Filing a Vehicle Insurance Claim

We work with all insurance companies. Just fill in the damage report form with your insurer and choose us as your repair provider — we take care of everything else.

We're an independent auto body and paint workshop. That means throughout the process we represent you, not the insurance company.

File a claim with your insurer →

In short

• Report the damage as soon as possible — most insurers set a three-day deadline from the event.
• You choose the repair shop. Your insurer can't dictate it, but they can limit the amount they cover to their own price list.
• The assessment is carried out by the insurer's assessor; hidden damage is reported separately, during the repair.
• The deductible (franšiza) is subtracted under comprehensive cover. For damage someone else caused, you don't pay it.
• Our courtesy car costs nothing — you only pay for the fuel you use.

You choose the repair shop, not your insurer

This is the most common misconception in the whole process.

Insurers have a network of contracted repair shops and will point you toward it. That's legitimate — but using a contracted shop isn't mandatory. Insurers themselves acknowledge this.

The limitation isn't legal, it's financial: at a shop outside their network, some insurers only cover repair costs up to the amounts on their own price list, and you pay the difference to the actual bill yourself.

So ask two things in advance:

• Which price list and hourly rate will the insurer use to cover the repair?
• Does the repair shop work to that price list, and will they arrange a direct-billing authorization for me?

With us, the answer to the second question is yes — precisely because we work with all the major insurers and handle this process regularly.

What a contracted repair shop is, and what it gets you

A contracted repair shop is a workshop that has a contract with the insurer covering prices and procedures. Some are also an assessment point, meaning the assessment happens on site.

The benefits are real:

• A direct-billing authorization. The insurer pays the shop directly — at pick-up you only settle the deductible and any extra costs, not the full bill.
• Supplementary estimates without you having to get involved. If more turns up during disassembly, the shop coordinates it directly with the insurer.
• Assessment and repair in one place.

It's important to know what the contract doesn't mean, though: it isn't a guarantee of work quality. It mainly governs price and procedure, not workmanship.

Deadline for filing a claim

At most Slovenian insurers, you must report the incident within three days at the latest. The exact deadline is set out in your policy's general terms; for vehicle theft it's shorter and requires an immediate report to the police.

Being late doesn't automatically mean a rejection, but it can give the insurer grounds to reduce the payout. So report it immediately, even if you haven't yet decided whether you'll actually pursue the claim.

How the assessment works

After you file the claim, the insurer's assessor will contact you. The inspection takes place at an assessment centre, at the repair shop, or — if the vehicle can't be driven — at an agreed location. The assessor records the visible damage and prepares an estimate.

Here's the key thing most people don't know: with bodywork damage, the real extent only shows up during disassembly. Bent structural panels or a damaged bumper mount don't show up in photos.

That's why, during the repair, we file a supplementary estimate and only continue once the insurer confirms it. The costs don't fall on you, and we never hand you a bill you didn't know was coming.

If you disagree with the assessment, you can request a re-assessment or get an opinion from an independent expert.

This leads to a practical tip that many people hear too late:

• With minor scratches or glass damage under general comprehensive cover, it's often cheaper to pay yourself — once you add up the deductible and the lost bonus, filing a claim is often not in your favour.
• With hail, it's generally the opposite: filing costs you neither a deductible nor your bonus, so it's almost always worth it.

Tell us what cover you have, and we'll tell you what's worth it in your case — even when the answer is not to file a claim.

Courtesy car

If it's included in your insurance package, your insurer provides one. If you didn't cause the accident, you can claim the cost from the at-fault party's insurer.

If you have neither, subject to availability we'll provide a courtesy car ourselves — free of charge. You only pay for the fuel you use, and we sign an agreement at pick-up.

More about the courtesy car →

What to do right after an accident

1. If another vehicle is involved, fill in the European accident statement. Keep a copy in your glovebox at all times.
2. Call the police if there's a dispute over fault, anyone is injured, or an unregistered or foreign vehicle is involved.
3. With an unknown at-fault party — a scratch in a parking lot, a hit-and-run — a police report is practically essential; without one, insurers often won't recognise the claim.
4. Photograph everything before you move anything: the whole vehicle from an angle, three to four steps back, each piece of damage close up, the position of the vehicles, the other party's registration plate, the odometer reading and the chassis number.

For hail damage, take photos in shade or overcast weather. In direct sunlight, shallow dents don't show up in photos — and the estimate will show less damage than there actually is.

Five questions to ask before the repair

1. Which hourly rate will the insurer use to cover the repair?
2. Will a direct-billing authorization be issued?
3. How much is my deductible, and does it even apply in this case?
4. Who files a supplementary estimate if hidden damage turns up?
5. Are original parts used, or equivalent-quality alternatives?

And one question for the repair shop, not the insurer: do they guarantee the repair, and for how long.