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Vehicle class · Private Hire Vehicles
Private Hire Vehicle Accident Claims | UK-Wide Non-Fault Support
Private hire drivers operating on apps and pre-booked work need their vehicle on the road. Non-fault accident support for PHVs must be quick, properly licensed and respect operator and council requirements.
- Private Hire Vehicles recovery, UK-wide
- Like-for-like replacement vehicle
- Independent engineer report
- Direct insurer dialogue
24/7
Dispatch
£0
Upfront
5
PHV scenarios covered
24/7
UK response
Recovery dispatch and live claim handlers, 365 days a year.
Response
<60m
First contact SLA
Cost
£0
Upfront to driver
Do you handle PHV accident claims?
Yes - we coordinate non-fault PHV accident claims across the UK. Private hire drivers operating on apps and pre-booked work need their vehicle on the road. Non-fault accident support for PHVs must be quick, properly licensed and respect operator and council requirements. Replacement PHV: where eligible, a private hire replacement vehicle (correctly licensed and insured for hire and reward) may be available..
Ranking factors
What makes a PHV accident claim stronger
These ranking factors explain how we assess a phv file before recovery, repair, replacement vehicle and insurer dialogue are lined up.
Vehicle use and urgency
A PHV file is stronger when the driver's work, mobility, family or business need is recorded before replacement-vehicle costs begin.
need to hire
Like-for-like class
Where eligible, a private hire replacement vehicle (correctly licensed and insured for hire and reward) may be available.
vehicle match
Collision pattern
Rear-end shunts during long shifts and Junction and roundabout collisions shape the first liability questions, so the handler records how the impact happened before insurer contact.
impact evidence
Evidence completeness
The best PHV claims include damage photos, internal app screenshots showing booked jobs, operator booking records, council licence details and a written sequence from the driver.
file proof
Repair or total loss route
Independent engineer notes, repair viability, pre-accident value and salvage category all need to be settled before the file is negotiated.
valuation
Challenge risk
Insurers often challenge hire duration, storage, rate and necessity. The page and the file answer those points early so the claim stays defensible.
insurer scrutiny
Private Hire Vehicles on UK roads
What we see most often on PHV files
Private hire drivers operating on apps and pre-booked work need their vehicle on the road. Non-fault accident support for PHVs must be quick, properly licensed and respect operator and council requirements.
"For private hire vehicles, rear-end shunts during long shifts is the file we open most often. Get the photos and witness details inside the first ten minutes and the rest of the claim runs to a predictable timetable."- handler note for private hire vehicles
Common collisions
Private Hire Vehicle accident situations we handle
Different vehicle classes attract different collision types. The list below is the concentration of PHV files we actually see - not a generic catch-all.
Rear-end shunts during long shifts
Junction and roundabout collisions
Impact at airport drop-offs and pick-ups
Damage from passengers exiting into traffic
Operator app downtime affecting earnings
Evidence checklist
What helps a PHV claim land cleanly
The first 72 hours decide the evidential record. Council and TfL CCTV is retained for only 14 to 31 days. The list below is what we ask PHV drivers to gather as soon as it is safe to do so.
- Damage photos, internal app screenshots showing booked jobs
- Operator booking records
- Council licence details
- Income statements from apps
- Third-party insurance details
Vehicle-specific claim notes
Private Hire Vehicle in detail
Council licensing variation across England, Wales and Scotland
Unlike Hackney carriages, private hire vehicles are licensed by individual local authorities and the standards vary enormously. Wolverhampton famously issues PHV licences to drivers living and working anywhere in England under a national grandfathering arrangement, while authorities like Brighton & Hove, Manchester and Sheffield enforce stricter local conditions including vehicle age limits, livery requirements and CCTV. London PHVs are licensed by TfL under the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 and carry a distinct rear plate. After a non-fault collision we always confirm the licensing authority, the plate number and the expiry date, because the replacement vehicle must hold a current PHV licence from the same authority or it cannot be used to fulfil bookings. Where the licensing authority enforces age limits (commonly five or seven years for a non-Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle), an older replacement may not qualify and the operational shortlist narrows.
