Taxi and Private Hire Drivers: Claiming Loss of Earnings
Off the road means off the clock. A PHV driver without a vehicle is losing money every single day - and that loss is claimable if it is evidenced properly.
Yes - as a licensed driver you can claim loss of earnings for time off the road, alongside a licensed replacement vehicle so you can keep working.
The whole thing turns on evidence. Drivers who keep records recover properly; drivers who estimate afterwards usually do not.
Why these claims get challenged
Insurers scrutinise taxi and private hire claims more closely than most, for two reasons: hire rates for licensed vehicles are higher, and loss of earnings is easy to assert and harder to prove.
That is not a reason to accept less. It is a reason to build the claim properly from day one.
What you should be claiming
Licensed replacement vehicle
Plated and insured for private hire, so you can actually work.
Loss of earnings
For every day you were genuinely off the road.
Vehicle damage
Repair, or pre-accident value where it is written off.
Recovery and storage
Getting the vehicle away and stored securely.
Fixed costs still running
Rent, insurance and licence fees that continued while you could not earn.
Injury
Where you were hurt, alongside the earnings loss it caused.
The evidence that decides it
Loss of earnings is proved with documents, not statements. Gather these now:
Your earnings history
Operator statements, app summaries, bank statements or accounts covering the twelve weeks before the accident. This sets your daily average.
Proof you were off the road
Dates the vehicle was unavailable, garage records, and your operator confirming you were not working.
Your licences
Driver badge, vehicle licence and plate. These establish you were lawfully working and what class of vehicle you need.
Losing money every day you are off the road?
We arrange licensed replacements quickly, because for you the delay is the loss.
Get a licensed replacement, not a standard hire car. An unplated vehicle cannot lawfully be used for private hire work - so it does not solve your problem, and it weakens the loss of earnings claim it was supposed to prevent.
Common questions
Often the same day, depending on your licensing authority and the vehicle class. Call as early as you can - plating requirements vary by council and that is what dictates the timescale.
Your in-app earnings summaries are exactly the evidence needed. Download them before they age out of the app.
Usually from an average over a representative period before the accident, commonly around twelve weeks, adjusted for anything seasonal.
Yes. Rent that continued while you could not work is a recoverable loss, and you can still claim your earnings.
It affects what vehicle can be supplied and how quickly. Tell us your licensing authority on the first call so we get it right first time.
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.