Your vehicle is so badly damaged after an accident that it has to be towed away. This is often associated with high costs. In this article, you will find out who pays the towing costs after an accident and how you can claim your costs quickly and easily.
- The towing costs are usually borne by the liability insurance of the person responsible for the accident.
- You should have your car towed to the nearest garage (duty to minimise damage).
- You don't have to compare prices from towing services.
- If you cause the accident, you must pay the towing costs yourself without comprehensive insurance.
Entitlement to reimbursement of towing costs after an accident
The basic rule is that the party responsible for the accident or their liability insurance must pay for all damage. They are obliged to restore the vehicle to its original condition before the accident. You are not only entitled to reimbursement of the Repair- and Car hire costsbut also to the reimbursement of the towing costs of the vehicle.
Insurance companies generally want to keep their costs as low as possible. They are therefore happy to reduce claims that you are actually entitled to. As towing costs are often very high, insurance companies like to cut corners here and do not pay out the full amount.
If you are towed away immediately after an accident, you do not have to compare prices before hiring a towing service. This means that even if the towing costs are high, the insurance company must pay you the full amount of the towing costs incurred.
Not sure whether you can claim towing costs after a road accident? We can help you!
Who pays the towing costs after an accident?
The first step is to clarify the question of fault. If you are not at fault for the traffic accident, the other party's liability insurance will always pay for the damages. You are not only entitled to reimbursement of the costs of repairs and hire cars - but also the towing costs after the accident.
In the event of a road accident caused by your own fault, the burden of payment lies with you. If you have taken out comprehensive insurance, the towing costs will be borne by it. If you do not have comprehensive insurance, you will be liable for the costs as the person responsible for the accident.
You can find information on settling a claim for partial fault here.
Towing to the nearest garage after a road accident
In principle, there is a so-called Duty to minimise damages. This means that even as the injured party, you have a duty to minimise the costs of settling the claim. As a rule, your car must therefore be towed to the nearest garage. Exceptions prove the rule: there are of course cases in which the nearest garage is not the most favourable option.
Here are a few examples:
- You can only have your vehicle repaired in a specialised workshop.
- You must have the car repaired at your authorised workshop in order not to invalidate the warranty.
- The garages are not open. You can park your vehicle temporarily with the towing service.
If you don't know whether the insurance company will have to pay out in your case, then have your claims settled. now check.
Reimbursement of towing costs after an accident
Are you looking for a quick solution for the reimbursement of towing costs after an accident?
Here is the proven solution. Licensed experts from the faire-Regulierung network enforce your claims and accompany you personally in all matters up to the complete payout.
✔ Report your road accident to us within 2 minutes online or by calling the toll-free number 0800 - 30 111 60.
✔ A specialist from our network will call you back and discuss the next steps with you.
✔ We now take care of your entire claims settlement and communicate with all parties involved in claims management, such as the insurance company, lawyer, garage, surveyor, etc. In this way, we minimise your workload and consistently keep your back free.
✔ Up to date
You can see the current status of your case via our HIS (customer information system). The best thing is that you can simply use the HIS via your internet browser. Installation on a PC or smartphone is not necessary. You can view important documents such as invoices or damage reports directly online. This means you have the latest version of your documents to hand - without a pile of paper.
