London PCO accident claim — how it actually works in 2026

12 May 2026Easy Car Claims Team8 min read

**Bottom line:** for a London PCO driver involved in a non-fault accident, an accident management firm handles **everything except actually winning compensation in court**: recovery, replacement vehicle, repairs, claim documentation, and referral to a solicitor for any injury element. You pay £0 because the at-fault driver's insurer foots the bill. This guide walks through how the model actually works, what each party does, and what to watch for.

What an accident management firm actually is

An **accident management company (AMC)** sits between you and the insurance industry after a non-fault accident. The role exists because:

After a non-fault accident you have a legal right (under common law and the Civil Procedure Rules) to be put back in the position you'd have been in had the accident not happened - But insurers don't make this easy — by default they'll offer the bare minimum, slowly - An AMC organises everything that you're entitled to: a like-for-like replacement vehicle from day one, proper repairs, recovery, storage, loss-of-earnings claim, and a referral to a solicitor for any PI element

The AMC carries the cost (replacement vehicle, repair, storage) under **credit-hire and credit-repair agreements** and recovers everything from the at-fault driver's insurer at the end of the claim. Legally established since Dimond v Lovell (2002) and subsequent case law.

We are an accident management firm. We are **not solicitors** — for any personal injury or contested liability matter we refer you to a specialist solicitor on our referral panel, who handles the legal side independently.

How a typical London PCO non-fault claim flows

#Day 0 — accident You ring our 24/7 line. We open a claim file, ask a few questions (other driver's details, photos, your reg, location), and dispatch: - Recovery vehicle (within 90 min in London) if your car isn't drivable - TfL-licensed replacement vehicle (within 24 hr, often same day) so you keep working

#Day 1–3 — assessment + repair authorisation We arrange an engineer's inspection of your vehicle. They either: - Authorise repair (most common) — usually at our in-house bodyshop, sometimes at a partner - Declare the vehicle a total loss (write-off) — we negotiate pre-accident value (PAV) with the third-party insurer

We notify the third party's insurer of the claim and confirm liability is accepted. Most cases this happens within a few days; contested cases take weeks.

#Day 1–4 — claim file built Our team gathers and packages: - Photos, witness statements, police reference, accident location data - Your driver details, licence, NI number, address proof - Vehicle details, MOT history, ULEZ status (via [DVLA + DVSA APIs](/about)) - Where applicable: keeper verification of the third party's vehicle - The complete claim pack ready for any solicitor referral

#Day 4–20 — repair or replacement Your vehicle is repaired at our in-house bodyshop (genuine OEM parts, photographic progress logging) or replaced at PAV if written off. You keep using the TfL-compliant credit hire vehicle throughout.

#Day 20–60 — settlement Once your vehicle is back (or you've sourced a replacement after write-off), we close out the hire and prepare the final claim against the third-party insurer. Recovery typically takes 4–12 weeks depending on complexity.

#Personal injury (parallel track, weeks to months) If you were injured — even mild whiplash — we refer the PI element to a specialist solicitor on our panel. They handle it under the OIC portal (under £5,000) or the standard litigation pathway (above £5,000). Settlements usually take 3–12 months. You pay nothing upfront; they take a fee from the settlement (typically up to 25% under the standard CFA model).

What the at-fault insurer pays for (your "£0 cost")

For a textbook non-fault claim, the third party's insurer pays:

The credit hire (your replacement vehicle) - The repair (or pre-accident value if write-off) - Your loss of earnings while off the road - Personal injury damages (via the solicitor) - Recovery and storage - Medical costs receipted (physio, prescriptions) - Damaged personal items inside the vehicle

That's why the "£0 to you" model works — every cost the AMC fronts is recovered from the at-fault insurer at the end. The insurer pays because that's the legal obligation under the principle of indemnity (you're entitled to be restored to your pre-accident position; they pay because their driver caused the loss).

**Important caveat for at-fault claims**: this model only works for non-fault claims. If you're at fault, the cost of any replacement vehicle and repair comes from your own insurance (subject to policy excess) or out of your pocket. We help with at-fault claims but the cost model is different — we'll be upfront about who's paying for what before incurring any cost on your behalf.

What an AMC does NOT do

**Provide legal advice.** We're not solicitors. We refer the legal element to a specialist. - **Conduct litigation.** Going to court is the solicitor's job, not ours. - **Decide liability.** Liability is determined by insurers (or the courts if disputed). We package evidence; they decide. - **Sell insurance.** We're not an insurance broker. Decisions about your own policy stay between you and your insurer. - **Guarantee outcomes.** We can't promise you'll recover X amount. The legal framework determines what's recoverable; we get you what you're entitled to.

Why use us specifically (vs going direct or another AMC)

Honest answer: there are several reputable London PCO-focused AMCs. What we think we do better:

**In-house bodyshop** — most AMCs subcontract repair. We own ours. Faster turnaround, no third-party mark-ups. - **24/7 line that picks up in 2 minutes** — not an answering service routing to a callback the next day. - **TfL-licensed replacement fleet** — generic credit-hire firms often don't have these. We do. - **Same-day vehicle replacement** in London, 24h UK-wide. - **Verification-led claim packs** — we run DVLA + DVSA checks on every claim before sending to solicitor. Better claim quality, faster settlement.

What's the catch?

The honest catch: credit hire and credit repair only work when liability is genuinely on the other side. If it's contested or partial, costs can fall back to you in some scenarios. We're upfront about this from day one — see our [Terms](/terms) for the full detail on credit hire mechanics, cancellation rights, and complaints procedure.

The other thing to know: **we may receive a referral fee from the panel solicitor** if your case has a personal-injury element. This fee is paid by the solicitor (not you) and doesn't affect your compensation or cost. We disclose this on our [Terms](/terms) page and on the [personal injury page](/personal-injury) — it's the standard model in the UK accident management industry.

What to do if you're considering us

If you've had an accident and you're researching firms: call **0208 090 8872** for a free chat with no obligation. We'll walk you through what we'd do for your specific case, what's recoverable, what's not, and what the realistic timeline looks like. No pressure to instruct us — if our model doesn't fit your situation, we'll tell you.

[Submit a claim online](/submit-claim) if you'd rather start in writing.

Have a question about your claim?

Our team is available anytime. Call us and a real handler will pick up in about 2 minutes.

0208 090 8872