Am I eligible for a replacement car after an accident?
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Two things have to hold, not one. The accident has to have been someone else's fault, and you have to actually need a vehicle while your own is off the road. The Financial Ombudsman Service is explicit that a credit hire referral may not have been appropriate where it was clear a hire car was not needed. This page explains the vehicle-level factors only and does not assess individual cases.
- Any claim flows from the other driver's fault, not from your own insurance policy.
- “Like-for-like” means a vehicle from your own vehicle's class (classes explained) — including vans, 7-seaters and plated taxis, not just hatchbacks — and the Ombudsman's own wording is “normally a like-for-like replacement or similar”.
- You need a genuine need for a vehicle during the repair period — a suitable spare car, sufficient courtesy car cover, a still-drivable vehicle or an equally good policy benefit can each mean you did not (do I need a replacement vehicle?).
- The legal basis, the limits, and what happens if the claim is disputed are questions of law, and sit outside this site's vehicle-only scope.
Do I need a replacement car after a non-fault accident?
Usually, where the accident was another driver's fault and you need a car: the at-fault insurer is responsible for the reasonable cost of keeping you mobile, which is what credit hire supply delivers. The strength of any individual case depends on its facts — liability, need, and the reasonableness of the hire — which is why the check is done case by case.
Am I eligible for a courtesy car?
A courtesy car is a separate thing: it comes from your own policy or the repairing garage, if it is provided at all, and is usually a small hatchback regardless of what you drive. The vehicle-level difference — and why you are not obliged to accept a courtesy car that does not match your vehicle — is set out on credit hire car vs courtesy car.
Does my car have to be undriveable?
No — eligibility is tied to your car being reasonably off the road, which includes the period it is in the bodyshop for repair, not only the case where it is unroadworthy from the moment of impact. What counts as a reasonable hire period is a claim question rather than a vehicle question.
When might a hire car not have been needed?
The Financial Ombudsman Service lists the circumstances in which it may think a referral was inappropriate: where it should have been clear the third party would likely dispute liability, or where it was clear you did not need a hire car — because you already had access to a suitable spare car, because you had sufficient courtesy car cover and did not need a like-for-like hire car, because your own car was roadworthy and drivable, or because your policy's benefits were already at least as good. Each of those is worked through on do I need a replacement vehicle?.
How do I check my position?
This site does not run a checker or accept enquiries. Work through the need questions on do I need a replacement vehicle? and the suitability questions on what counts as a suitable replacement so that you know your own position, then speak directly to your insurer or an appropriately regulated adviser for an assessment of your circumstances.
While you are here
See what you would actually be given in your vehicle's class, and how supply works once a hire is agreed.