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Uninsured Loss Recovery - Getting Back What Your Policy Doesn’t Cover
Your comprehensive cover might repair the car. It will not refund your excess, replace the two days’ wages you lost sitting at a garage, or pay for the child seat that has to be scrapped because it was in the vehicle at the time. If someone else caused the accident, those costs are theirs to meet — and we recover them.
Looking for what happens when the other driver had no insurance at all? That is a different situation — see uninsured driver claims.
Like-for-like replacement vehicle
No impact on your No Claims Bonus
No car insurance excess to pay
Manufacturer approved repair network
Dedicated claims handler & live updates
- Your policy excess — often the single largest item, and the one people most often assume they simply have to swallow
- Loss of earnings — time off work for the accident itself, for medical appointments, or while unable to travel
- Travel costs — taxis, public transport, fuel for a longer route while you were without your car
- Damaged property carried in the vehicle — child car seats (which should be replaced after most collisions regardless of visible damage), phones, laptops, tools, spectacles, clothing
- Vehicle recovery and storage charges
- Loss of use — where you were without a vehicle and did not take a hire car
- Diminution in value — the reduction in your car's resale value because it now has a recorded repair history, which can be significant on newer and higher-value vehicles
- Medical and treatment costs not covered elsewhere, including prescriptions and physiotherapy
An uninsured loss is any financial loss caused by the accident that your own insurance policy does not reimburse. Where another driver was at fault, these are recoverable from them.
Commonly recovered items include:
What Counts as an Uninsured Loss?
Some do — many policies include a legal expenses add-on precisely for this, and if you have one it is worth using.
But your insurer’s core job is to indemnify you under the policy you bought. Losses outside the policy are outside their remit unless you have specifically paid for that cover. And even where an insurer does pursue recovery, their priority is recouping their own outlay first; your excess and your lost wages are not what their file is measured on.
We come at it from the opposite direction. Your uninsured losses are the whole point of the exercise, not an afterthought at the bottom of someone else’s file.
Why Doesn’t My Insurer Recover These For Me?
What Counts as an Uninsured Loss?
Evidence, kept from the start. Nothing exotic — just proof that the cost was real and that it flowed from the accident.
The practical advice is simply this: keep everything, from the day of the accident, in one place. Photograph receipts as you get them. People routinely lose a genuine, recoverable few hundred pounds because a receipt went through the wash.
Is There a Time Limit on Recovering Uninsured Losses?
Yes. The general limitation period for claims of this kind in England and Wales is three years from the date of the accident. There are exceptions — claims involving children run differently, as do claims involving someone who lacks capacity, and claims against untraced drivers have their own shorter notification requirements.
Three years sounds generous. In practice, evidence decays long before the deadline does: employers change payroll systems, witnesses move, and receipts vanish. The claims that go smoothly are the ones started early.
Talk to us today
Call us now — our team is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you've been in an accident that wasn't your fault, we can help.
0800 820 3860
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Frequently Asked Questions
Still unsure? Here are the questions we're asked most often.
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Yes — a policy excess you have paid is a recoverable loss where another party was at fault. It is one of the most commonly overlooked items.
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You may still recover a proportion. Where fault is shared, damages are typically reduced to reflect your share rather than refused outright. What that proportion is depends entirely on the facts.
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No — injury is a separate head of claim and is handled by the solicitors at NJS Law. The two often run together. See personal injury claims.
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We work on a no win, no fee basis for uninsured loss recovery. The specific terms are set out in the agreement you sign, and we go through them with you before you commit.
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It is the drop in your car’s market value caused by having a recorded accident repair. It is a recognised head of loss, but it needs proper evidence and it is more likely to be worth pursuing on newer or higher-value vehicles.
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Possibly, and it depends what you signed. Settlements are often drafted in full and final terms covering everything arising from the accident. Send us what you signed and we will tell you honestly where you stand.