Motorcycle Hire Vehicles

Having watched your pride and joy sliding down the road you may then find that you receive offers of a motorcycle hire vehicle.  Please do not be ruled by your heart and take a Ducati on credit hire in the hope that the other side will pay for it when your GPZ550 is put back on the road.  It is very important that you know the risks involved before proceeding with obtaining any hire vehicle.

There are 2 types of hire, namely credit hire or spot hire.  As the names suggest, you either get the vehicle on credit or you have to pay for it on the spot.  If you need a vehicle then you should look to obtaining one.  The issues in motorcycle accidents are more complicated than normal car cases because your injuries may mean that you are able to drive a car, but not ride a motorcycle.

You need to think carefully and consider the following in order:

• Is your own vehicle roadworthy or can you do simple repairs to get it roadworthy?
• Do you really need a vehicle? If not then patience is a virtue.
• If you do need a vehicle do you have one (a large percentage of people who own a motorbike also own a car) or are you able to use someone else's (such as your wife or girlfriend's) that is suitable?
• If your insurance company offer you a courtesy vehicle take it.
• If you do not have an alternative, can you afford to hire a vehicle and pay for it as you go along (called "spot" hire)?
• If you have no other reasonable alternative and cannot afford to pay for it as you go along then it may be reasonable to obtain a hire vehicle on credit (called "credit" hire).

Where you hire a vehicle there is no guarantee that you will recover the cost from the other side.  Some credit hire companies insure the cost, so if you do not recover it then you do not have to pay personally. If you are obtaining credit hire we strongly recommend you use this option.

Once you have a hire vehicle you should only keep it for as short a period as possible.  You need to instruct a solicitor and/or insurer to make sure your own vehicle is being dealt with.  You would be amazed how quickly the cost of the hire vehicle can escalate to more than your own vehicle was ever worth.

If you are thinking of hiring a replacement vehicle our advice is to speak to your solicitor first. If you do not already have a solicitor then you need one and should call us on (01296) 662770 or (01525) 373322 for help.

If you need our help,  either e-mail us anytime, or call 01404 861868.