Lease Car write off

tmcewen

My wife leased a car for £276 a month for three years - just six months in she was hit by another driver who lost control and veered across the road (he's in his 80's and may still be in hospital). Net result our insurers have settled the outstanding lease with the finance company - car is a write off. Her courtesy car has now gone back as they've settled and we're left with no car. He hasn't admitted liability yet so whilst we're left with no lease to pay we also have no vehicle any more - our insurers reluctantly going to pursue him for the costs of the difference in the lease price (cant get another lease for the same car etc. for under £300 anywhere) but also she's got no car now until December. Anyone got any experience of this? Should my insures be doing more about an interim vehicle provided by his insurers?

MovingForwards

When the pay off is done that signals the end of it so no entitlement to a hire vehicle.

It is not the third party/their insurer or your insurers fault you cannot replace the vehicle for a few months.

You have to mitigate (minimise) your losses in any event.

What is it you want?

csgohan4

get an old banger on auto trader

kazwookie

Agreed buy a run about for a few months, then sell it on when the insurance companys have paid out or what ever.

or

Book local taxi's to run your wife about for a few months.

tmcewen

I want to try and get an idea from anyone out there who may have gone through similar - is it right that we can end up with no car after a no fault incident? My wife is a nurse in the NHS and needs it to get to her work.

tmcewen

Also, you're right it isn't the third party's, their insurers, or indeed our insurers fault we cannot replace the vehicle but it is the third party's fault that the car was crashed into and written off.

k3lvc

MovingForwards wrote: »

When the pay off is done that signals the end of it so no entitlement to a hire vehicle.

Exactly this - there is no more liability from any other party - especially not for loss of bargain

Return to dealer/lease company and see their views on starting a new contract on the same terms - if not then you're back to either purchasing or leasing another car.

molerat

From a random Google hit https://www.carsondemand.co.uk/1-3-6-month-short-term-car-leasing

Aretnap

tmcewen wrote: »

Also, you're right it isn't the third party's, their insurers, or indeed our insurers fault we cannot replace the vehicle but it is the third party's fault that the car was crashed into and written off.

And for that he is liable for the cost of the damage that he caused - ie the market value of the car at the time it was written off. That is the amount he (and by extension his insurers) have to pay, and it doesn't change depending on whether you happen to have bought the car with cash, on a credit card, leased it or whatever. I very much doubt whether you'll get anywhere trying to claim the difference in the lease prices either, if you can't get a lease on the same terms as the old one.

Sorry, I realise this isn't what you want to hear, but it's how things are. If you can't get the same model of car on favourable lease terns until December then you may have to be pragmatic and consider ways you could get a replacement sooner (a different car, or a different way of financing it) or a stopgap solution (buy an old banger for £500; if you're lucky you might sell it for £600 in December)