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Accident management
Accident Management Company: What It Does and How to Choose
A UK accident management company handles the whole aftermath of a non-fault crash - recovery, storage, engineer inspection, repairs, a like-for-like replacement vehicle and the dialogue with the at-fault insurer - so you pay nothing up front and your own policy stays protected.
- 24/7 UK dispatch
- £0 upfront cost
- Independent engineer
- Like-for-like replacement
24/7
UK response
Recovery dispatch and live claim handlers, 365 days a year.
Response
<60m
First contact SLA
Cost
£0
Upfront to driver
What does an accident management company actually do, and is it the best option after a non-fault accident?
An accident management company coordinates the full recovery of a non-fault driver: 24/7 vehicle recovery, secure storage, an independent engineer's inspection, accredited repairs, a like-for-like replacement vehicle and direct correspondence with the at-fault driver's insurer. The reasonable costs are recovered from the at-fault insurer under the law of damages, so you pay no excess and carry no fault marker on your own policy. It is not the same as an FCA-regulated claims-management company and it is not a solicitor: personal-injury claims are referred, only with your written consent, to authorised partners. For most non-fault UK drivers it protects both the vehicle and the no-claims discount better than simply claiming through their own insurer.
The category, defined
What an accident management company is and what it does
An accident management company is the single point of contact that takes a non-fault driver from the roadside to a fully repaired car with every cost recovered from the party who caused the crash. It is a coordination and logistics service built around the law of damages, not an insurer and not a law firm.
When another driver hits you, you are suddenly responsible for decisions you never planned to make: who recovers the car, where it is stored, who inspects it, who repairs it, how you get to work in the meantime, and how you persuade a stranger’s insurer to pay for all of it. An accident management company absorbs that burden. It dispatches recovery from the scene, moves the vehicle into a managed repair process at an accredited bodyshop, commissions an independent engineer’s inspection to fix value and repair-or-write-off, arranges a like-for-like replacement vehicle where you genuinely need one, and writes directly to the at-fault driver’s insurer to recover the reasonable cost of every head of loss. The whole point is that on a clear non-fault claim you pay nothing up front: the charges are pursued against the insurer of the driver who was to blame, under the ordinary principle that a wrongdoer must put the innocent party back in the position they were in before the collision. That is the foundation of a non-fault car accident claim.
Crucially, an accident management company is defined as much by what it is not. It is not an insurer, so it does not underwrite risk or pay claims from a pool of premiums. It is not a solicitor and it does not give legal advice. And, where its work is limited to recovery, storage, repair, engineering, replacement vehicles and insurer correspondence, it is not a claims-management company within the meaning of the Financial Conduct Authority’s rules. Those distinctions matter, because they tell you exactly which consumer protections apply and where a reputable firm should hand you over to a regulated partner.
Why not just claim on your own policy?
You can always claim on your own comprehensive policy, and sometimes that is the right call - for example where fault is genuinely disputed and you want your insurer to fight it for you. But on a clear non-fault claim, going straight to your own insurer often costs you money and goodwill you did not need to spend.
The excess. Claim on your own policy and you usually pay your excess up front, frequently £250 to £750 once any voluntary excess is added. Your insurer then recovers from the at-fault side and refunds the excess later, often months afterwards. Claim directly against the at-fault insurer through an accident management company and there is no excess to pay in the first place.
The no-claims discount. Even on a non-fault accident, a claim logged on your own policy can sit as an open or fault-pending marker until your insurer recovers in full, which can dent your renewal premium and your no-claims discount in the meantime. Routing the claim to the at-fault insurer keeps your record clean. You should still notify your own insurer that the accident happened, because nearly every policy requires it, but notifying for information is not the same as making a fault claim.
The repairer and the hire car. Through your own insurer you are often steered to their approved network repairer and offered a small courtesy car. As the non-fault party you are entitled to a proper repair at a repairer of your choice and to a like-for-like replacement where you genuinely need one - not merely a city runabout when your own car is an estate or a van. An accident management company exists to secure that better outcome and to evidence it against the at-fault insurer. For a fuller breakdown of who pays each item, see who pays for what.
Accident management vs a claims-management company
The FCA perimeter - and why the label matters
“Accident management company” and “claims-management company” sound interchangeable. Legally they are not, and the difference changes which rules protect you.
Accident management
Outside the FCA claims perimeter
Arranging recovery, storage, repair, engineering and replacement vehicles, and corresponding with the at-fault insurer about vehicle damage and associated losses, are not regulated claims-management activities. A firm doing only that does not need FCA authorisation - though it must still meet consumer-protection law, data-protection law and ordinary contract standards.
