Am I entitled to a courtesy car

cazzalewis62

Please can anyone help, my mum had a car accident, immediately post accident she paid for a wheel to be repaired and a new tyre so she could drive the car home. When she contacted her insurance company and they asked if her car was drivable she obviously said yes it was but now the MOT has expired and the insurance company are still messing about deciding whether the car is repairable. It obviously won’t pass an mot while damaged but is now illegal to drive and the insurance company now won’t give her a courtesy car because at the beginning of the claim the car was drivable? Surely now it isn’t she should be entitled to a courtesy car?? She can’t get to work without it!

Stubod

..depends on what the policy says, and the only people that can really advise is your insurance company?

Car_54

What is the damage?

Grumpy_chap

cazzalewis62 said:

Please can anyone help, my mum had a car accident, immediately post accident she paid for a wheel to be repaired and a new tyre so she could drive the car home. When she contacted her insurance company and they asked if her car was drivable she obviously said yes it was but now the MOT has expired and the insurance company are still messing about deciding whether the car is repairable. It obviously won’t pass an mot while damaged but is now illegal to drive and the insurance company now won’t give her a courtesy car because at the beginning of the claim the car was drivable? Surely now it isn’t she should be entitled to a courtesy car?? She can’t get to work without it!

Was the car ever truly driveable after the accident?

If it needed a new wheel to get it home, but now remains un-roadworthy, it was arguably not driveable when you reported it as being driveable.  What you might do (and get away with) for one journey of "recovery" does not make that suitable for driving around generally.

I am assuming the damage that needs repairing is not minor like a cracked indicator lens.  What type of damage is there that makes it not driveable?

cazzalewis62

It needs a new bumper and wheel arch, fog light and casing is hanging out, not sure exactly what else? Wouldn’t pass the MOT but possibly not unsafe to drive now the wheel has been repaired? Do you get a grace period with the mot? Would she be illegal if she carried on driving it while the insurance decided whether to repair or write it off??

Herzlos

I'd contact the insurance company and clarify that by it being drivable, you meant you could get it home and not that you could keep using it. At the same time, point out that it wouldn't pass an MOT and isn't roadworthy for daily use.

Car_54

cazzalewis62 said:

It needs a new bumper and wheel arch, fog light and casing is hanging out, not sure exactly what else? Wouldn’t pass the MOT but possibly not unsafe to drive now the wheel has been repaired? Do you get a grace period with the mot? Would she be illegal if she carried on driving it while the insurance decided whether to repair or write it off??

It would be illegal to drive or use on the road. First, driving without an MOT - this is a minor offence, £100 fine and no points. Second, driving a car in a dangerous condition and/or specific construction and use offences - that is much more serious.

Apart from the criminal offences, her insurance would probably be invalid (at least for 1st party claims).

Grumpy_chap

It sounds like the car was never "driveable" following the accident.  

Sandtree

cazzalewis62 said:

It needs a new bumper and wheel arch, fog light and casing is hanging out, not sure exactly what else? Wouldn’t pass the MOT but possibly not unsafe to drive now the wheel has been repaired? Do you get a grace period with the mot? Would she be illegal if she carried on driving it while the insurance decided whether to repair or write it off??

First of all... presumably this is a fault accident?

Secondly... are you talking rear or front?

An MOT is a safety test (lets ignore the emissions element) and so it cannot be that it is safe to drive but wouldnt pass an MOT. Most bodywork damage will pass an MOT as long as there are no sharp edges etc.


She needs to read her policybook to see what her entitlement is, a traditional courtesy car is only available if your car is repairable as its provided for free by the garage doing the repairs and so wouldnt be provided at this time. Many policies now offer alternative options like hire cars but unlike the classic courtesy car they are only provided for up to a maximum number of days and so can be the case that they must be returned before the claim is settled.

8871Jlw

You need to have a conversation with the insurer about what is happening with the vehicle - there shouldn’t be any ‘messing around’ deciding if it’s repairable or not.

Ask where the vehicle is - it’ll either be at a garage or salvage agent. ask has it been inspected? What’s the inspection results? Total loss or repairable? If it’s a write off then ask if it has been valued? 

Sounds like you’re being robbed off, which is common.  Be firm and demand answers 👍🏻 

sheramber

I think the vehicle is still with the mother.

Have the insurance company inspected the car to assess the damage?