Car undriveable after an accident? Do not risk driving it
If it is not safe to drive, it should not be driven. We recover it, store it securely and arrange a replacement, anywhere in the UK, day or night. On a non-fault claim it costs you nothing.
Recovery, 24 hours a day
Leave it where it is. We will come and get it.
Roadside, driveway, car park or garage forecourt. Cars, vans, taxis and motorcycles, recovered anywhere in the UK.
0121 516 6441Answered day and night, including weekends.
Or answer four quick questions and we will ring youHow to tell if it is genuinely undriveable
Some of it is obvious. A wheel pointing the wrong way, fluid on the road, a bonnet that will not shut, an airbag that has gone off. If any of that applies, it does not get driven.
The dangerous cases are the ones that look fine. Steering that pulls, a knocking noise on turns, a bumper rubbing a tyre, a headlight or indicator out, a cracked windscreen in your line of sight. All of those are either unsafe or an offence, and all of them are easy to talk yourself past when you just want to get home.
If you are asking the question, treat the answer as no. Recovery on a non-fault claim costs you nothing, and driving it can turn a straightforward claim into an argument about whether you made the damage worse.
What driving it anyway can cost you
The insurer blames you for the extra damage
If the damage worsens on the drive home, expect that part of it to be disputed.
A roadworthiness offence
Driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition is an offence in its own right, regardless of who caused the accident.
A second accident
Steering, brakes and suspension damage often only show up at speed or under load.
Your claim gets weaker
Driving away suggests the vehicle was usable, which can undermine a claim for a replacement vehicle.
It gets stolen overnight
A damaged car left on a street with a broken window rarely has its contents in the morning.
What happens when you call
Most calls take under ten minutes.
Tell us where you are
A road name, junction or postcode. We will ask whether anyone is hurt and whether the vehicle is in a dangerous position.
Recovery is arranged
The nearest available recovery vehicle. If you are in a live lane or blocking a road, immediately.
It goes somewhere secure
Not left at the roadside, and not into a pound racking up charges nobody agreed to.
You get a replacement
A vehicle of the same class as the one you lost, often the same day.
We deal with the insurer
Recovery, storage and hire are pursued against the at fault driver’s insurer. You chase nobody.
If anyone is injured or the vehicle is in a dangerous position, call 999 first. On a motorway, get everyone behind the barrier and well away from the carriageway before ringing anyone. We do not handle personal injury claims and receive no payment in connection with them.
Not safe to drive?
Call us and we will get it recovered today. Nothing to pay on a non-fault claim.
Common questions
If you are unsure, do not. Steering, suspension and brake damage often only show at speed, and driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition is an offence in itself. Recovery costs you nothing on a non-fault claim, so there is no reason to take the risk.
On a non-fault claim, nothing. The charges are recovered from the at fault driver’s insurer. If the accident was your fault and you hold a comprehensive policy, recovery and storage are met under your own insurance. Otherwise we will tell you the charges before anything is arranged.
It depends where you are, but roadside and scene recovery is normally arranged straight away and often within a couple of hours. Say if you are in a dangerous position and it is treated as urgent.
To a secure storage site, or straight to a repairer if repairs have already been agreed. Not left on a street and not into a police pound.
On a non-fault claim, yes. Like for like, matched to what you were driving, and often available the same day. See our page on credit hire replacement vehicles.
No. Plenty of vehicles are driven home before anyone realises how bad the damage is. Call us and we will collect it from there.