The full comparison
The table shows the amounts for whiplash alone, with the change in pounds and as a percentage. Figures come from the Whiplash Injury Regulations 2021 and the Whiplash Injury (Amendment) Regulations 2025.
| How long symptoms last | 2021 table | 2025 table | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 3 months | £240 | £275 | +£35 (14.6%) |
| More than 3, up to 6 months | £495 | £565 | +£70 (14.1%) |
| More than 6, up to 9 months | £840 | £965 | +£125 (14.9%) |
| More than 9, up to 12 months | £1,320 | £1,510 | +£190 (14.4%) |
| More than 12, up to 15 months | £2,040 | £2,335 | +£295 (14.5%) |
| More than 15, up to 18 months | £3,005 | £3,445 | +£440 (14.6%) |
| More than 18, up to 24 months | £4,215 | £4,830 | +£615 (14.6%) |
The same increase applies to the column for whiplash with a minor psychological injury, such as travel anxiety. For example, symptoms lasting six to nine months with a minor psychological injury now pay £1,025 instead of £895.
Which table applies to you
Only the date of the accident matters.
- Accident on or after 31 May 2025: the 2025 amounts.
- Accident between 31 May 2021 and 30 May 2025: the 2021 amounts, even if you start your claim or settle it today.
- Accident before 31 May 2021: no tariff. The claim is valued under the Judicial College Guidelines, and the general three-year time limit may already have passed.
People who were hurt in spring 2025 and settled in 2026 sometimes assume they get the new amounts. They don't. If your accident was on 20 May 2025, the 2021 table applies.
Why the amounts went up
The Civil Liability Act 2018, which created the tariff, requires the Lord Chancellor to review the amounts regularly. The first review led to the 2025 regulations, which raised every band to reflect inflation since the original figures were set. The structure of the tariff stayed the same: seven bands by duration, a separate column for minor psychological injury, and a maximum 20% uplift in exceptional circumstances.
What did not change
- The small claims limit for road traffic injury claims stays at £5,000 for the injury part of the claim.
- The Official Injury Claim service and its eligibility rules are the same.
- The two-year ceiling. Whiplash lasting more than two years falls outside the tariff and is valued under the Judicial College Guidelines.
- The 20% uplift is still only available in exceptional circumstances, and courts rarely award it.
- Financial losses such as lost earnings, physiotherapy and travel are still claimed on top at their actual amount.
What the change means in practice
Two drivers with identical injuries, each with neck pain lasting ten months and £400 of losses:
| Accident on 10 May 2025 | Accident on 10 June 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Tariff for more than 9, up to 12 months | £1,320 | £1,510 |
| Financial losses | £400 | £400 |
| Total | £1,720 | £1,910 |
A month's difference in the accident date is worth £190 here. For the longest band the gap is £615.
Is the tariff fair compared with other injuries?
The tariff is deliberately lower than what the Judicial College Guidelines would suggest for a similar soft tissue injury outside a car. That was the policy aim of the reforms, which were designed to reduce the cost of minor road traffic claims.
Where someone has whiplash and another injury, such as a fractured wrist, the Supreme Court in Hassam v Rabot (2024) set out the approach: the court assesses the tariff amount and the other injury separately, adds them, then steps back and makes any deduction needed so there is no double counting for overlapping pain. Any deduction comes off the non-tariff part, and the total should not be lower than the award for the other injury would have been on its own.
Check your own figure
Our whiplash calculator picks the right table from your accident date and adds your financial losses and any reduction for blame.
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Calculate your whiplash compensation
Official 2021 and 2025 tariff for drivers and passengers.
For the full claim process, see how to make a whiplash claim without a solicitor, and for how long it usually takes, how long a personal injury claim takes in the UK.