Guide
How Much Compensation Could You Get for a Car Accident?
As a rough guide, a minor car accident injury is worth from about £1,000 to £4,300, a moderate injury £4,300 to £25,000, and a serious injury £25,000 or more, with your financial losses paid on top. Whiplash-type injuries follow a fixed tariff of roughly £240 to £4,345. Here is how it is worked out.
Last reviewed: Reviewed by the Auto Crash Claims editorial team
The short answer
Car accident compensation is made of two parts added together: money for the injury itself, and money for your financial losses. Using the Judicial College Guidelines, a minor injury that fully recovers is broadly worth £1,000 to £4,300, a moderate injury £4,300 to £25,000, and a serious injury £25,000 upward. Your vehicle, lost earnings and other costs are then added on top, so the total is often higher than the injury figure alone.
Compensation for your injury
This reflects how serious the injury is and how long it affects you, guided by medical evidence and the Judicial College Guidelines. Whiplash and similar soft-tissue injuries from a road accident in England and Wales are valued using a fixed government tariff (see the table below) through the Official Injury Claim service. Scotland uses its own approach under Scots law and is not covered by that tariff.
Compensation for your losses
These financial losses (special damages) can include vehicle repair or its value if written off, a replacement vehicle, your insurance excess, recovery and storage, lost earnings, treatment costs and travel. Keeping receipts and records helps you recover the full amount, and they are added on top of the injury figure.
What can change the amount
Being partly at fault can reduce a payout, while more serious or longer-lasting injuries increase it. Every claim is different, which is why it is worth getting your circumstances checked. You can also get an instant indicative figure with our car accident compensation calculator.
The whiplash injury tariff (England & Wales)
For whiplash and similar soft-tissue injuries from a road traffic accident, compensation for the injury is set by a fixed government tariff (the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021), based on how long your symptoms last:
| How long symptoms last | Tariff | With a minor psychological injury |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 3 months | £240 | £260 |
| 3 to 6 months | £495 | £520 |
| 6 to 9 months | £840 | £895 |
| 9 to 12 months | £1,320 | £1,390 |
| 12 to 15 months | £2,040 | £2,125 |
| 15 to 18 months | £3,005 | £3,100 |
| 18 to 24 months | £4,215 | £4,345 |
These tariff figures cover the whiplash injury only. Any other injuries, and all of your financial losses, are claimed separately and added on top. Injuries that are not whiplash, and all claims in Scotland, are valued using the Judicial College Guidelines rather than this tariff.
Key takeaways
- Minor injury ~£1,000–£4,300, moderate £4,300–£25,000, serious £25,000+, plus financial losses
- Whiplash follows a fixed tariff of roughly £240 to £4,345 in England and Wales
- Compensation = the injury (general damages) + your financial losses (special damages)
Frequently asked questions
How much compensation will I get for a car accident?
As a guide, a minor injury is worth from about £1,000 to £4,300, a moderate injury £4,300 to £25,000, and a serious injury £25,000 or more, with financial losses such as your vehicle and lost earnings added on top. The exact figure depends on a medical assessment of your injuries and your circumstances.
How much is a whiplash claim worth?
Whiplash-type soft-tissue injuries from a road accident are valued using a fixed government tariff, currently around £240 for symptoms up to three months rising to about £4,345 for up to two years, with slightly more where there is a minor psychological injury.
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