Delivery Driver and Courier Accident Claims: Back on the Road and Earning
If another driver hits you while you're delivering, you can claim the repair or write-off value of your bike or van, the earnings you lose while it's off the road and a replacement vehicle while yours is out of action where you need one, all from the at-fault driver's insurer, plus a separate claim for any injury. National Accident Support Line handles the vehicle side and refers the injury to a specialist solicitor. The replacement comes through credit hire, with the charges claimed from the other side, and for a courier it has to be insured for the work you do.
For a moped rider on food delivery or a van driver on a parcel route, the vehicle is the job, and every day it sits in a recovery yard is a day with nothing coming in. Many courier policies are third party only, and the app's own cover doesn't touch your vehicle. None of that changes who should pay.
No excess to pay if the accident wasn't your fault. Fill in our form and we'll call you back within 2 minutes (Mon to Fri 9am to 6pm, Sat 10am to 1:30pm).
What you can claim when the vehicle is how you earn
The law in England and Wales aims to put you back where you would have been if the accident hadn't happened. For someone who delivers, that covers the repair of your bike or van, or its pre-accident value if it's written off; recovery and storage; damaged kit such as your helmet, jacket, gloves, phone mount, top box or insulated bag; the earnings you lost; and a replacement vehicle while yours is off the road, where you need one.
A replacement and lost earnings work together rather than stacking up. A vehicle you can work in keeps your income going, so the earnings claim covers the days before it arrives and any time you were too injured to work. The condition for all of it is fault: these costs sit with the other driver's insurer only where the other driver caused the accident.
What National Accident Support Line does on a delivery driver accident claim
We check first that the accident wasn't your fault and what you need to keep working. Then we deal with the vehicle: recovery from the scene or the storage yard, the repair arranged or the write-off value pursued, and the charges recovered from the at-fault insurer.
Where a replacement bike or van suitable for your work is available, we arrange it through credit hire. For a delivery rider, suitable means a bike you're licensed to ride, with a top box if yours has one, insured for delivery work rather than just commuting. For a van driver, it means a van of a similar size, insured to carry goods for payment. We confirm on the call what's available for you and how it's insured, before you agree to anything. Riders can read what like-for-like means for a bike, and our page on non-fault motorbike and moped claims covers the rest.
If the other side disputes fault, our in-house recovery team argues it with their insurer on the evidence. If the accident was your fault, we tell you straight. And if you carry passengers rather than parcels, you need plated cars for private hire drivers instead.
Your insurance, the app's cover and the replacement: who covers what
| Cover | What it does | What it doesn't do |
|---|---|---|
| Your own food delivery or courier policy | The cover the law requires to deliver for payment. It pays other people if you cause an accident, and a comprehensive policy also covers your own vehicle | A third party only policy pays nothing for your own bike or van. Claiming on any policy can mean your excess and your no-claims discount |
| The app's own rider cover, where offered | Some apps give personal accident cover and limited earnings support after an accident on a delivery, and liability cover for harm you cause to others | It doesn't repair your vehicle, doesn't give you a replacement and doesn't stand in for the motor insurance you must hold |
| Insurance on the replacement | The hire company insures it, so your own policy isn't used | A replacement insured only for social use keeps you mobile, not earning |
App cover of this kind generally doesn't pay for the rider's own vehicle or kit, and it doesn't replace the vehicle insurance riders must hold. Terms vary between apps and change, so check the current version in yours. A payment from the app doesn't stop a claim against the driver who hit you, but tell us about it, because it can affect how the claim is set out.
Lost earnings: the evidence that counts
Self-employed couriers get no sick pay, and the earnings claim is worked out on what you actually earned, so the insurer will want proof. Start collecting it now:
- earnings statements from every app you work for, covering at least the three months before the accident (screenshots of the weekly summaries are fine to start with)
- bank statements showing the payouts arriving
- your last self-assessment tax return, if you've filed one
- for owner-drivers on a parcel route: invoices, your drop or route rate, and messages about the shifts you lost
- a note of each day you couldn't work, and why
The claim is for what you would have earned, less costs you didn't have while off the road, such as fuel. If you worked in the meantime, on a borrowed bike or at another job, tell us: it reduces the claim, and leaving it out causes problems later.
One argument is worth knowing about before it's raised. For a vehicle you earn with, the starting point in law is the profit you lose while it's off the road. A replacement is recoverable because it stops that loss, but if the hire costs far more than you would have earned, the at-fault insurer can argue your claim should be limited to the lost earnings. That's why we look at your earnings before a replacement goes out, and why you should tell us if you also need the vehicle for family or other use, or simply can't afford to stop working.
