Honda Accord "minor scrape" with a £12 million Rolls-Royce, what's the cost? £2 million? This topic became the focus of discussion on various forums and Weibo in Wenzhou yesterday.
Such a small accident, would it really cost that much? The reporter conducted multiple inquiries.
The incident involving the Honda Accord and the Rolls-Royze had serious consequences. It happened in Wenzhou, around 1 PM the day before yesterday. Miss Zhu was driving her Accord to an appointment when she turned right from Yan Gong Dian Lane into Fuqian Street and accidentally collided with a car ahead that was traveling straight northbound on Fuqian Street.
When Miss Zhu got out of her car, she was shocked to see that the car in front of her was a magnificent black Rolls-Royce.
This collision caused some deformation to the front of the Accord, with its bumper falling off. More importantly, the Rolls-Royce had a damaged wheel hub and scratches on the right side door.
"How much will it cost to repair this car?" Miss Zhu anxiously asked the driver of the Rolls-Royce, Mr. Du.
Mr. Du replied that he was just the dedicated driver hired by the owner and didn't know the exact repair costs.
Both parties then called the police and let the traffic police handle the situation.
Upon arrival, the traffic police inspected the scene and preliminarily determined that the Accord bore the main responsibility.
Miss Zhu's thoughts at the time were quite simple: if the amount was small, she would comply with the traffic police's determination and quickly resolve the issue; if the amount was large, she would request an investigation into the accident liability.
However, what followed was something she hadn't anticipated.
Firstly, the value of this car: although the car had a Shanghai license plate, the actual owner was the boss of a hotel in Wenzhou. From buying the car to finally registering it and getting it on the road, it cost approximately £12 million.
Secondly, the repair costs. After a while, a friend of the Rolls-Royce owner arrived at the scene and his words startled Miss Zhu: "Rolls-Royce parts are very expensive, just replacing one wheel hub costs £1 million, plus other repair costs, roughly estimated to be about £2 million."
Miss Zhu was dumbfounded, "£2 million? How can I possibly compensate for that!"
Luxury cars usually replace rather than repair parts, leading to higher costs
This incident quickly spread online.
Some netizens said that £2 million must have been exaggerated. "Moshangshu0" said: A Bugatti worth over £3 million has wheel hubs costing only £600,000, so it's impossible for a Rolls-Royce worth £10 million to have wheel hubs priced at £1 million.
Other netizens said that it might indeed cost that much, "The better the car, the more unpredictable the repairs at the 4S store."
A friend who drives a £6 million Ferrari told the reporter that for luxury cars in the millions, to ensure the quality of the vehicle, generally at the 4S stores they replace parts rather than repair them: "For example, if the door of a regular car worth £200,000 or so is scratched, it's simply fixed with bodywork and repainted; but for a Rolls-Royce, the 4S store would say to replace the door, and the replacement door would be directly imported from overseas, the cost of which is hard to estimate."
An experienced traffic policeman also shared a similar story with the reporter: a Bentley rear-ended a taxi, and the traffic police judged the Bentley fully responsible. The taxi had no major issues, but the Bentley's bumper had a fine crack: "The taxi driver said to settle privately for some money. But the fully responsible Bentley insisted we come to the scene, then called the insurance company for damage assessment, saying even though it's just a tiny crack, a little work could easily cost several thousand pounds."
"Luxury cars 'can't afford' to get damaged, so drive carefully," the traffic policeman said.
The Rolls-Royce will be sent to Shanghai for evaluation and damage assessment
What stage is this accident currently at?
The reporter learned from the Accident Handling Team of the First Traffic Police Brigade of Wenzhou City that they have already made a responsibility determination for this accident: Miss Zhu did not yield to the straight-moving Rolls-Royce while turning, and thus bears full responsibility for this accident.
It is reported that Miss Zhu's Accord is insured with third-party liability insurance, with a maximum compensation limit of £200,000. This means that if the repair costs of the Rolls-Royce exceed £200,000, the excess will have to be paid out-of-pocket by Miss Zhu.
So, how much exactly will she need to pay?
Yesterday, the traffic police also contacted the Rolls-Royce 4S store in Shanghai. The 4S store stated that each car's wheel hub price varies, requiring the unique number of the damaged vehicle to check the required fee. Additionally, the specific repair amount needs to be assessed at the Shanghai headquarters based on the condition of the car.
Currently, the traffic police department has organized both parties to reach a consistent agreement: the Rolls-Royce owner will send the car to the Shanghai 4S store for appraisal and repair at a later date, with the repair costs borne by Miss Zhu and her car's insurance company.
Sky-high repair costs
How to compensate
Compensation is a fact set in stone; the amount can only be determined by the repair list from the 4S store.
If the repair costs are too high and Miss Zhu is unable to pay, what should be done?
Yesterday, the reporter telephoned Zhejiang Yufeng Law Firm's lawyer Zhang Jinwei.
In Lawyer Zhang's career, cases involving such enormous vehicle damage are the first he has encountered: "After all, the proportion of luxury cars on the roads is not high, plus drivers being cautious, the probability of accidents is relatively low."
But once a luxury car is hit, the compensation can be devastating.
For instance, if this Rolls-Royce is confirmed to require £2 million in repair costs, and Miss Zhu's insurance company only covers £200,000, then the remaining £1.8 million will need to be paid out-of-pocket by Miss Zhu.
If she cannot immediately come up with the £1.8 million in cash, Lawyer Zhang said that it would follow the principle of debt repayment.
Firstly, if Miss Zhu owns more than two properties, one of them will have to be auctioned off; any cars, luxury goods, or high-end consumer items under her name will also be auctioned, with the proceeds used to repay the repair costs.
If this still isn't enough, Miss Zhu will have to take out a portion of her monthly salary and income to repay the debt; the specific percentage will depend on the court's judgment.
Additionally, if Miss Zhu is married, the repair costs owed by her will be considered joint marital debt, and repaid using joint marital assets. This means her husband may also have to contribute a certain percentage of his salary and income to repay the debt.