Hire and reward insurance and the day-rate cost of a wrong policy
Private hire is hire and reward (H&R) - the passenger pays for transport - and the insurance must reflect that class. Standard SD&P or social-and-commuting policies provide no cover for H&R use and the policy is treated as never having responded for that risk. Specialist PHV insurance is written by ULR Insurance, Aviva (through specialist brokers), Acorn, Insure My Cab, Bluedrop and a handful of others, often on either Any Driver or Named Driver terms, with public liability of £5-10 million. The Excess on H&R cover is typically £400-750, higher than standard car insurance, and renewal pricing moves on claim frequency more aggressively. After a non-fault claim we make a point of confirming with the insurer in writing that the recovered claim should not affect the next renewal's H&R loading, because PHV underwriters apply non-fault loading more readily than private car insurers.
PHV
03
Section 3 of the walkthrough.
Operator app status - Uber, Bolt, Addison Lee and the suspension risk
App-based operators routinely suspend drivers from the platform on receipt of an accident notification, pending receipt of a satisfactory engineer's report and confirmation of valid insurance. Suspension is rarely the operator being difficult - it is the operator protecting itself under the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998 and equivalent regional Acts, which place operators under a duty to ensure that vehicles dispatched on bookings are roadworthy and properly insured. We assist drivers with the engineer's report needed to lift suspension, and where the suspension extends beyond the realistic repair time we document the additional lost-earnings period as part of the claim. Uber typically requires PCO logbook update plus an engineer's letter; Bolt accepts a one-page repair completion confirmation; Addison Lee runs its own engineer inspection in-house at its London depots.
Loss of earnings - app data, weekly statements and the seasonal adjustment
PHV drivers can usually evidence earnings precisely from app statements: Uber's weekly earnings PDF, Bolt's earnings export, Free Now's payment summary. We ask for the 13 weeks immediately before the collision as the baseline, broken down by gross fare, app commission, surge bonuses and tips. From the gross we deduct estimated fuel, the proportionate vehicle rental or finance cost, insurance and the standard 70-75% running cost ratio that HMRC and the courts accept for self-employed driver work. The net daily loss is then applied to the off-road period, with seasonal adjustment where the off-road period includes a typically slow week (early January) or an unusually busy one (the December run-up). Where the driver works across multiple platforms, we sum the statements rather than relying on any single platform's data, because cross-platform earnings are common and a single-platform calculation underclaims.
Booking records, dispatch logs and the proof that you were working
A PHV is only insured for H&R use while actually engaged on or returning from a booked job dispatched through a licensed operator. A driver running personal errands in their PHV is on Social, Domestic and Pleasure use only, and many policies include a clause confirming this. After a non-fault collision the third-party insurer will request the operator dispatch log for the relevant period to confirm that a booking was in progress or imminent. We obtain this from the operator within seven days - most operators retain dispatch logs for 12 months minimum, longer under TfL conditions in London - and submit it with the letter of claim. Where the driver was on their way home after the last drop, the case for H&R use continues to apply until they reach base; where the driver had finished their shift and gone shopping, we treat the journey purpose as private and the insurance class on the certificate at that moment determines the response.
06PHVKey takeaway
Related: UK minicab claims hub
Private hire readers should treat /minicab-accident-claims as the UK national hub for minicab and PHV non-fault claim handling, with driver-side material at /minicab-driver-accident-claims and passenger-side material at /minicab-passenger-accident-claim. Platform-specific cover and claim mechanics differ noticeably between operators, so the platform pages are kept separate: /uber-accident-claims covers the Uber dispatch log evidence route, suspension lift documentation and the partner-driver versus fleet-driver split; /bolt-accident-claims sets out Bolt's repair completion confirmation flow and weekly earnings export for loss-of-income; and /addison-lee-accident-claims addresses the Addison Lee in-house engineer inspection at its London depots and the licensed account-work specifics. All PHV cover is written on Hire and Reward terms with public liability typically at five to ten million pounds, and the driver should confirm the H&R class on the certificate matches the journey purpose at the moment of impact. Citygrip Claims is a UK accident claim management business, with any regulated work (legal advice, injury claims) introduced to an authorised partner on the customer's explicit consent.
