Credit Hire Vehicle

The road-test guide to credit hire cars

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Vehicle information site, funded by labelled commercial partner links. We are not your insurer.

The road-test guide to credit hire cars

Credit hire vehicles: what they are and what you will actually get

A credit hire vehicle is a like-for-like replacement car supplied to you after a road accident that was not your fault, with the hire cost claimed from the at-fault driver's insurer rather than paid by you up front. This site covers the vehicle side of that arrangement: which classes exist, which models sit in each replacement class, and how those models stand up to high-mileage duty.

Published · Last updated

Grey Vauxhall Corsa driving through an urban streetVauxhall CorsaSmall hatchback example
Featured road test

Vauxhall Corsa

Easy to drive, cheap to fuel and well equipped in fleet trim — a small hatchback squarely in like-for-like replacement territory. Reviewed .

Fleet Duty Rating

The Fleet Duty Rating is this site's published methodology for measuring how a car copes with hire duty: miles run, downtime days, cost per 1,000 miles, and faults by mileage band. It is awaiting data. No Fleet Duty Rating has been calculated or published, and none will be until the underlying fleet dataset, sample size and period are available. Reviews and durability records currently stand on attributed public sources alone: DVSA MOT results, DVSA recalls, owner surveys and manufacturer service schedules.

How the rating works →

12 cars. Every class on the road.

Explore the cars people are most likely to meet in replacement fleets, from small hatchbacks and family workhorses to SUVs, executive cars, vans and EVs.

  • Grey Vauxhall Corsa driving through an urban streetVauxhall CorsaSmall hatchback

    Vauxhall Corsa

    Small hatchback

    Reviewed 17/08/2026

  • Blue Volkswagen Polo driving past a modern buildingVolkswagen PoloSmall hatchback

    Volkswagen Polo

    Small hatchback

    Reviewed 17/08/2026

  • White Volkswagen Golf driving on a country roadVolkswagen GolfMedium hatchback

    Volkswagen Golf

    Medium hatchback

    Reviewed 07/08/2026

  • Ford FocusMedium hatchback

    Ford Focus

    Medium hatchback

    Reviewed 17/08/2026

  • Grey Skoda Octavia parked beside a vineyardSkoda OctaviaFamily saloon & estate

    Skoda Octavia

    Family saloon & estate

    Reviewed 17/08/2026

  • Green Toyota Corolla hatchback parked in the countrysideToyota CorollaTaxi & private hire

    Toyota Corolla

    Taxi & private hire

    Reviewed 17/08/2026

  • Blue Nissan Qashqai driving beside a dramatic coastlineNissan QashqaiCompact SUV

    Nissan Qashqai

    Compact SUV

    Reviewed 17/08/2026

  • Red Kia Sportage driving on a winding roadKia SportageCompact SUV

    Kia Sportage

    Compact SUV

    Reviewed 17/08/2026

  • Blue BMW 3 Series Saloon photographed in low evening lightBMW 3 SeriesExecutive

    BMW 3 Series

    Executive

    Reviewed 17/08/2026

  • Silver Mercedes-Benz E-Class Saloon driving on a mountain roadMercedes-Benz E-ClassPrestige & luxury

    Mercedes-Benz E-Class

    Prestige & luxury

    Reviewed 17/08/2026

  • Ford Transit CustomVan & LCV

    Ford Transit Custom

    Van & LCV

    Reviewed 17/08/2026

  • Tesla Model 3Electric

    Tesla Model 3

    Electric

    Reviewed 17/08/2026

Vehicle shown is an exact model example, not a promise of supply. Credit hire normally provides an equivalent vehicle within the approved class; make, model, trim, fuel and colour depend on availability.

Read the library by class, with sources and durability detail: all reviews.

12 replacement classes. Find yours.

Start with what you drive now. Each class page explains the likely equivalent band and the limits of like-for-like matching.

How the class system itself works: vehicle classes explained

Checking your eligibility

Commercial partner link

Whether you qualify for a credit hire vehicle depends on the circumstances of your accident; the information-level answer is on our eligibility page. To check your own case, use the eligibility checker on our commercial partner's site.

Check your eligibility — Nationwide Accident Hire

Eligibility explained at information level: am I eligible for a replacement car?

Credit Hire Car of the Year

The annual award for the car that best survives credit hire fleet duty. It is judged on Fleet Duty Rating data, so no award has been made yet.

This site is a vehicle information publication funded by labelled commercial partner links. Who publishes it, how it makes money, and why we are not your insurer: About this site.