Accident Recovery for a Car That Can't Be Driven

Accident recovery moves a damaged car from where it stopped to your garage, a bodyshop or home. Once everyone is safe and you've spoken to your insurer, tell us where the car is, where it needs to go and what the collision did to it. Snap contacts independent recovery operators covering the area and sends you one quote.

Quoted for the damage, access and journey. No membership needed.

We'll pull your car's details from the DVLA.

Asking for a quote does not book the job.

Send a request 24/7; requests are handled round the clock. Or call 078 3333 9309, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm.

  • Quoted for your situation
  • Taken to the destination you choose
  • No membership needed

If anyone is hurt, there's a fire, or anyone is in danger, call 999 first. Snap is not an emergency service. On a motorway, get out on the side away from the traffic if it's safe and wait behind the barrier. If you can't get out safely, stay in the car with your seatbelt and hazard lights on, and call 999.

Call your insurer first

Contact your insurer using the phone number in your policy documents. Recovery after an accident sits with your motor insurer, and they may arrange it as part of a claim or want the car taken to a particular repairer.

If your insurer is arranging it and you're happy with that, use it. Snap's accident recovery is for the times the job is yours to arrange:

  • Your insurer asks you to arrange it.
  • You're paying for it yourself, perhaps because you've decided not to claim.
  • The car can't stay where it is, such as a supermarket car park, outside someone else's house or on a verge.

If you're claiming later, ask your insurer what paperwork they'll want.

Your legal duties to stop, give your details and report some collisions to the police are set out in the Highway Code rules on collisions. If you're offered recovery and a hire car "at no cost to you", check with your own insurer before you sign anything. The Financial Ombudsman Service explains that credit hire is unregulated and you may end up liable for its costs.

Where the car can go

You choose the destination: your own garage, a bodyshop your insurer names, home, or somewhere safe for now. Tell us your preferred destination and check it can accept the car. Confirm any waiting, storage or onward move before booking.

A bodyshop that's closed when the operator arrives can mean waiting time or a second move, so check its opening hours and space first. Give us the full address with your request.

Moving a damaged car later

A damaged car can also be moved later, not only from the scene. It might be on your drive waiting for a repair slot, or at one garage when your insurer wants it at another. Send both addresses, then choose "On or by a specific date" in the quote form and pick the day, or say you're flexible. If the car wasn't in an accident, see towing and recovery.

Request a quote for a planned move

A car that won't roll or steer

A low-speed collision can still leave a car unsafe to drive: a wheel out of line, a leaking radiator, or a panel rubbing on a tyre. If you're not sure it's safe, don't drive it, and if the police are at the scene, follow what they tell you first.

How the car can be loaded depends on what the collision did to it, so the operator needs to know before the job is quoted. Methods available through the network include flatbed recovery, a winch for a car that won't roll, and wheel skates for a locked or damaged wheel, matched to the job from your details.

Tick "not rolling" or "steering locked" in your request if either applies. Electric and hybrid cars: say so, and mention any damage underneath. The handbook says whether the car must be moved with its wheels off the ground.

Request a quote for a car that won't roll

If the police have already had the car moved

If the police or traffic officers had the car removed, the notice you're given says where it is and how to get it back, and the owner pays the charges set by law. Once it's released, Snap can quote to move it to a garage or home if it can't be driven.

Getting to the car

Access is part of your quote, and a place the operator can't reach can change the price. Tell us about anything that affects reaching and loading the car:

  • A car park: its name, the level, and the height shown at the entrance.
  • Off the road: on a verge, in a ditch, against a kerb or on soft ground.
  • A private road or driveway: a gate, a narrow entrance, or another car blocking it in.
  • Keys: whether you have them and whether you'll be with the car.

On a motorway, give the marker post number or the last junction you passed.

Photos and details that help your quote

A damaged car is quoted from what you tell us, so a few photos taken when it's safe make the quote more accurate:

  • The damage, from the front, back and each side.
  • Each wheel, especially one that looks bent or pushed in.
  • Where the car is sitting, including any kerb, verge, slope or barrier.
  • The access point, such as a car park entrance or a gate.

With the photos, tell us whether the car starts, rolls and steers, whether it's automatic, electric or hybrid, and how many people need to travel with it.

How your accident recovery quote is agreed

  1. Send your request. Where the car is, where it's going, the damage and your photos.
  2. Snap assesses the job. We contact suitable operators covering the area and get their prices and availability.
  3. You get one quote. It shows the total for the job, with Snap's booking fee and the operator's charge set out separately.
  4. You decide. Asking for a quote does not book the job, and nothing goes ahead until you accept. If you'd like us to look again, say so.
  5. The operator is assigned. Once you've accepted and paid the booking fee, you get the operator's details and an estimated arrival time by SMS or WhatsApp. Arrival times are estimates, not guarantees.

Your quote depends on the pickup and drop-off, the car's condition, access and operator availability. You see the total for your job before you accept. The quote is built on what you tell us: if the car turns out not to roll or steer, or the operator can't reach it, the price may change or the job may not go ahead. Typical costs for other jobs, such as a local tow, are in the guide to recovery costs.

Request my recovery quote

Paying and cancelling

You pay Snap's booking fee by bank transfer after you accept, using the details on your tracking page, and you get a receipt for it. You pay the operator's charge to the operator when the job is done. We don't take card payments on this website and we never ask for your card details. Cancel within 15 minutes of confirming, or before an operator is assigned, and the booking fee is refunded in full. More on paying and cancelling.

Who does the work

An independent recovery operator carries out the recovery, and your contract for the recovery itself is with the operator. When operators join, they confirm their licensing and insurance, and we check their motor, public liability and goods in transit insurance, and cover for your car while they have it. That check happens when they join rather than job by job. When the operator arrives, ask for their insurance details and ID, and photograph the car and its damage before it's loaded. More on how operators are checked.

Accident recovery questions

How much does accident recovery cost?

Accident recovery is quoted for the damage, access and journey. The quote reflects where the car is, where it's going, whether it rolls and steers, and what the photos of the damage show.

Does breakdown cover include accident recovery?

Generally, no. Recovery after an accident sits with your motor insurer. Contact them using the phone number in your policy documents and ask whether they'll arrange the recovery or want you to.

Can the car go straight to my own garage or a bodyshop?

Yes. You choose the destination. Check the garage or bodyshop can accept the car and is open when it arrives, and confirm any waiting, storage or onward move before booking.

Can a damaged car be moved from my home to a repairer later?

Yes. Send the address where the car is now, the repairer's address, and pick the date in the quote form or choose "I'm flexible". Mention whether it rolls and steers and whether there's room on the drive to load it.

Can I request accident recovery late at night?

Yes. Requests are handled 24/7, round the clock. The phone line is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm; outside those hours, send your request online or on WhatsApp. A quote depends on an operator being available when you accept, which late at night can't be guaranteed.

Related help

Request a quote for your accident recovery

Tell us where the car is, where it needs to go and what the collision did to it.

Request my recovery quote

Asking for a quote does not book the job.

Send a request 24/7; requests are handled round the clock. Or call 078 3333 9309, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm.

Request a quote