[hawke]

“If a letter of demand for minor accident damage is forwarded to an insurer by a fleet owner, I presume insurers typically ignore it until a civil claim is lodged - is this correct?”

A smart insurer accepts that a fast claim is a cheap claim. Sadly, many are not smart.

Not necessarily. In your case, it’s irrelevant. You are dealing with the organisation that caused the loss - not their insurer.