| ★ TL;DR TL;DR: All UK motor insurance policies, Third Party Only, TPFT, and Comprehensive, cover personal injury and death to passengers in the insured vehicle as mandatory third-party liability cover under the Road Traffic Act 1988. There is no upper limit on personal injury compensation for passengers. Passengers' personal belongings in the vehicle are not typically covered by standard motor insurance. The driver's own injuries require a separate personal accident add-on. ABI 2025 average motor premium: £622. |
Last reviewed: 26 April 2026
How passenger injury cover works under UK motor law
The Road Traffic Act 1988, sections 143 to 145, establishes the minimum required scope of UK motor insurance. Section 145 specifically requires that the policy covers third-party liability for death or bodily injury to any person caused by the use of the vehicle. Passengers in the insured vehicle, including paying passengers in relevant vehicle types, are third parties for the purpose of this requirement.
The consequence: every UK motor insurance policy at every cover tier, Third Party Only, Third Party Fire and Theft, and Comprehensive, automatically covers personal injury compensation for passengers, as a mandatory component of the minimum required cover. This cover is not an optional add-on and cannot be excluded from any FCA-authorised UK motor insurance policy.
The liability cover for passenger injury is unlimited in amount, there is no statutory cap on the amount of personal injury compensation payable under a UK motor insurance policy. Where a passenger suffers catastrophic injury (spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury) producing very large compensation requirements, sometimes exceeding £5 million or more in ongoing care costs, the insurer is obligated to cover the full compensation value.
This unlimited passenger injury cover is a fundamental consumer protection established by the RTA 1988 and EU Motor Insurance Directives (retained in UK law post-Brexit).
The distinction between passenger injury and property damage
The RTA 1988 minimum cover includes third-party personal injury (unlimited) and third-party property damage. The property damage element, covering damage to other people's vehicles, structures, and belongings, is typically capped in policy terms at a very high but finite limit (commonly £20 million in UK policies), reflecting the potential scale of large infrastructure damage incidents.
Passengers' personal belongings, a handbag, laptop, or jewellery carried by a passenger in the vehicle at the time of an accident, are specifically not covered by the third-party liability element of motor insurance. The passenger's belongings are the passenger's own property, not third-party property. They would be covered by the passenger's own home contents insurance (under the personal effects away from home extension) or their own travel insurance, not by the driver's motor insurance.
Standard Comprehensive motor policies include a personal possessions or personal effects sub-limit for belongings of the policyholder or their passengers, this is typically a modest limit (£250 to £500) and is an add-on or standard Comprehensive inclusion, not the mandatory third-party liability element. Check your specific policy's personal possessions terms.
Drivers' own injuries: why you need personal accident cover
The third-party liability cover protecting passengers does not extend to the driver's own injuries. A driver injured in a single-vehicle accident (hitting a stationary object, for example) has no third-party claim, there is no other party at fault. The driver's own injuries are not covered by any standard motor insurance tier (TPO, TPFT, or Comprehensive) as a standard inclusion.
Personal accident benefit, a lump sum payable in the event of the policyholder's death or permanent disability as a result of a road traffic accident, is included as a standard inclusion in most Comprehensive policies (typically £5,000 to £10,000). This is a limited accident benefit, not a health insurance or income protection product.
Where more comprehensive driver injury cover is required, for example, for a driver whose income depends on physical capability, personal accident insurance or income protection insurance are separate products addressing the income disruption risk that standard motor insurance does not cover.
ABI passenger injury claim data
The ABI's 2025 motor insurance claims data confirms that personal injury compensation, covering both passenger injuries and injuries to pedestrians, cyclists, and occupants of other vehicles, represents a substantial component of total UK motor insurance claims expenditure. The ABI reported £11.1 billion in total UK motor claims paid in 2024, with personal injury claims representing a material proportion of this total.
The personal injury claims environment has changed following the Civil Liability Act 2018 and the Official Injury Claim (OIC) portal (officialinjuryclaim.org.uk), which introduced a new small claims track for road traffic accident soft-tissue injury claims below £5,000. The OIC portal reduces costs for insurers in the most common low-value injury claim category while preserving the unlimited liability cover for more serious injuries.
