Budget Direct chooses the repairer, does that still apply when someone else hit me?

16 October 2026

Budget Direct chooses the repairer, does that still apply when someone else hit me?

The part that catches people the morning after a crash is not the paperwork. It is the thought of your car being off the road, while you are still trying to work out who controls the repair.

If you hold a Budget Direct policy and you are reading it on your phone in Melbourne after someone else hit you, the first thing to know is this. The repairer wording you are looking at tells you what can happen when repairs are being handled under your own policy. That does not automatically mean it is the path you have to take when the other driver was identified and insured.

What Budget Direct says about who picks the repairer

Budget Direct states, "After assessing your car’s damage and authorising the repairs, we can appoint a repairer."

So if the repair is proceeding through Budget Direct, the starting position is that Budget Direct can choose the repairer after it has assessed the damage and authorised the work.

There is also a specific exception. Budget Direct says, "You can nominate your preferred repairer as long as your policy includes the ‘choice of repairer’ policy option."

That matters because not every policy includes that option. If your policy does include it, asking for your own repairer is not the end of the process. Budget Direct also says, "If you nominate your preferred repairer, we’ll ask you to provide us with the repairer’s quotation for the repairs so we can determine whether: the quotation is competitive, and the proposed repair method is satisfactory."

In plain terms, Budget Direct says it will consider your nominated repairer against two things:

• whether the quote is competitive
• whether the proposed repair method is satisfactory

And if Budget Direct is not satisfied on either point, it says this can happen next. "If either of these criteria is not met, we may decide not to authorise the repairs, and instead offer you the option of: having your car repaired by an alternative repairer chosen by us, or paying you the reasonable cost to satisfactorily repair your car."

The line most drivers miss

That wording is important, but it is easy to read too much into it.

A restriction inside your own policy is about what happens when you are making a claim under that policy. If another driver hit you, and that driver is identified and insured, your situation may be different from a claim handled on your own cover.

That is the practical distinction most people do not see at first. They assume the repairer rule in their own policy must govern the whole event. It may not, because being not at fault does not automatically mean you have to put the repair through your own insurer.

For some Victorian drivers, the real question is not only, "What does my policy say?" It is, "Do I need to use my policy at all?"

Why this matters when the car is sitting damaged

This matters because the consequences are immediate.

If your car is off the road, the problem is not theoretical. It affects work, school runs, business use, and everything else that depends on having the vehicle available. That is why the repair pathway matters as much as the repair itself.

If you go through your own policy, the repairer selection process is the one Budget Direct describes above. If you are on a different not at fault pathway, the question can become whether the repair cost is recovered from the at fault driver’s insurer instead, while the repair is managed without you claiming on your own policy.

That is where many drivers in Melbourne want clarity quickly, because the answer changes what happens next.

What this page can and cannot tell you about replacement vehicles and timing

You may also be looking for answers on a replacement vehicle after a not at fault crash, how long repairs are taking in Victoria, or what happens with parts. Those points depend on the pathway your matter is taking and the facts around the accident, repair and insurer response.

If you are reading your Budget Direct documents for a hire or replacement vehicle entitlement, check your own policy wording carefully and ask whoever issued the policy to point you to the exact clause that applies to your claim.

If your concern is the practical delay while the car is being repaired, that is exactly why it helps to confirm first whether you are dealing with a claim on your own policy or a not at fault recovery pathway.

What a not at fault pathway can look like

Where another driver was at fault, identified, and insured, a not at fault claim can be managed without you claiming on your own policy. In that kind of matter, the repair cost may be pursued from the at fault driver’s insurer instead.

That can matter if you want to keep control over where your car is repaired, and if you need a replacement vehicle while your own car is off the road. Whether that pathway is open to you depends on the facts of the accident, including fault and identification.

So the sensible order is this:

1. Work out whether your matter needs to go through your own Budget Direct policy at all.
2. If it does, the Budget Direct repairer wording above is the place to start.
3. If it may be a not at fault matter against the other driver, confirm that before you commit yourself to the wrong pathway.

The short answer

If you are claiming through your own Budget Direct policy, Budget Direct says it can appoint the repairer after assessing the damage and authorising repairs. You can nominate your own repairer only if your policy includes the choice of repairer option, and Budget Direct says it will then assess the quote and the proposed repair method.

If someone else hit you and that driver was identified and insured, that does not automatically mean you must proceed under your own policy. Your next step is to confirm whether you are actually on a not at fault recovery pathway instead.

Check your eligibility in about two minutes at reclaimforyou.com.au/eligibility