No excess to pay if the accident wasn't your fault. Fill in our form and we'll call you back within 2 minutes.
If you were hurt
The injury claim runs alongside the vehicle claim, against the same insurer. We refer it to a specialist solicitor who works on a no win no fee basis and explains the terms, including any success fee, before you agree to anything. Working through an app or being self-employed doesn't stop you claiming.
What you were on changes how the claim is handled. Moped and motorbike riders, like cyclists, count as vulnerable road users, so the 2021 whiplash tariff and the higher small claims limit for road traffic injuries don't apply to them. Van drivers are treated like car drivers, so a soft tissue injury to the neck, back or shoulder lasting up to two years is usually valued under the tariff. In England and Wales the time limit is usually three years from the accident. More on the injury side is on our page about injury claims for riders and drivers hurt on the road.
When credit hire isn't the answer
Credit hire only works when someone else's insurer is paying, and we'd rather say so now than after you've signed something.
- You caused the accident, or ran into the back of another vehicle: your own policy decides what you get, and on a third party only policy that's nothing for your bike or van.
- You hit a pothole: there's no other driver, so there's no credit hire. Any claim is against the council or highway authority responsible for the road, which can defend it by showing it inspected and repaired the road reasonably. Tell us what happened and we'll say whether the injury side is one we can refer.
- Fault is shared: what can be recovered is reduced and a replacement on credit is harder to justify, so we talk it through before anything goes out.
The situations delivery drivers and riders describe to us
"My courier policy is third party only, so I thought I couldn't claim for the bike"
Your own level of cover only matters when you were at fault. When another driver caused the accident, the repair or the write-off value comes from their insurer, whatever policy you hold.
"The other driver's insurer rang and offered me a scooter"
A bike you can't deliver on keeps you moving but not earning. You don't have to accept it, but don't ignore it either: turning down a suitable vehicle can reduce what's recovered for hire later, so tell us exactly what was offered.
"I rent my moped by the week"
Lots of food couriers do. The rental company owns the bike, so the claim for the bike itself is usually theirs, while your lost earnings and any injury are yours. Send us the rental agreement, because it often says what happens after an accident.
"The van belongs to the firm I drive for"
If it's your employer's van, the van and any replacement are usually their claim, and your injury and lost pay are yours. If you lease a van through the courier firm as an owner-driver, the lease will have its own accident terms. Send it over and we'll tell you where you stand.
How a courier accident claim works, and what to send
Tell us what happened by the form, WhatsApp or a call to 0333 212 2730, and web enquiries are called back within 2 minutes during opening hours. We confirm fault and what you need, sort out recovery, the repair or write-off and a replacement where one suitable for your work is available, and recover the costs from the at-fault insurer. If the crash has only just happened, our guide to what to do at the scene of a non-fault crash covers the first steps.
Have these ready: your driving licence, and your CBT certificate if you ride on one; your insurance certificate showing your delivery cover; the other driver's details; photos of the damage and the scene; any dashcam or helmet camera footage; witness details; and your earnings evidence.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make a delivery driver accident claim if I was hit mid-delivery?
Yes. Being at work doesn't change who pays. If another driver caused the accident, the claim for your vehicle, your lost earnings and any injury is made against their insurer. Tell the app or courier firm about the accident too, as most require it.
Will I get a replacement I can deliver in?
Where a bike or van suitable for your work, and insured for delivery use, is available, we arrange it through credit hire. We confirm what's available and how it's insured before you agree to anything.
Do I have to pay anything?
No excess to pay if the accident wasn't your fault, and the hire charges are claimed from the at-fault insurer. You sign a credit hire agreement, so read it and ask what you would owe if liability were disputed. Costs within your control can fall to you: fuel, fines, late return, and any excess on the hire vehicle if it's damaged.
I'm self-employed with no payslips. Can I still claim lost earnings?
Yes. App earnings statements, bank statements showing the payouts and your tax return do the same job. The more months you can show, the harder the figure is to argue with.
Does the app's insurance pay for my bike or van?
Generally not. App cover, where it exists, is for personal accident and harm to other people. Your own vehicle is claimed from the driver who hit you.
Will claiming affect my courier insurance?
The claim is made against the at-fault driver's insurer, so on a straightforward non-fault claim your no-claims discount isn't used. Tell your own insurer the accident happened anyway, because your policy will require it.
No excess to pay if the accident wasn't your fault. Fill in our form and we'll call you back within 2 minutes.
National Accident Support Line Ltd is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in respect of regulated claims management activities, registration number 829991.