage, given that Mr A himself reported hitting the rear of the third party's vehicle. The ombudsman accepted that Admiral was entitled under the policy terms to decide how to settle third party claims. The ombudsman found that Admiral's settlement of the damage claim (supported by engineer's evidence) and injury claims (supported by medical evidence) was fair. Although the fault recording has adverse consequences for Mr A, the ombudsman did not find the recording itself to be unfair.

How this compares

Source

Read the original decision on the Financial Ombudsman Service website