Replacement Van After a Non-Fault Accident: Matched to the Work You Do
If another driver caused the accident, you can claim a replacement van that does the same job as yours from their insurer, for as long as your own van is off the road, along with the work you lose and any tools or stock damaged in the crash. National Accident Support Line arranges the van through vehicle hire on credit after a non-fault accident, so the hire charges are claimed from the at-fault side rather than paid by you as you go, and we pursue the repair or the write-off value with the same insurer.
For a plumber, an electrician, a builder or a gardener, the van is the stores, the workshop and the way to the job. A courtesy car from your own insurer won't take a ladder or a ride-on mower, and many are insured for social use only, so you couldn't work in one even if the tools fitted.
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 like-for-like means when the van is your workplace
The law in England and Wales aims to put you back where you would have been without the accident, and for a van that means a replacement that can do what yours did:
- size: small, medium or large panel van, with a similar wheelbase and roof height, so your kit still fits
- payload: a van that carries what yours carried, and one your licence covers (a standard car licence covers vans up to 3.5 tonnes; heavier ones need category C1, which drivers who passed their car test before 1 January 1997 usually have)
- body type: crew cab, dropside, tipper or Luton, if that's what you drive, plus a tow bar if you pull a trailer
- racking, ply lining and roof bars: tell us what's fitted to yours, and we'll say on the call what can be matched
Like-for-like doesn't mean an upgrade. A bigger van than you need can be challenged by the other insurer, and so can a hire you didn't need, so if there's a second van in the business you could reasonably use, say so. If your van is still safe to drive, the replacement is lined up for the days it's in for repair.
Couriers and parcel drivers carrying other people's goods for payment need different insurance, covered on our page for van drivers on parcel and courier work.
What National Accident Support Line does when your van is off the road
We check that the accident wasn't your fault and what the van does for your business. Then we deal with the vehicle: recovery from the scene or the storage yard, the repair managed through our network, or the write-off value pursued from the at-fault insurer (our guide on how write-off valuations are reached explains that side).
The replacement comes through credit hire, from a partner network of over 4,000 vehicles across 300-plus models, vans included. Before you agree to anything, we confirm what's available for you and how it's insured, and explain the agreement; our guide to what you're signing when you take a hire vehicle on credit has the detail. If the other side denies fault, our in-house recovery team argues it with their insurer on the evidence. If it was your fault, we'll say so and point you to your own insurer.
Courtesy van, replacement van cover or credit hire: what a tradesperson actually gets
| Courtesy vehicle from your own insurer | Replacement van add-on on your policy | Replacement van through credit hire | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Is it a van? | Often a small car, or a small van if one is free | A van, usually of a similar size where possible | A van matched to yours, where one is available |
| Can you work in it? | Often insured for social, domestic and pleasure use only | Depends on the add-on wording | We confirm how it's insured before it's delivered |
| How long? | The repair period only, and usually nothing if the van is written off or stolen | Commonly capped, often at 14 to 28 days | Until your van is repaired or the write-off is settled, as long as the hire stays reasonable |
| Who pays? | Your policy, with the claim on your record until costs are recovered | Your policy | The at-fault driver's insurer |
| Does fault matter? | No | No | Yes: the accident must be someone else's fault |
Check your schedule for the words "courtesy vehicle" or "replacement van", and for what use that vehicle is insured for. Our page on courtesy cover from your own insurer goes through the usual policy wording.
The other driver's insurer may also ring and offer you a van. You don't have to accept, but if it genuinely suits your work and you turn it down, the hire you take instead may not be recovered in full. Ask what van it is and what it's insured for, and tell us before you decide.
Lost work: what you can claim and what to keep
Time off the road can be claimed from the at-fault insurer. It's worked out on profit, not turnover: what you would have made on the jobs you lost, less what you saved by not doing them, such as materials and fuel. Earnings claims fail when the evidence is thin or doesn't add up, so start keeping it now:
- your diary or booking app, showing the jobs booked for the days the van was off the road
- texts and emails cancelling or moving jobs
- recent invoices showing your usual day rate or job prices, and some from the same weeks last year
- your last two or three tax returns, or your company accounts, and bank statements
- receipts for anything you paid to keep going, such as a van you hired yourself or a subcontractor
If you managed some work in the meantime, in a borrowed van or by subcontracting, put it in. It lowers the figure, but leaving it out is how a claim falls apart later.