Claims management
FCA-authorised, CMCOB rules apply
Seeking out, referring and pursuing certain claims - most relevantly personal-injury compensation - is a regulated claims-management activity. A CMC must be authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and follow the CMCOB conduct rules, which cover fee transparency, fair marketing and handling. Personal-injury work belongs here, or with an SRA-regulated solicitor.
CityGrip is an accident management business. We coordinate recovery, storage, repair, engineering, replacement vehicles and the dialogue with the at-fault insurer. We do not provide legal advice and we do not handle personal-injury claims ourselves. Where you have been hurt, we refer your injury claim - only with your explicit written consent - to an FCA-regulated claims-management company or an SRA-regulated solicitor who holds the right permissions. That referral route is set out plainly on our injury claim referral page. A firm that blurs this line, or claims to do everything in-house without the relevant authorisation, is one to avoid.
The end-to-end process
From the roadside to a repaired car, step by step
A good accident management company runs a defined sequence. Each stage builds the evidence the at-fault insurer needs before it will pay, which is why the order matters as much as the speed.
Step 01
Recovery and the scene file
If the car cannot be driven, 24/7 recovery moves it from the scene to a place of safety - on motorways and trunk roads at the statutory police-protocol rates under the National Recovery Standards, off-network at a reasonable commercial rate. In parallel you build the scene file: photographs of all vehicles, positions and plates, witness details, and a police reference where one applies. That first hour of evidence underpins everything that follows.
Step 02
Secure storage
The vehicle is held in a secure compound while it is inspected and liability is confirmed. Storage is daily-logged with in and out dates and a compound rate, because the at-fault insurer will only pay a reasonable, evidenced period. You carry a duty to mitigate, so storage cannot run on indefinitely once liability is accepted and collection is offered.
Step 03
Independent engineer’s inspection
An independent engineer - not the at-fault insurer’s own assessor - inspects the car and records the pre-accident market value, the salvage category if it is a total loss, the repair-versus-write-off decision and any pre-existing damage. This report is the single most important document in the property claim, and repairs should not begin before it is issued. If matters reach court, the engineer is an expert whose duty is to the court.
Step 04
Accredited repair
Where the car is repairable, it goes to a bodyshop working to the PAS 125 / BS 10125 repair standard, using correct methods and parts so the vehicle is genuinely returned to its pre-accident condition. You choose the repairer; you are not obliged to use the at-fault insurer’s nominated network. See repair management for how the workflow is coordinated and quality-checked.
Step 05
Like-for-like replacement vehicle
Where you need a car while yours is off the road and cannot reasonably fund a hire yourself, a like-for-like replacement is provided on credit hire and the charges are pursued against the at-fault insurer. The leading authorities are Lagden v O’Connor [2003] UKHL 64, which lets an impecunious claimant recover the full credit-hire rate, and Dimond v Lovell [2002] 1 AC 384 on the recoverable rate. Need, the hire period and the rate must each be evidenced on a contemporaneous file.
Step 06
Insurer dialogue and settlement
The company writes directly to the at-fault driver’s insurer, presents the evidenced heads of loss - vehicle value or repair, recovery, storage, engineering, hire and out-of-pocket costs - and negotiates settlement. Where you have been injured, that head is referred separately to an authorised solicitor or CMC with your consent. The full sequence is mapped on our UK accident claim process guide.
How to choose
What separates a good accident management company from a bad one
The market includes excellent operators and a fringe of claims farms. These are the tests that tell them apart before you sign anything.
Transparency on cost and fee
A reputable firm tells you in writing, before you instruct, that non-fault work carries no up-front cost and how any fee or referral arrangement works. Vague answers about money are a warning sign.
Genuinely no up-front charge
On a clear non-fault claim you should not be asked for your excess or a deposit. The costs are recovered from the at-fault insurer, not from you.
Independent engineering
Insist on an independent engineer’s inspection rather than relying on the at-fault insurer’s assessor. Independence protects your valuation and your repair-or-write-off decision.
Accreditations
Repairs should be carried out to the PAS 125 / BS 10125 standard. Ask which standard the bodyshop works to and whether the repair is guaranteed.
Honest scope and referrals
A good firm refers personal-injury claims to authorised solicitors or CMCs with your consent rather than pretending to handle regulated work itself. Beware anyone who claims to do everything.
A real complaints route
Check there is a clear, written complaints procedure. No promises of fabricated payouts, no star ratings invented to impress, no pressure to sign on the spot.
A straight-talking accident management company for UK non-fault drivers
CityGrip Accident Claims is a UK accident management business built around one job: getting non-fault drivers back on the road with nothing to pay up front and their own policy protected. We dispatch recovery around the clock, hold your vehicle in secure storage, commission an independent engineer, coordinate an accredited repair, arrange a like-for-like replacement where you need one, and deal directly with the at-fault driver’s insurer so you do not have to.
