Does my car insurance include recovery?

Not usually. Comprehensive motor insurance covers damage and liability. Recovery is normally a separate breakdown policy or an added extra, so check the schedule rather than assuming.

Who pays if the other driver caused the accident?

Their insurer is generally liable for reasonable recovery costs. Arrange the recovery, keep the invoice, and submit it through your own insurer or solicitor.

Can I choose my own recovery firm after an accident?

Yes. You are under no obligation to use an operator who turns up without being called by you, your insurer or the police.

Who pays when the police remove a vehicle?

The registered keeper is normally billed for the removal and for daily storage at the pound, which is why collecting it quickly matters.

Will my insurer reimburse a recovery I paid for myself?

Where recovery falls within a valid claim, usually yes, provided you have an itemised invoice showing the vehicle, the date and both addresses.

Who Pays for Vehicle Recovery? Insurers, Police, You

Ordinary breakdown, you arranged it

If your car failed mechanically and you rang a recovery firm yourself, you pay, and that is the simplest version. Pay as you go means one price for one job, agreed before dispatch. Nothing renews and there is no policy to argue with afterwards.

You hold breakdown cover

Your provider pays, within the limits of your policy. The detail that catches people out is what those limits actually are: home start, national recovery and onward travel are often separate options rather than automatic. Check whether your cover follows the vehicle or the driver, because they behave very differently when you are in somebody else's car.

A non fault accident

Where another driver is at fault, their insurer is generally liable for the recovery cost along with the rest of your losses. Arrange recovery, keep the invoice, and pass it to your own insurer or solicitor. You are entitled to choose who recovers your car, and you are not obliged to use a firm that arrives uninvited at the scene.

A police instructed removal

If the police order a vehicle removed because it is obstructing the road, unroadworthy or involved in an incident, the removal goes to a contracted operator and the registered keeper is normally billed, along with storage for every day it sits in the pound. Those daily charges are why collecting quickly matters so much.

Company and lease vehicles

For a company car, the employer or the leasing company usually holds the recovery arrangement, and using your own provider can leave you paying for something already covered. Check the folder in the glovebox or ring the fleet contact before ringing anyone else.

Getting reimbursed

Whoever ends up paying, keep a proper invoice with the date, both addresses, the vehicle registration and the operator's details. A card receipt with a total on it is much harder to reclaim than an itemised invoice, and it is the first thing any insurer asks for.

Frequently asked questions

Does my car insurance include recovery?: Not usually. Comprehensive motor insurance covers damage and liability. Recovery is normally a separate breakdown policy or an added extra, so check the schedule rather than assuming.
Who pays if the other driver caused the accident?: Their insurer is generally liable for reasonable recovery costs. Arrange the recovery, keep the invoice, and submit it through your own insurer or solicitor.
Can I choose my own recovery firm after an accident?: Yes. You are under no obligation to use an operator who turns up without being called by you, your insurer or the police.
Who pays when the police remove a vehicle?: The registered keeper is normally billed for the removal and for daily storage at the pound, which is why collecting it quickly matters.
Will my insurer reimburse a recovery I paid for myself?: Where recovery falls within a valid claim, usually yes, provided you have an itemised invoice showing the vehicle, the date and both addresses.

Need help now? We are based in Oldbury and dispatch 24/7 across the West Midlands.

Call 07402 666 687

Who pays for vehicle recovery?