I Was Driving Someone Else’s Car. What Now?
The car is not yours but the accident was not your fault. Here is who claims for what.
The owner claims for the vehicle, because it is theirs. You claim for yourself - injury, your own property, and any losses you personally suffered.
The two claims run alongside each other without conflict, and both are made against the driver who caused it.
Were you insured to drive it?
This is the first thing to establish. You needed cover in your own right - as a named driver on their policy, through your own policy’s driving-other-cars extension, or under a temporary policy.
Driving-other-cars cover is usually third party only, and it is far less common on modern policies than people assume. Check rather than hoping.
Who claims what
The owner
Vehicle damage, repair or write-off value, and their excess.
You
Injury, personal property damaged, and any earnings you lost.
Passengers
Their own injury claims, made individually.
A replacement vehicle
Normally the owner’s claim, though you may need one too.
Not sure who claims what?
Tell us the arrangement and we will explain it plainly.
If it turns out you were not insured to drive it, that is a serious matter and you should get proper advice quickly. It can affect the claim and carries consequences beyond it.
Common questions
Yes. Your injury claim is entirely yours, and independent of who owns the vehicle.
Generally yes, as the registered keeper. We can deal with both of you together to keep it simple.
Not on a genuine non-fault claim handled against the other driver, since their own insurer pays nothing.
An extension on some policies letting you drive another vehicle with the owner’s permission, usually third party only. It is less common than people think, so check your policy.
The owner normally claims that. If you also need one and can evidence why, tell us and we will look at it.
Terms and conditions apply to all services described on this page. Free recovery, storage and replacement vehicles are provided on the basis that the charges are recovered from the at-fault party’s insurer. We will explain the terms in plain English before anything is arranged.
Before we act for you we are required to verify your identity and to carry out fraud and anti-money laundering checks. This may include checks with credit reference and fraud prevention agencies, which will leave a record on your file.
Where fraud is suspected, information may be shared with fraud prevention agencies, insurers and law enforcement. Providing false or misleading information in support of a claim may mean your claim is refused, and can be a criminal offence.