Hit and Run or Uninsured Driver Claims
No details, no insurance, no one to chase. There is still a route — and your car still gets repaired properly.
Coming back to a caved-in wing with no note on the screen, or being hit by someone who drives off, feels like the end of the matter. It usually isn't. The UK has a safety net for exactly these situations: the Motor Insurers' Bureau, funded by insurers, exists to compensate people hit by drivers who were uninsured or who were never identified. The process is more involved than a normal claim, but it exists, and our partner deals with it regularly.
What to do first
Report it to the police as soon as you can and get an incident or crime reference number. For an untraced driver claim this is close to essential — the MIB expects the incident to have been reported, and generally within a short window of it happening.
Then gather whatever you can. Photograph the damage before anything is moved or cleaned. Note the exact location, date and time. Look for CCTV, shop cameras, doorbell cameras and dashcams belonging to nearby vehicles, and ask quickly, because most systems overwrite within days or weeks. Take witness details if anyone saw it. Any partial registration, vehicle colour or make is worth writing down even if it feels useless.
- Report to the police and get a reference number
- Photograph the damage and the wider scene
- Chase nearby CCTV and dashcam footage quickly
- Note witnesses, partial plates, vehicle colour and make
- Don't start repairs before the claim is set up
The MIB route, briefly
The Motor Insurers' Bureau handles two distinct types of case. An uninsured driver claim is where the other driver is identified but has no valid insurance. An untraced driver claim — the hit and run scenario — is where the driver was never identified at all. Both are made to the MIB rather than to an insurer.
The applications have their own rules, evidence requirements and time limits, and untraced claims in particular are assessed on the evidence you can produce. We're a body shop, not a claims adviser, so we won't attempt to explain your entitlement or predict an outcome. What we can do is put you in front of people who handle these applications properly.
How NASL handles it
National Accident Support Line, an FCA-regulated claims management company, takes the claim from there. They deal with the MIB application and the evidence, arrange recovery and storage where the car isn't drivable, look at a replacement vehicle where the circumstances allow it, and handle any personal injury element through their solicitor panel on a no win no fee basis.
Because untraced and uninsured cases move at their own pace, a replacement vehicle is assessed case by case rather than assumed — NASL will be straight with you about what's available before anything is agreed.
Your car, meanwhile
Whatever route the claim takes, the damage still needs fixing. We repair vehicles from Cardiff, Penarth, Barry, Bridgend, Newport and across South Wales, and we can hold the car while liability is worked out or crack on if you'd rather not wait. If you're claiming on your own comprehensive policy in the meantime, you can still choose us as your repairer — you're not tied to your insurer's approved network.
Who does what
CJVS — the repair
We inspect the damage, produce the estimate and carry out the bodywork, paint and refinishing here in Cardiff. Our workmanship is guaranteed for as long as you own the vehicle. We're a body shop — we don't handle claims or give legal advice.
National Accident Support Line — the claim
NASL is a claims management company authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA registration 829991). They handle liability, personal injury through their solicitor panel on a no win no fee basis, replacement vehicles, recovery and storage. Reach them on 0333 212 2730.
Frequently asked questions
Talk to us about your repair
Send photos on WhatsApp or call Chris on 07968 978939. Prefer to see a figure first? Use the Estimatic estimator.
Important information
Chris Jenkins Vehicle Specialist (CJVS) is a vehicle body repair business. We carry out the repair work on your vehicle. We are not a claims management company, we are not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, and nothing on this page is legal advice.
The claims, personal injury, replacement vehicle, recovery and storage elements described here are provided by National Accident Support Line (NASL), a claims management company authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FCA registration number 829991. NASL can be contacted on 0333 212 2730. Personal injury claims are handled through their panel of solicitors on a no win no fee basis.
CJVS works with NASL and may receive a commission for replacement vehicle (credit hire) referrals. This does not add anything to what you pay.
We cannot promise that a claim will succeed, and we do not give figures for compensation. Outcomes, entitlement to a replacement vehicle and whether an excess applies depend on liability and on your own policy terms. NASL will explain the position for your circumstances before anything is agreed.
See our privacy policy for how we handle your information.