Nobody wants to hand back a car on day 12 of a 20-day repair. The good news: not-at-fault hire isn't day-capped like a policy benefit. It runs for the reasonable period you're without your own car. The useful news: 'reasonable' has a fairly predictable shape.
The yardstick: as long as the loss lasts, no longer
The replacement car compensates your loss of use. So the entitlement tracks the genuine timeline of that loss:
- Repairable car → the reasonable time to assess, approve, source parts and repair: the honest end-to-end repair window, not just 'days on the hoist'
- Written-off car → a reasonable period through assessment and settlement, then a short window to replace the vehicle: the write-off timeline
What legitimately extends the clock
- Parts on back-order: common for newer models and anything imported; documented ETAs make this defensible
- Insurer delays: slow assessments and approval queues extend the loss and are on their side of the ledger, provided the file shows the chasing
- Supplementary damage found mid-repair that needs a fresh approval round
- Liability disputes: while fault is argued, your car stays broken; duration follows, though disputed files need careful handling
What ends (or shortens) it
- Your car is repaired and back: the loss has ended, the hire ends with it
- A write-off settlement is paid and the replacement window has passed
- Delay caused by you: unreachable for approvals, slow to return documents
- Keeping the car against advice after the reasonable period: that's the scenario where costs can shift to you
Why one-team management matters here
Most duration disputes are really coordination failures: a repair nobody chased, an assessment nobody booked. Because Crash Assist runs the claim, the repair and the car together, the timeline is documented end to end, which is exactly the evidence that defends the hire period.
Typical shapes (not promises)
| Scenario | Typical window | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Minor panel repair | A few days to 2 weeks | Parts on hand, quick approval |
| Moderate repair | 2 to 4 weeks | Parts lead times, approval rounds |
| Structural repair | 4 weeks + | Measurement, parts, staged QC |
| Write-off | Several weeks to settlement | Assessment, offer, payout processing |
Every repair is its own story. Treat the table as orientation, and the assessment we give you at intake as the real plan.
Quick answers
Can the insurer cut off the hire mid-repair?
They can announce they'll stop paying from a date, usually when they think the repair should've finished. Whether that sticks depends on the evidence of why the repair genuinely ran longer. Documented parts delays and approval queues resolve most of these arguments.
Do weekends and public holidays count against me?
The reasonable period is measured in real calendar time, workshop realities included. Nobody expects your car to be painted on Good Friday. Holiday-season parts slowdowns are a known, defensible factor.
What if I still need a car after the reasonable period ends?
Talk to your provider before the end date, not after. Options include a paid extension at agreed rates. What you want to avoid is silently keeping a credit-hire car past the recoverable window.
About this guide: general information for NSW drivers, prepared by the Crash Assist team, not legal, financial or insurance advice. Accidents turn on their facts; for an answer specific to yours, get in touch, it costs nothing to ask.