Statutory HGV recovery charges in 2026: what police and National Highways removal costs, and how to avoid it

When an HGV is removed from the road by the police, or by National Highways' recovery contractor on the strategic road network in England, the operator does not negotiate the price. The charges are prescribed by regulation, they are high for heavy vehicles, and storage starts running the same day. This guide sets out the current figures and the practical steps that keep a breakdown from turning into a four-figure invoice.

Which regulations set the charges?

The Removal, Storage and Disposal of Vehicles (Prescribed Sums and Charges) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/2095) fix the amounts that can be charged when a vehicle is removed under road traffic law in England and Wales. The Removal, Storage and Disposal of Vehicles (Prescribed Sums and Charges) (Amendment) Regulations 2023 (SI 2023/331) increased those amounts by an average of about 28 per cent from 6 April 2023, the first uplift since 2008.

The Department for Transport consulted again in 2025 on a further 16.2 per cent increase across four sets of regulations. The government response, updated on 9 June 2026, deferred the fee decision pending further work while approving unrelated changes to disposal timeframes. As at September 2026, therefore, the April 2023 charges remain in force. Check legislation.gov.uk before relying on any figure.

What are the removal charges for HGVs?

Removal charges depend on the vehicle's maximum authorised mass, whether it was on or off the road, whether it was upright and undamaged, and for heavier vehicles whether it was laden.

Vehicle	On road, upright, undamaged	On road, not upright or substantially damaged	Off road, upright, undamaged	Off road, not upright or substantially damaged
Goods vehicle over 18 tonnes	£448	£3,842 unladen / £5,763 laden	£1,921 unladen / £2,561 laden	£5,763 unladen / £7,684 laden
Goods vehicle over 7.5 tonnes up to 18 tonnes	£448	£2,561 unladen / £3,842 laden	£1,281 unladen / £1,921 laden	£3,842 unladen / £5,763 laden
Vehicle over 3.5 tonnes up to 7.5 tonnes	£256	£832	£512	£1,089
Vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes (cars and vans)	£192	£320	£256	£384

"Substantially damaged" is judged by the recovery operator on the day and is the trigger for the big step up in price. A jack-knifed or overturned artic on a verge is the worst case: laden, off the road and not upright.

What are the storage and disposal charges?

Vehicle	Storage per 24 hours or part	Disposal
Over 18 tonnes	£45	£192
Over 7.5 tonnes up to 18 tonnes	£38	£160
Over 3.5 tonnes up to 7.5 tonnes	£32	£128
Up to 3.5 tonnes	£26	£96
Two-wheeled vehicle	£13	£64

Storage is charged per day or part of a day from the moment the vehicle enters the compound, and the vehicle is not released until the removal and storage charges are paid. A 44-tonne artic that sits in a compound for a week while the insurer and the operator argue adds £315 in storage to the removal charge; three weeks adds nearly £1,000.

How does statutory recovery work on motorways?

On motorways and trunk roads in England, National Highways contracts a single National Vehicle Recovery Manager to remove broken-down, damaged and abandoned vehicles around the clock, including shed loads, using pre-positioned recovery vehicles. The contractor collects the statutory charges from the vehicle owner. National Highways has estimated the contractor's income from those charges at more than £12 million a year, which gives some idea of how often it happens. Charges are capped by the regulations for vehicles up to 44 tonnes; removals above that weight, such as abnormal loads, are priced individually. A new generation of the recovery contract was tendered in 2025 with a start expected in mid-2026.

Traffic officers can order a statutory removal when the driver cannot arrange suitable recovery within a reasonable time, when the arrangements offered are unsuitable or unsafe, or immediately when the vehicle is in a dangerous position or obstructing traffic. Historic police practice referred to a 30-minute expectation for clearing a stranded vehicle from a hard shoulder; there is no fixed statutory limit and the decision rests with the officer on scene.

How do I avoid statutory recovery?

• Have cover or a nominated recovery partner before the day. A manufacturer scheme, a breakdown-cover product or a vetted independent heavy recovery operator on each of your main corridors. HGV247 lists independent recovery operators with their published coverage radius and 24-hour availability so a controller can find one within minutes.
• Start arranging immediately. The clock on "reasonable time" starts when the vehicle stops, not when the traffic officer arrives. Call your provider from behind the barrier while you are still waiting for National Highways.
• Give the traffic officer a credible plan. The name of the recovery operator, the ETA and the recovery vehicle type. Officers are far more likely to wait for a named heavy recovery unit that is genuinely on its way.
• Keep the vehicle safe and visible. A vehicle that is upright, on the hard shoulder or in an emergency area and not obstructing is the cheapest category if removal does happen, and the least likely to be removed compulsorily.
• Check your insurance and cover for storage and load transfer. Many policies cap or exclude them.

How much does private heavy recovery cost by comparison?

Private recovery is priced by the operator and depends on the vehicle, the location, the destination and the equipment needed. Typical 2026 figures from UK recovery operators: an underlift recovery of a rigid or a 7.5-tonner from around £300 to £550 plus mileage; a prime-mover or tractor-swap relay for an articulated vehicle from around £500 to £900 plus mileage; rotator, winching and load-transfer work priced per job. Account customers on banded per-mile or per-hour rates pay less than ad-hoc callers. Even at the upper end, private recovery of an upright vehicle is a fraction of the statutory charge for a damaged one, and you choose where the vehicle goes.

A worked example

A laden 44-tonne artic slides onto the verge of a motorway in ice and comes to rest on its side. Statutory removal off the road, laden and not upright: £7,684. It spends nine days in the compound while the load is dealt with: £405. Disposal is not needed. Total statutory charges: £8,089 before any load transfer, damage or the cost of the replacement vehicle. Had the same vehicle stopped upright on the hard shoulder with an air leak and been recovered by the operator's own nominated provider, the bill would have been a few hundred pounds plus mileage.

What HGV247 does

HGV247 is a directory. It helps you find and contact independent recovery operators and mobile mechanics near the vehicle, with their published capability, radius and hours, so that you rather than a traffic officer decide who recovers your vehicle. It is not a recovery operator and not an emergency service; in danger call 999.