I’m not at fault in Victoria, is choosing my own repairer worth it?

14 October 2026

I’m not at fault in Victoria, is choosing my own repairer worth it?

Being without your car is usually the first cost you feel.

Before most drivers worry about repair language, they are working out how to get to work, school, jobs, deliveries or appointments while the car is off the road. That is why the real issue is not just, “Can I choose my own repairer?” It is what control you keep over the repair process, and what happens to your day to day life while the vehicle is being sorted.

If you were not at fault in Victoria, the starting point is simple. Victoria Legal Aid says, "After a vehicle accident the way to get a vehicle repaired depends who was at fault and the kind of insurance cover each person has." That matters because a not at fault claim is not the same as an at fault insurance claim made under your own policy.

What your situation actually turns on

If another driver caused the crash, responsibility for the damage starts there. Victoria Legal Aid says, "If someone causes a crash, they are responsible for any damage they cause."

That does not answer every practical question on its own, but it does explain why not at fault drivers often try to avoid being folded into a process that is built around someone else’s insurer and someone else’s preferences.

Your repair pathway can depend on:

• who caused the crash
• what insurance cover each person has
• whether you are claiming through your own insurer or dealing with the at fault side
• what arrangements are made for repairs and for a replacement vehicle while your car is off the road

That is also why broad online answers can be frustrating. Two Victorian drivers can ask the same question and still get different outcomes because the paperwork and claim pathway are different.

What you can safely rely on, and what depends on the claim

A lot of online debate turns the issue into a yes or no argument about whether you have a "right" to choose any repairer you want.

The more accurate answer is narrower.

In Victoria, the repair process depends on fault and on the insurance held by each person, as set out by Victoria Legal Aid. That means the real answer depends on whose policy is being used, what that policy says, and how the claim is being handled.

So if the at fault insurer is pressuring you toward a particular repair pathway, do not assume that convenience for them is the same thing as the best arrangement for you. It may affect who coordinates the repair, how much say you have over the process, and how your time without the car is handled.

We do not give legal advice, and this is one of those areas where the detail matters. If someone is pointing you to a clause, ask them to show you exactly where your repair options and claim conditions are set out.

The part many drivers feel first, being without a car

When people search Reddit for this topic, they often frame it as a fight about repairer choice alone. In practice, the more immediate problem is often mobility.

If your car is not driveable, or should not be driven until repairs are arranged, the question becomes:

• who is coordinating the repair
• whether you are left chasing updates yourself
• what happens while your vehicle is off the road

That is where handling the claim properly matters. A not at fault driver is often trying to avoid two bad outcomes at once, a repair process they do not control, and days or weeks of disruption while they still have to live and work.

Does choosing your own repairer automatically cost you a replacement vehicle?

This is the point where online discussions often become too confident.

Whether a replacement vehicle is arranged, delayed or disputed can depend on the facts of the claim and on how the claim is being run. The material here does not set out a blanket rule that applies to every Victorian not at fault claim, so you should treat anyone offering a one line universal answer with caution.

What you can say safely is this.

If another driver caused the crash, Victoria Legal Aid says, "If someone causes a crash, they are responsible for any damage they cause." In real life, sorting out the repair and arranging transport while the vehicle is off the road are part of the practical consequences that follow a not at fault collision. How those items are managed can still depend on the claim pathway and the documents being relied on.

So if someone tells you that using their preferred repairer is the only way the process can move, or the only way a replacement vehicle can be discussed, ask them to put that in writing and point you to the term they rely on.

Why many not at fault drivers want the claim handled for them

Most people do not want a technical argument with an insurer’s claims team. They want the damaged car dealt with, the repair cost recovered from the at fault side, and a replacement vehicle arranged while their own car is off the road.

That is where we step in.

We help not at fault drivers in Melbourne and across Victoria by managing the claim pathway so you do not have to claim on your own policy just to get moving. Depending on your circumstances, that can include:

• arranging repairs
• recovering the repair cost from the at fault driver’s insurer
• arranging a replacement vehicle while your car is off the road
• coordinating the claim so you are not left arguing each step yourself

This is not about turning a straightforward claim into a bigger fight. It is about keeping the process focused on what matters to you, getting the vehicle issue dealt with properly and reducing the disruption that follows a crash you did not cause.

What to do next

If you were not at fault and you are being pushed toward the at fault insurer’s repair pathway, do not guess your way through it.

Let us manage the not at fault claim, coordinate the repair process, and arrange the replacement vehicle pathway where your circumstances allow, so you are not left using your own policy or chasing the at fault side alone.

Call 0495 032 111