The driver had no insurance.
Your claim is not over.
Claims involving uninsured or untraced drivers are handled differently from standard claims. These claims are managed through the Motor Insurers' Bureau (MIB) — a body that exists specifically for this situation. This page explains how it works.
The standard personal injury claims process requires an identifiable, insured driver on the other side. When that is not the case — because the driver fled the scene, because they were uninsured, or because the vehicle cannot be traced — the OIC portal process does not apply. The Motor Insurers' Bureau fills that gap.
The MIB is a not-for-profit body funded by all UK motor insurers. It exists to compensate people who are injured by uninsured or untraced drivers. It is not a fallback of last resort — it is the formal mechanism established specifically for this situation. Knowing it exists and understanding how it works, changes what seems like a dead end into a navigable process.
The two MIB schemes
The MIB operates two separate schemes depending on the circumstances. Which one applies determines how the claim is made and what evidence is required.
This scheme applies when the driver who caused the accident has been identified — you have their details, their vehicle registration or both — but they were driving without valid motor insurance. In this situation the driver is known but there is no insurer to claim against in the normal way. The MIB steps in as the compensating body.
Claims under this scheme follow a process that shares some similarities with the standard OIC route — liability still needs to be established and medical evidence is still required — but the MIB, not a private insurer, is the responding party. The process and timescales differ from the OIC portal.
This scheme applies when the driver cannot be identified at all — a hit and run where no registration was obtained, a vehicle that fled the scene or an accident where the at-fault driver drove away before details could be exchanged. There is no known driver and no known insurer. The MIB still provides compensation, but the requirements and the process are different.
Untraced driver claims require a police report — the accident must have been reported to the police as soon as reasonably practicable. Without a police report, an untraced driver claim through the MIB is very difficult to bring. This is one of the reasons reporting a hit and run to the police at the scene is important, even if it feels like the police cannot do much.
These claims follow a different process. Understanding that difference early can make them easier to navigate.
Uninsured driver claims — what to expect
When the driver is known but uninsured, the MIB acts as the compensating body. The process is more involved than a standard OIC claim.
Uninsured driver claims are made directly through the MIB, not through the OIC portal. The MIB has its own online claims portal — available at mib.org.uk — through which the claim is initiated. The claim must include details of the accident, the at-fault driver's details where known and the vehicle registration.
Once the claim is submitted, the MIB investigates the insurance status of the vehicle and takes on the role of compensating party. The process involves many of the same elements as a standard claim — liability assessment, medical evidence and settlement — but the responding body is the MIB rather than a private insurer.
MIB claims are more complex than standard OIC portal claims. The MIB has its own rules, procedures and defences that differ from the standard insurer process. There are specific requirements around notification, reporting and cooperation that, if not followed correctly, can affect the claim. For most claimants navigating an uninsured driver claim without prior experience of the process, regulated legal advice provides real practical value.
Untraced driver claims — what to expect
When the driver cannot be identified, the process is different again — and the evidence requirements are more demanding.
An untraced driver claim through the MIB requires that the accident was reported to the police as soon as reasonably practicable. Without a police report, the MIB will not investigate the claim. If you were involved in a hit and run or any accident where the driver fled and did not report it to the police, doing so now — even belatedly — is the first step.
The MIB carries out its own investigation to establish what happened — specifically whether the accident occurred as described and whether the injuries are consistent with the account given. The process involves more scrutiny than a standard insured driver claim — precisely because there is no opposing driver to present their version of events and the MIB must satisfy itself that the claim is genuine before agreeing to compensate.
This is not a reflection on the claimant. It is the structure of a process that, by its nature, involves a degree of uncertainty about the circumstances. Contemporaneous evidence — photographs from the scene, medical records from close to the accident date, witness details — carries significant weight.
Compensation through the untraced driver scheme covers personal injury — including pain, suffering and financial losses — but not vehicle damage. Property damage is not recoverable through the MIB untraced driver scheme. Personal injury compensation, however, is available and assessed on the same basis as any other claim: liability, medical evidence and the losses caused.
Evidence and the MIB
Evidence matters in all personal injury claims. In MIB claims — particularly untraced driver claims — it matters more.
Photographs taken at the scene — vehicle damage, road positions, any visible injuries, road conditions — are valuable. Witness details are particularly important in untraced driver claims where there is no opposing account to work with. A police incident reference number creates an official record of the accident. Medical records from close to the accident date establish the link between the accident and the injuries.
In hit and run situations, dashcam footage is often the most valuable single piece of evidence — capturing the other vehicle's registration, the collision itself and the circumstances immediately before the accident. If you have a dashcam, preserve the footage immediately after the accident before automatic overwriting occurs. The footage can be provided to the MIB as part of the claim.
The limitation period
The three-year limitation period applies to MIB claims as it does to standard claims — but the clock and the rules differ slightly depending on the scheme.
The standard three-year limitation period applies — running from the date of the accident or, for claimants under 18 at the time, from their 18th birthday. The MIB claim should be initiated within this window. Allowing the limitation period to expire before making a claim is likely to result in the claim being rejected.
The MIB's untraced driver scheme has its own time limits — separate from the standard three-year personal injury limitation period. The claim must be made to the MIB within three years of the accident, but the specific requirements around notification to the MIB differ from a standard claim. This is another reason why regulated legal advice early in the process is valuable — the procedural steps that must be followed correctly are more numerous than in a standard OIC claim.
An uninsured or untraced driver does not end the claim.
The Motor Insurers Bureau exists because Parliament decided that innocent victims of uninsured and untraced drivers should not be left without recourse. It is not a perfect process and it is more complex than a standard claim. But it is a real route to compensation — and knowing it exists is the first step.
Last reviewed: 17 March 2026
ClaimTalk provides general guidance only. Not legal advice. Not affiliated with the Official Injury Claim portal, the MIB or any government body.
MIB claims involve specific procedures and requirements that this guidance does not fully cover. If you are in this situation, regulated legal advice is the appropriate route.