We are deliberately clear about what we are. We are not an insurer and we are not a solicitor. We are an accident management company, which means our work sits outside the FCA’s claims-management regulated perimeter. We do not give legal advice, and we do not run personal-injury claims in-house. If you have been injured, we refer that part of your claim - only with your explicit written consent - to an FCA-regulated claims-management company or an SRA-regulated solicitor with the right permissions. Any fee arrangement is disclosed in writing before you instruct, and there is no up-front cost on a genuine non-fault claim.
You can reach us 24/7 on 0330 043 3409, start your file through the online accident form, or get in touch and a real person will pick it up. From the first call to final settlement, you have one team and one reference number - and a process designed around the law that says the driver who caused your accident should pay for it.
Frequently asked questions
- What is an accident management company?
- An accident management company coordinates everything a non-fault driver needs after a crash that was not their fault: 24/7 recovery, secure storage, an independent engineer's inspection, repairs at an accredited bodyshop, a like-for-like replacement vehicle and direct correspondence with the at-fault driver's insurer. The reasonable costs are recovered from the at-fault insurer, so the non-fault driver pays nothing up front.
- Is an accident management company the same as a claims-management company?
- No. A claims-management company (CMC) is an FCA-regulated firm that handles claims activity such as personal-injury compensation and must follow the FCA's CMCOB rules. An accident management company that only arranges recovery, storage, repair, engineering and replacement vehicles, and corresponds with the at-fault insurer, operates outside that regulated perimeter. CityGrip is an accident management business, not a CMC or a solicitor; injury claims are referred to authorised partners with your written consent.
- Does an accident management company cost me anything?
- On a genuine non-fault claim there is no up-front cost to you. Recovery, storage, engineering, repair and like-for-like hire charges are recovered from the at-fault driver's insurer under the ordinary law of damages. You do not pay your policy excess, and using the service does not create a fault marker on your own policy. Any fee arrangement is disclosed in writing before you instruct.
- Will using an accident management company affect my no-claims discount?
- If you claim directly against the at-fault insurer through an accident management company rather than putting the claim through your own policy, there is typically no fault claim recorded against you, so your no-claims discount and renewal premium are protected. You should still tell your own insurer the accident happened, as most policies require notification, but notification for information is different from making a fault claim.
- Do I have to use the repairer or hire car my insurer offers?
- No. As the non-fault party you are generally entitled to have your vehicle repaired at a repairer of your choice and to a proper standard, and to a like-for-like replacement where you genuinely need one. You are not obliged to accept the at-fault insurer's nominated repairer or courtesy car. A good accident management company arranges PAS 125 / BS 10125 accredited repairs and a matched replacement vehicle.
- How does the replacement vehicle work and who pays for it?
- Where you need a car while yours is off the road and cannot reasonably fund a hire yourself, a like-for-like replacement is provided on credit hire and the charges are pursued against the at-fault insurer. The leading authorities are Lagden v O'Connor [2003] UKHL 64, which allows an impecunious claimant to recover the full credit-hire rate, and Dimond v Lovell [2002] 1 AC 384 on the recoverable rate. Need, the hire period and the rate must each be evidenced.
- What makes a good accident management company?
- Look for transparency on costs and any fee, genuinely no up-front charge on non-fault work, an independent engineer's inspection rather than the at-fault insurer's own assessor, accredited repairs (PAS 125 / BS 10125), a clear written complaints procedure, and honest scope: a firm that refers personal-injury work to authorised solicitors or CMCs with your consent rather than pretending to handle it in-house. Avoid anyone promising fabricated payouts or pressuring you to sign on the spot.
- What if the other driver was uninsured or untraced?
- You can still be helped. Where the at-fault driver is uninsured or cannot be traced, the claim is routed to the Motor Insurers' Bureau under the Uninsured Drivers' Agreement 2015 or the Untraced Drivers' Agreement 2017. Strict conditions apply, including reporting an untraced (hit-and-run) driver to the police within the time limit, so the scene file and prompt notification matter.
Talk to a real person
Speak to a UK accident management company that puts it in writingWe handle it end-to-end.
We manage your non-fault claim end to end - recovery, storage, engineer, repair and a like-for-like replacement vehicle - at no up-front cost. We are not a solicitor or an FCA-regulated claims-management company; personal injury claims are referred to authorised partners only with your consent.
Calls may be recorded for quality and compliance. We do not provide legal advice. Personal injury enquiries are referred only with your consent to authorised partners.
Visit our team
London office
124 City Road
London, EC1V 2NX
Coverage
- Phone & accident form24 / 7
- Recovery dispatch24 / 7
- Repair coordinationMon-Sat 8:00 - 18:00
- SundaysEmergency only
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Tip: submit the accident form first - our team will call back with a reference and next steps.