Front-seat passenger
Injured in a collision caused by another vehicle. Claim goes against the at-fault driver's insurer.
A passenger injury claim is a legal claim for compensation if you were injured as a passenger in a car, taxi, bus, or any other vehicle.
As a passenger, you are almost never at fault for a collision, which means your right to claim compensation is usually straightforward. Passenger injury claims cover two types of compensation: general damages for the pain, suffering, and loss of amenity caused by your injuries, and special damages for all financial losses including lost earnings, medical treatment, care costs, and future needs.
This page focuses on what your passenger injury claim is worth. For guidance on who you sue and how the claims process works, see our dedicated page: I was a passenger in a car accident, who do I sue?
At Hannah Gold Solicitors, we act for passengers across England and Wales on a No Win No Fee basis. Over 15 years, we have recovered over £21 million for injured clients. Your case is handled by a senior solicitor from start to settlement.
£21 million recovered · 15 years specialist practice
£21M+
Recovered for clients
3 yrs
Time to claim
20%*
Success fee, not 25%
100%
No Win No Fee
*The 20% success fee applies to claims valued over £5,000. Lower-value claims worth below £5,000 are charged at a different rate, which we always explain clearly before you sign.
For serious passenger injury claims involving fractures or worth more than £5,000, we charge a 20% success fee, not the 25% many firms deduct. For lower-value claims handled through the Official Injury Claim portal, we will explain exactly what applies to your claim before you proceed, so you always know where you stand.
The Official Injury Claim portal was introduced on 31 May 2021 for low-value road traffic claims where the injury is worth less than £5,000. Claims worth more than this, or involving fractures or serious injury, are handled outside the portal in the usual way.
“Passengers almost always recover, you are a non-fault party regardless of which driver was to blame.
General damages compensate you for the pain, suffering, and loss of amenity caused by your injuries. Courts and insurers assess the type of injury, its severity, the length of recovery, whether you have ongoing symptoms, and the impact on your daily life. The table below shows the Judicial College Guidelines (18th edition) general-damages brackets for injuries commonly suffered by passengers.
| Injury (general damages only) | JCG 18th-edition bracket |
|---|---|
| Moderate neck injury (lasting symptoms, beyond the tariff) | £18,150 – £50,850 |
| Severe neck injury | £60,080 – £195,970 |
| Moderate back injury | £16,520 – £51,230 |
| Severe back injury (cord/nerve root damage) | £51,230 – £212,670 |
| Wrist or arm fracture (moderate, lasting symptoms) | £16,640 – £32,370 |
| Less serious leg injury (simple fracture) | Up to £18,600 |
| Moderate leg injury (multiple/complicated fractures) | £36,680 – £51,790 |
| Serious leg injury | £51,790 – £127,160 |
| Moderate knee injury | £19,610 – £34,600 |
| Minor head injury (minimal or no brain damage) | £2,920 – £16,870 |
| Moderate brain injury | £56,890 – £289,420 |
| Very severe brain injury | £372,570 – £533,720 |
| Moderate PTSD | £10,810 – £30,580 |
| Severe PTSD | £79,080 – £133,000 |
| Paraplegia | £289,420 – £375,540 |
| Tetraplegia | £428,850 – £533,720 |
Do not accept an insurer's first offer without specialist advice. Insurers regularly make early low offers in passenger injury claims, particularly where injuries are still developing. Accepting too early can permanently limit your compensation. For a full breakdown across all injury types, see our UK compensation payouts guide.
Special damages cover every financial loss caused by the accident and are assessed separately from your injury award. In serious passenger injury claims, special damages often significantly exceed the general damages figure. As a passenger, you may claim for:
For catastrophic passenger injuries involving lifetime care costs, future earnings loss, and Court of Protection proceedings, see our serious injury claims page.
You can make a passenger injury claim if you were injured as a passenger in any vehicle, including:
As a passenger, you are almost never legally responsible for a collision. You can claim against the driver of your vehicle, the driver of the other vehicle, or both drivers if liability is shared between them. Your relationship with the driver does not affect your right to claim: you can claim against a friend, partner, or family member's insurance, because the claim is against the insurance policy, not the person.
For full guidance on who you sue and how liability works, see I was a passenger in a car accident, who do I sue?