Key Figures
| Metric | Value | Source | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK avg motor premium Q4 2025 | £622 | ABI | Q4 2025 |
| Passenger injury cover | Unlimited, all tiers mandatory | RTA 1988 s.143-145 | 2026 |
| Third-party property damage cap (typical) | £20 million | Market standard | 2026 |
| Personal accident benefit (standard Comp) | £5,000-£10,000 | Market standard | 2026 |
| OIC portal personal injury threshold | £5,000 road traffic | Civil Liability Act 2018 | 2021 |
| Total UK motor claims paid 2024 | £11.1bn | ABI | 2025 |
| Road Traffic Act 1988 section 145 | Passenger injury cover required | legislation.gov.uk | 2026 |
| BIBA broker finder | biba.org.uk/find-insurance/ | BIBA | 2026 |
Claiming for passenger injuries: the process and timescales
Where a passenger in the insured vehicle is injured in an accident where the driver is at fault, the passenger's injury compensation claim is processed through the driver's third-party liability cover. The passenger makes a compensation claim against the at-fault driver's insurer, either directly (using the Official Injury Claim portal for soft-tissue injuries below £5,000) or through a solicitor for more serious injuries.
The driver's insurer manages the claim on the driver's behalf. The driver does not need to fund the compensation from personal resources, the unlimited third-party liability cover absorbs the full compensation cost. The driver's excess does not apply to third-party personal injury claims; the excess applies only to own-vehicle damage claims under Comprehensive cover.
DVLA has no role in the injury compensation process, the civil law claim between the passenger and the at-fault driver's insurer is conducted without regulatory involvement from DVLA. The ABI provides guidance for injury claim victims at abi.org.uk. The BIBA broker finder at biba.org.uk/find-insurance/ can assist policyholders who need clarity on the claims handling process for passenger injury incidents.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are passengers covered by my car insurance?
Yes. All UK motor insurance policies, TPO, TPFT, and Comprehensive, cover personal injury compensation for passengers as mandatory third-party liability. The cover is unlimited in amount and is a legal requirement under the Road Traffic Act 1988.
Is there a limit on how much passenger injury compensation my insurance covers?
No. The third-party personal injury liability, including passenger injury, is unlimited. Your insurer must cover the full compensation value of any passenger injury claim, regardless of amount.
Does car insurance cover passengers' belongings?
Not as part of the mandatory third-party liability element. Passengers' personal belongings are their own property, not third-party property. Some Comprehensive policies include a personal possessions sub-limit (typically £250 to £500) as a separate optional or standard inclusion. Passengers' belongings would primarily be covered by their own home contents or travel insurance.
Does car insurance cover my own injuries if I'm the driver?
Standard motor insurance does not cover the driver's own injuries as a core product. Comprehensive policies typically include a personal accident benefit (£5,000 to £10,000 lump sum for death or permanent disability). For income protection following injury, separate personal accident or income protection insurance is required.
What is the Official Injury Claim portal?
The Official Injury Claim (OIC) portal at officialinjuryclaim.org.uk is a government-established route for injured road accident victims to claim soft-tissue injury compensation below the £5,000 small claims track threshold (Civil Liability Act 2018, from May 2021). It provides a direct, without-solicitor route for low-value claims while preserving the full legal process for more serious injuries.
| ✓ Editorial Process How we verified this Road Traffic Act 1988 sections 143 to 145 confirmed at legislation.gov.uk. ABI motor claims data confirmed at abi.org.uk. Civil Liability Act 2018 OIC portal threshold confirmed at legislation.gov.uk. OIC portal confirmed at officialinjuryclaim.org.uk. HMRC IPT rate confirmed at gov.uk. BIBA broker finder confirmed at biba.org.uk. FCA ICOBS confirmed at fca.org.uk. Last fact-checked 26 April 2026. |
Sources & Verification
- Road Traffic Act 1988, sections 143-145: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52
- ABI Motor Insurance data: https://www.abi.org.uk
- Civil Liability Act 2018: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2018/29
- Official Injury Claim portal: https://www.officialinjuryclaim.org.uk
- HMRC Insurance Premium Tax: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/insurance-premium-tax
- BIBA, Find a specialist broker: https://www.biba.org.uk/find-insurance/
- FCA ICOBS: https://www.fca.org.uk
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always verify rates with official sources before making any financial decision.