File quality
The PHV evidence pack we build before the insurer reviews liability
A PHV claim is easier to defend when the file explains the accident, the vehicle use and the replacement need in one place. We build that record before the at-fault insurer reviews hire, repair or storage charges, because late evidence is easier for an insurer to challenge.
The core pack starts with registration, mileage, MOT position, policy use, damage photographs, scene photographs, third-party details, witness contacts and any dashcam or CCTV source. For private hire vehicles, we also record the collision situations most likely to be disputed on this vehicle class: rear-end shunts during long shifts; junction and roundabout collisions; impact at airport drop-offs and pick-ups. That lets the handler ask for the right evidence on day one instead of discovering the gap after the insurer has already raised a liability query.
The replacement-vehicle note is kept separate from the repair note. It records why the customer needs a replacement PHV, what journeys would otherwise be interrupted, whether a smaller or different vehicle would be unsuitable, and whether any business, licensing, mobility, payload, seating, transmission or emission-zone requirement applies. That note matters because the legal test is reasonable need and mitigation, not convenience. A like-for-like vehicle has to be justified by the actual use of the off-road vehicle.
The repair note records the bodyshop route, engineer inspection, parts position and any specialist requirement before authorisation. For this class we specifically check: damage photos, internal app screenshots showing booked jobs; operator booking records; council licence details; income statements from apps. Where the vehicle is written off, the pack changes to pre-accident value, retail comparables, salvage category, settlement timing and the reasonable period needed to replace the vehicle. Keeping those workstreams separate makes the claim clearer for the insurer and easier for the customer to follow.
Service lines for private hire vehicles
What we coordinate for PHV drivers, end-to-end
Recovery →
24/7 dispatch suited to private hire vehicles.
Storage →
Daily-logged secure storage with photographic record.
Engineer inspection →
Independent engineer, retail repair scope.
Repair management →
PAS 125 / BSI compliant approved repairers.
Credit hire →
Like-for-like replacement PHV.
Insurer claims →
Direct dialogue with the at-fault insurer.
Uninsured / hit-and-run →
Routed via the Motor Insurers' Bureau.
Motorway recovery →
Police-protocol coordination on trunk routes.
Frequently asked questions
- What evidence helps a PHV accident claim?
- Damage photos, internal app screenshots showing booked jobs; Operator booking records; Council licence details; Income statements from apps. The first 72 hours are disproportionately important - council and TfL CCTV is typically retained for only 14 to 31 days, so we lodge disclosure requests within 72 hours of intake.
- Can I get a like-for-like replacement PHV?
- Where eligible, a private hire replacement vehicle (correctly licensed and insured for hire and reward) may be available. Where credit hire is appropriate (Lagden v O'Connor; Dimond v Lovell), the at-fault driver's insurer is responsible for placement.
- What is the most common PHV accident claim issue?
- For private hire vehicles, rear-end shunts during long shifts accounts for a meaningful share of file openings. The handling playbook is adapted to the most common collision type for this vehicle class.
- Will my insurer be involved in a non-fault PHV claim?
- We notify your own insurer of the accident as a notification (most policies require this) but the schedule is pursued directly against the at-fault driver's insurer where liability is clear, so you do not pay the excess up front and you do not take the no-claims-discount hit.
- Do you handle injury claims for private hire vehicles?
- Not directly. Personal injury enquiries are referred only with your separate written consent (UK GDPR Article 7) to authorised legal partners. Our part of the work is non-fault accident management - recovery, storage, engineering, repair, replacement vehicle and insurer dialogue for the property-damage schedule.
Liability for any road traffic collision remains subject to the at-fault driver's insurer's assessment and the available evidence. Replacement PHV, credit hire, recovery, storage and repair support are subject to eligibility, the evidential record and reasonable need. We do not provide legal advice. Personal injury enquiries are referred only with your separate written consent to authorised legal or regulated partners.
Talk to a real person
Ready to start a PHV accident claim?UK accident support, end-to-end.
The fastest way is to call. Or start the digital accident form and our team will pick it up. Available across England, Scotland & Wales.
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.
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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
45+UK cities
9vehicle types
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Tip: submit the accident form first - our team will call back with a reference and next steps.