“Your claim is against the at-fault driver's insurer, not the driver personally. That applies even when the driver is a friend or family member: their policy pays, not them.
If you were injured as a passenger in a car accident and sustained a whiplash or soft tissue injury, your general damages for that injury are subject to the fixed whiplash tariff under the Civil Liability Act 2018. For accidents on or after 31 May 2025, the current tariff amounts are set by the Whiplash Injury (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/615), Table 2:
| Duration of injury | Whiplash only | Whiplash + minor psychological |
|---|---|---|
| Not more than 3 months | £275 | £300 |
| More than 3 months, up to 6 months | £565 | £595 |
| More than 6 months, up to 9 months | £965 | £1,025 |
| More than 9 months, up to 12 months | £1,510 | £1,595 |
| More than 12 months, up to 15 months | £2,335 | £2,435 |
| More than 15 months, up to 18 months | £3,445 | £3,550 |
| More than 18 months, up to 24 months | £4,830 | £4,975 |
For accidents between 31 May 2021 and 30 May 2025, the earlier tariff figures apply. See our road traffic accident claims page for the full earlier table.
These tariff amounts cover general damages only. Financial losses including lost earnings, treatment costs, and travel expenses are assessed separately and claimed on top. Injuries lasting beyond 24 months, and non-whiplash injuries such as fractures, disc injuries, or nerve damage, are valued under the Judicial College Guidelines, not the tariff.
Can a passenger claim for whiplash? Yes. Passengers have the same right to claim whiplash compensation as drivers. Your claim is made against the at-fault driver's insurer.
“Bus, coach and taxi claims involve the operator's insurer. We request on-board CCTV and telematics early, before footage is overwritten.
Insurers sometimes argue that a passenger's compensation should be reduced because they were not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident. This is known as a seatbelt defence, and it is a form of contributory negligence.
If the insurer proves you were not wearing a seatbelt and that wearing one would have reduced your injuries, your compensation may be reduced, typically by 15 to 25 percent. It does not bar your claim entirely. Insurers frequently overstate the impact of seatbelt non-use. We challenge this with medical and biomechanical evidence where appropriate, and in our experience the actual reduction is often lower than the insurer initially argues.
The severity of passenger injuries depends on the speed of the collision, whether the passenger was wearing a seatbelt, the position in the vehicle, and the type of impact.
Passengers injured in taxi or bus accidents often suffer common injuries such as whiplash and neck injuries, spinal injuries, broken bones, and in severe cases life-changing or fatal injuries. Psychological injuries such as PTSD may also form part of a passenger injury claim. Because operators of taxis, buses, and coaches owe a duty of care to every passenger, an injured passenger can claim compensation for both the injury itself and the financial losses that follow, including lost earnings and the cost of care and rehabilitation.
Members of APIL (the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers) and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
“A police report, even for minor injuries, anchors the timeline and prevents insurer disputes about mechanism of injury.
Common passenger scenarios
Injured in a collision caused by another vehicle. Claim goes against the at-fault driver's insurer.
Rear passengers rarely bear any fault. Claims proceed against whichever driver caused the collision.
You can claim against your own driver's insurance. It does not affect them personally, the insurer pays.
Claim against the taxi driver's insurance, the private-hire firm, or a third-party driver depending on fault.
Bus operators owe a duty of care. Sudden braking, collisions, and falls on board all give rise to claims.
The Motor Insurers Bureau covers passengers where the driver is uninsured or leaves the scene.
Life-changing injuries are handled by our serious injury team with interim payments and rehabilitation.
Who you claim against in every passenger scenario.
Read Guide →The full RTA hub.
Read Guide →MIB claims for uninsured and hit-and-run drivers.
Read Guide →Full JCG-based payout ranges across every injury type.
Read Guide →Senior solicitor handling. No Win No Fee. Serving clients across England and Wales.
£21 million recovered · Established 2011
No Win No Fee means you pay nothing upfront and nothing at all if your claim does not succeed. If you win, a success fee is deducted from your compensation. On most personal injury claims we charge 20%, lower than the 25% maximum many firms apply; some lower-value Official Injury Claim portal cases are charged at a different rate, which we always explain clearly before you sign.
Speak with a specialist
0300 373 5366