One argument to expect: for a vehicle you earn with, lost profit is the starting point in law, and where hire costs run well above the profit the van saved, the courts usually limit the claim to that profit. That changes where there's a good reason for the van beyond the next few jobs: you also need it for family life, you'd lose regular customers or contracts without it, or you couldn't afford to stop working. Tell us which applies when you call.
No excess to pay if the accident wasn't your fault. Fill in our form and we'll call you back within 2 minutes.
Tools, stock and materials damaged in the crash
Anything in the van damaged in the accident is part of the loss the other driver caused: power tools, hand tools, test meters, stock and materials for the next job. Putting right the racking, lining and signwriting on the van itself belongs with the repair.
Tool receipts are rarely kept, so evidence is where people struggle. Before anything is cleared out, photograph every damaged item, with serial numbers where you can read them. Keep the damaged items until the insurer says they can go, and dig out card statements, online order histories and trade counter accounts. Expect an allowance for age and wear on older tools rather than new-for-old. Claiming on your own tools in transit cover usually means that policy's excess; claiming from the at-fault driver's insurer doesn't.
Insurance points to check on a working van
Your van policy says what the van is insured for. Social, domestic and pleasure use covers no work. Business use, often called carriage of own goods, covers your tools and materials and is what most tradespeople have. Hire and reward covers carrying other people's goods for payment. A courtesy vehicle under your policy is often insured for social use only, which is why it can leave you mobile but unable to work.
A credit hire van is insured by the hire company, not on your policy. Check your tools cover before you load it, as some tools in transit policies only cover the van named on the schedule. Tell your own insurer about the accident, because the policy will require it; on a straightforward non-fault claim, your no-claims discount isn't used. If your business is VAT-registered, tell us at the start, as the insurer will ask.
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. In England and Wales a soft tissue injury to the neck, back or shoulder lasting up to two years is usually valued under the 2021 whiplash tariff (which doesn't apply in Scotland), and the time limit is usually three years from the accident. More is on our page about claims for people hurt in a road collision.
When credit hire isn't the answer
- You caused the accident: your own policy decides what you get.
- The other driver didn't stop and can't be traced: there's no insurer to claim the hire from in the usual way. See what to do when the other driver didn't stop.
- Fault is shared: what can be recovered is reduced, so we talk it through before anything is delivered.
- You don't need one: another van in the business covers the work.
The situations tradespeople describe to us
"My insurer's courtesy car won't take my tools, and I'm not insured to work in it"
That's the courtesy cover doing what the policy says, not what your business needs. If another driver caused the accident, the van you've lost is their responsibility, so tell us what you drive and how you use it.
"Half my tools were smashed and I've got no receipts"
Most people haven't. Card statements, order histories and photos of the tools on past jobs all help, and so does an honest list of what was in the van that morning.
"The van's in my limited company's name"
Then the claim for the van, the hire and the lost profit is usually the company's, and any injury claim is yours. If the van is leased or on finance, the agreement says what happens after an accident, so send it over.
"I hired a van myself the next day to keep going"
If the choice and the price were reasonable, that cost is a loss you can claim, so keep the agreement and receipts. Tell us before you swap into another van, because two hires covering the same days cause trouble.
How it 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 the van does for you, sort out recovery and the repair or write-off, arrange a replacement where a suitable one is available, and recover the costs from the at-fault insurer.
Have these ready: your driving licence; your van insurance certificate; the V5C logbook, or the lease or finance agreement; the other driver's details; photos of the damage and the scene; any dashcam footage; witness details; your list of damaged tools; and your earnings evidence.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a replacement van if the accident wasn't my fault?
Yes, if another driver caused it and you need a van while yours is off the road. It's claimed from their insurer, so it doesn't depend on whether your own policy includes a courtesy vehicle.
Is a courtesy van the same as a replacement van?
No. A courtesy vehicle comes from your own insurer or its repairer, often a small car for the repair period only. A replacement van through credit hire is matched to yours and claimed from the at-fault side.
Will the replacement van have racking or my signwriting?
Tell us what's fitted and how you use the van, and we'll confirm on the call what can be matched. Repairing the racking and signwriting on your own van is part of the repair claim.
Can I claim for the work I lose while my van is off the road?
Yes. Lost profit is claimable from the at-fault insurer, worked out on what you would have earned less the costs you saved.
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'd owe if liability were disputed. Fuel, fines, late return and any excess on the hire van if it's damaged can fall to you.
Will claiming affect my van insurance?
On a straightforward non-fault claim against the other driver's insurer, your no-claims discount isn't used. You still have to tell your own insurer about the accident, and insurers ask about accidents at renewal.
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.