The Civil Procedure Rules 1998

[F1 SECTION II E+W Road Traffic Accidents – Fixed Recoverable Costs

Textual Amendments

F1 Pts. 44-48 substituted (1.4.2013) by The Civil Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2013 (S.I. 2013/262), rules 2, 16, Sch. (with rule 22)

Scope and interpretation E+W

45.9.— (1) Subject to paragraph (3), this Section sets out the costs which are to be allowed in—

(a) proceedings to which rule 46.14(1) applies (costs-only proceedings); or

(b) proceedings for approval of a settlement or compromise under rule 21.10(2),

in cases to which this Section applies.

(2) This Section applies where—

(a) the dispute arises from a road traffic accident occurring on or after 6 October 2003;

(b) the agreed damages include damages in respect of personal injury, damage to property, or both;

(c) the total value of the agreed damages does not exceed £10,000; and

(d) if a claim had been issued for the amount of the agreed damages, the small claims track would not have been the normal track for that claim.

(3) This Section does not apply where—

(a) the claimant is a litigant in person; or

(b) Section III [F2 or Section IIIA] of this Part applies.

(4) In this Section—

“road traffic accident” means an accident resulting in bodily injury to any person or damage to property caused by, or arising out of, the use of a motor vehicle on a road or other public place in England and Wales;

“motor vehicle” means a mechanically propelled vehicle intended for use on roads; and

“road” means any highway and any other road to which the public has access and includes bridges over which a road passes.

Textual Amendments

F2 Words in rule 45.9(3)(b) inserted (31.7.2013) by The Civil Procedure (Amendment No.6) Rules 2013 (S.I. 2013/1695), rules 2, 7(2) (with rule 10)

Application of fixed recoverable costs E+W

45.10.   Subject to rule 45.13, the only costs which are to be allowed are—

(a) fixed recoverable costs calculated in accordance with rule 45.11; and

(b) disbursements allowed in accordance with rule 45.12.

(Rule 45.13 provides for where a party issues a claim for more than the fixed recoverable costs.)

Amount of fixed recoverable costs E+W

45.11.— (1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), the amount of fixed recoverable costs is the total of—

(a) £800;

(b) 20% of the damages agreed up to £5,000; and

(c) 15% of the damages agreed between £5,000 and £10,000.

(2) Where the claimant—

(a) lives or works in an area set out in Practice Direction 45; and

(b) instructs a legal representative who practises in that area,

the fixed recoverable costs will include, in addition to the costs specified in paragraph (1), an amount equal to 12.5% of the costs allowable under that paragraph.

(3) Where appropriate, VAT may be recovered in addition to the amount of fixed recoverable costs and any reference in this Section to fixed recoverable costs is a reference to those costs net of any such VAT.

Disbursements E+W

45.12.— (1) The court—

(a) may allow a claim for a disbursement of a type mentioned in paragraph (2); but

(b) will not allow a claim for any other type of disbursement.

(2) The disbursements referred to in paragraph (1) are—

(a) the cost of obtaining—

(i) medical records;

(ii) a medical report;

(iii) a police report;

(iv) an engineer’s report; or

(v) a search of the records of the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority;

(b) where they are necessarily incurred by reason of one or more of the claimants being a child or protected party as defined in Part 21—

(i) fees payable for instructing counsel; or

(ii) court fees payable on an application to the court; or

(c) any other disbursement that has arisen due to a particular feature of the dispute.

Claims for an amount of costs exceeding fixed recoverable costs E+W

45.13.— (1) The court will entertain a claim for an amount of costs (excluding any success fee or disbursements) greater than the fixed recoverable costs but only if it considers that there are exceptional circumstances making it appropriate to do so.

(2) If the court considers such a claim appropriate, it may—

(a) summarily assess the costs; or

(b) make an order for the costs to be subject to detailed assessment.

(3) If the court does not consider the claim appropriate, it will make an order for fixed recoverable costs (and any permitted disbursements) only.

Failure to achieve costs greater than fixed recoverable costs E+W

45.14.— (1) This rule applies where—

(a) costs are assessed in accordance with rule 45.13(2); and

(b) the court assesses the costs (excluding any VAT) as being an amount which is less than 20% greater than the amount of the fixed recoverable costs.

(2) The court must order the defendant to pay to the claimant the lesser of—

(a) the fixed recoverable costs; and

(b) the assessed costs.

Costs of the costs-only proceedings or the detailed assessment E+W

45.15.   Where—

(a) the court makes an order for fixed recoverable costs in accordance with rule 45.13(3); or

(b) rule 45.14 applies, the court may—

(i) decide not to make an award of the payment of the claimant’s costs in bringing the proceedings under rule 46.14; and

(ii) make orders in relation to costs that may include an order that the claimant pay the defendant’s costs of defending those proceedings.]