What should I do if I have a car accident in the UK? 24-hour time limit for calling the police and 5 steps for making a claim

On Friday night, the M25 came to a sudden stop and the car behind it rear-ended the car. The first thing the other person said when he rolled down the window was: "Don't pay for insurance. I'll give you cash privately."

This is one of the UK car crash scenes we get asked about the most backstage. Many Chinese friends were afraid of communicating in English, afraid of rising insurance premiums, and afraid of delaying their visas, so they chose to "privately file the case" on the spot. As a result, three months later, they received a personal injury claim letter from the other party's lawyer, but their own insurance company said: You did not notify us in time, and we do not recognize the case.

Today I will explain the legal points of car insurance and accident claims in the UK thoroughly, so as to save you the confusion when something happens.

Will UK car insurance premiums drop in 2026? Look at the numbers first

The British government established the Motor Insurance Taskforce in October 2024, and the final report was released in December 2025. The report quoted ABI (Association of British Insurers) data: the national average car insurance premium fell from £607 in the third quarter of 2024 to £551 in the third quarter of 2025, a drop of approximately £56 in one year.

The government has made it clear that it will not directly intervene in insurance pricing, and has rejected plans such as social low-price insurance policies, vouchers, and government reinsurance. What is really moving forward is the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) investigation conclusion on "premium finance", which is expected to be announced in 2026 - many people's monthly payment is much higher than the annual payment, and this area may change.

💡 Let’s be realistic: It is unlikely that insurance premiums will be significantly reduced. What you can control is not to make yourself an "invalid policy" after an accident.

What the law requires you to do in the 24 hours after a car accident in the UK

According to Section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, as long as the accident causes injury to others, or damages other people's cars, property or even animals, you have three legal obligations:

1. Parking is required. Hit and run (failing to stop) is a criminal offense, not a civil dispute.

2. You must provide your name, address and license plate number to anyone who has reasonable grounds to ask for it (the other driver, car owner, property owner).

3. If information cannot be exchanged on the spot, the crime must be reported to the police as soon as possible, and in any case it shall not exceed 24 hours. Please note that the wording is "reasonably practicable (the fastest possible time)" - not "you have 24 hours to think about it". Report the incident the night it happened and don't wait until the next day after get off work.

There is also an obligation that is not legal but written in almost all insurance policies: notify your insurance company of , even if you have no intention of claiming . Failure to report the accident may result in the insurance policy being deemed invalid.

What should be photographed on set? License plates, damaged locations of both parties’ vehicles, intersections and road signs, skid marks on the ground, the other party’s insurance certificate, and phone numbers of witnesses. If you have a driving recorder, save a copy of the video on the spot - many machines will overwrite it in a loop.

How to make a car accident claim in the UK? Injury to people and damage to property are two different paths

Many people don’t know that traffic accident claims in the UK have been split into two systems.

Personal injury (low value) : Go to the Official Injury Claim official online portal, which will be launched on May 31, 2021. Car accident injuries with a claim amount of less than £5,000 are basically handled here. You can apply by yourself without hiring a lawyer.

Whiplash of the neck (whiplash) : It is not up to you and the insurance company to negotiate the compensation, but according to the legal fixed amount table. In accordance with the Civil Liability Act 2018 and Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021, the new schedule will apply to accidents occurring from May 31, 2025 (an overall increase of approximately 15%). If the injury lasts for less than 3 months, it will cost about £290, and for 18 to 24 months, it will be in the range of £2,690–£3,910. It took more than two years for the injury to come off the fixed schedule.

Vehicle and property damage : Ordinary civil procedure, small claims track up to £10,000.

The statute of limitations is very critical: 3 years for personal injury claims , and 6 years for property damage claims, starting from the day of the accident. For minors, the three years are counted from their 18th birthday.

If the other driver secretly promises to compensate you for repairing your car but pretends to be dead afterwards, don't rush to court. According to the CPR pre-litigation procedure, a formal Letter Before Action is first issued. Many people pay the letter as soon as they receive the letter on the law firm's letterhead; one can be drafted for £5 on justiscript.com.

Two pitfalls that are most likely to fail in British car insurance (mostly common among Chinese)

Pitfall 1 of : fronting (insurance in name). The car driven by young people is insured in the name of their parents or spouse as the main driver, and they are named driver. In the UK this falls under "Fraud by Misrepresentation" under the Fraud Act 2006. Once detected, the policy will be void ab initio - considered non-existent from beginning to end. The insurance company will still compensate the third party in accordance with the law, and then come back to recover the full amount from you. The records will also be retained in the CUE database for six years. In the future, the quote will directly double or no one will be willing to insure.

Pitfall 2: The driver’s license information is falsely declared. residents holding non-British driving licenses can, in principle, only use their original driving license for 12 months after becoming British residents. After that, they need to renew their license or take the British driving license test. When applying for insurance, incorrectly filling in the fields of "Length of License", "Type of Driver's License" and "Length of Residence" are one of the most common reasons for policy failure. The Chinese driver's license is currently not on the list of exchanges with the UK and requires a test.

Incidentally: the fixed penalty for driving without insurance is £300 plus 6 points, and you may face an unlimited fine and license suspension in court, and your vehicle may be seized or even destroyed by the police. Even if the car is not running, you can either keep it or file a SORN declaration to stop driving it.

The other party has no insurance or ran away? Don’t think there’s no way to claim compensation

At this time, call MIB (Motor Insurers' Bureau). It is funded by all insurance companies and operates two sets of agreements: Uninsured Drivers Agreement (the other party is identified but uninsured) and Untraced Drivers Agreement (hit and run, no one can be found).

Two points must be remembered: First, must call the police . When encountering an uninsured or fleeing driver, the police report number is a prerequisite for MIB acceptance; second, in a fleeing case, the reporting period for pure property losses is much shorter than the three years for personal injuries. There is no delay. The process must be followed immediately after discovery.

Three practical tips for British car owners

① Within 48 hours after the accident, save the "alarm number + screenshot of the email notifying the insurance company + photos of the scene" into the same cloud folder and name it with the date. You'll thank yourself when you use it three years from now.

② If you receive a call from a stranger after an accident saying "I will help you replace your scooter for free and you will be compensated in full", hang up first. The credit hire bill from this type of accident management company may end up being borne by you.

③ When renewing the policy, check your personal information item by item, especially your address, occupation, and driver’s license period - it will be too late if you only discover that you filled in the wrong information on the day of the accident. If you are not sure about the division of responsibilities or whether the insurance company is defaulting on the bill, you can spend £5 at justiscript.com to get a written reply from a licensed British lawyer within 24 hours, in both Chinese and English.

⚠️ This article is for reference only and does not constitute legal advice. Please consult a licensed attorney for specific cases; fees and rules are subject to the latest announcement of GOV.UK.

[Data source] GOV.UK: Vehicle insurance / Driving in Great Britain on a non-GB license; legislation.gov.uk: The Whiplash Injury (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/615); Motor Insurance Taskforce final report (December 2025).

💬 Have you been in a car accident in the UK? Did you take insurance at that time, or did you choose to go private? Did you regret it later? Let’s talk about the pitfalls you stepped on in the comment section, especially how much the premiums have increased.

If you find it useful, add this article to your collection, and then read it out and follow it on the day of the accident. It will be much faster than a temporary online search.

Dealing with a UK legal matter? JustiScript can help