The cost of a replacement vehicle is the worry we hear most, and it is a fair one. So here is the plain version, including the small print other companies tend to skip.
Will I have to pay for a credit hire replacement vehicle?
No. If you were not at fault, you pay nothing upfront. We provide a like-for-like vehicle and recover the charges from the insurer of the driver who caused the accident.
This is the whole point of credit hire. You should not be left out of pocket for an accident that was not your doing, and you should not have to dip into your own insurance to stay mobile. You can read the mechanics on our how credit hire works page.
Do I have to pay an excess or a deposit?
No. A non-fault credit hire claim does not ask you for an excess or a deposit before you get the vehicle. That is one of the main differences from claiming on your own policy.
If you went through your own insurer instead, you would usually pay your excess first and risk your no-claims discount, even though the accident was not your fault. Credit hire avoids both, because the claim runs against the at-fault party.
When could I end up liable for the hire charges?
In limited and honest circumstances. Credit hire works on the basis that you were genuinely not at fault, told the truth, cooperated with the claim, and only kept the vehicle as long as you reasonably needed it. Step outside those, and you could become liable.
In practice, you could be responsible for some or all of the charges if it turns out you were actually at fault, if you gave false or misleading information, if you did not cooperate with reasonable requests, or if you held on to the vehicle far longer than your own repair or replacement genuinely required. None of this is designed to catch you out. It is simply the basis on which the cost can be recovered from the other side, and we would rather you knew it from the start.
What happens if liability is disputed or split?
We keep managing your claim and keep you informed. If the other insurer disputes who was at fault, that does not automatically leave you with a bill, but it does change the picture, so we talk it through with you.
Where liability is genuinely contested or shared, we explain your position in plain terms before any risk arises, so you can decide how to proceed with your eyes open. You are never left guessing. Our common questions page covers the situations claimants ask about most.
What is credit hire, and how does no upfront cost actually work?
Credit hire means we provide your replacement vehicle on credit and recover the cost from the at-fault insurer, rather than asking you to pay and claim it back. You get the car now, the bill goes to the party responsible.
It exists because the law recognises that an innocent driver is entitled to a comparable vehicle while theirs is off the road. The term and a few related ones are explained in our credit hire glossary if you want the definitions.