A woman was given a £400,000 bill for the hired Mercedes she was given to drive while her accident claim was being resolved.
Susan Harries drove her Audi, worth £10,000, into a parked Honda in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, in 2016 and was offered a Mercedes C220 by an independent firm.
For three years, Mrs Harries hired the sporty motor costing £300 per day with the total bill coming to £400,000.
She had rented the car through an independent firm that offered to cover the cost of the rental, but only if she was not to blame for the crash.
Typically, independent firms can approach drivers after an accident with offers while the driver‘s insurer works out who is to blame.
They usually claim the cost of the hire from the at-fault driver‘s insurer, but only if the person who takes out the policy is not at fault, reports the Mirror .
If they are at fault, they need to pay the bill themselves.
That's what happened in Susan's case when insurers deemed it was her "negligent driving" that caused her original crash and now she has had to cough up £400,000 - as the car cost £300 per day.
Richard Hiscocks from insurer Aviva said Ms Harries' case "highlights how far credit hire organisations are willing to go to pursue profit."
He said it was "right and responsible" for insurers to take claimants to court when "costs have escalated out of all control".
In September, Ms Harries appeared in court claiming a man reversed his Honda into the path of her car.
But Nottingham County Court ruled against her.
