Pre-Settlement Funding
Car Accident Loans
Get cash now against your pending car accident case. Approval in 24 to 48 hours, no credit check, and you pay back nothing if you lose.
Funded in 24 to 48 hours · No credit check · Owe nothing if you lose · All 50 states
$500 to $250,000+
Funding sized to your case strength and projected settlement, not to your credit.
Funded in 24 to 48 hours
Apply today and get a decision within a day of your attorney sending the file.
Lose and owe nothing
The advance is non-recourse. If your case fails, the debt is forgiven in full.
No credit, no income proof
Approval rests on your case file. Your job, income, and credit never factor in.
What Is a Car Accident Loan?
A car accident loan is funding given to an injured driver, passenger, or pedestrian while their auto accident lawsuit is still open. The funder advances cash against part of the future settlement. When the case wins, the agreed payback comes straight out of the settlement before you get your share. When the case loses, the advance is forgiven and you keep what you were paid.
You will see it called a few different things. “Car accident loan,” “lawsuit loan,” “settlement advance,” and “pre-settlement funding” all describe the same product. The word “loan” is shorthand. In most states this is legally a purchase of part of your future settlement, not a consumer loan, which is exactly why your credit score, your job, and your income do not affect approval.
Most people reach out 6 to 18 months in, once savings have run dry and medical bills start heading to collections while the attorney says settlement is still months off. The advance closes that gap. For the full mechanics, read our guide on how pre-settlement funding works.
How Car Accident Pre-Settlement Funding Works
Most cases go from application to wired funds in two to three business days. The slow part is almost never our underwriting. It is how fast your attorney’s office sends the file.
1. Apply in 2 minutes
Submit the short form or call. Give us your contact details, your attorney’s info, and a quick note about the crash. No credit pull, no pay stubs.
2. We review your case
Our team contacts your attorney for the police report, medical records, and any insurance correspondence, then reviews liability and likely value.
3. Get funded
You and your attorney sign a plain contract with the exact payback. Funds are wired to your bank, usually within 24 hours of signing.
Who Qualifies for a Car Accident Lawsuit Loan?
Approval comes down to three things: an attorney representing you on contingency, clear liability against the other driver, and documented injuries backed by medical records. A complication like shared fault, a prior injury, or thin insurance limits will not disqualify you. It shapes the dollar amount, not whether you can get funded.
You usually qualify if
- An attorney is handling the case on a contingency fee
- The other driver was mostly at fault, and it is documented
- You got medical treatment within a reasonable time after the crash
- Your case has not settled or been dismissed yet
You will not qualify if
- You are representing yourself (we cannot fund pro se cases)
- Liability is genuinely unclear, with no police report and no witnesses
- You already accepted a final settlement offer in writing
- The filing deadline in your state has already passed
Cases involving rideshare drivers, commercial trucks, drunk drivers, or fatal injuries often qualify for larger amounts, because the settlements tend to be bigger and the insurance behind them runs deeper. Not sure your case fits? Browse the other case types we fund or just apply and let underwriting take a look.
How Much Can You Get on a Car Accident Case?
Approved advances usually land between 10% and 20% of the expected net settlement. Take a case worth $100,000 with $40,000 going to legal fees and costs. The net is $60,000, so a reasonable advance falls around $6,000 to $12,000. Here is how that plays out across common case sizes:
| Estimated case value | Net after fees & costs | Typical advance range |
|---|---|---|
| $25,000 | ~$15,000 | $1,500 to $3,000 |
| $50,000 | ~$30,000 | $3,000 to $6,000 |
| $100,000 | ~$60,000 | $6,000 to $12,000 |
| $250,000 | ~$150,000 | $15,000 to $30,000 |
| $1,000,000+ | ~$600,000 | $60,000 to $120,000+ |
Four things push the approved amount higher: the severity of your injuries, how clear the liability is, the size of the insurance policy in play, and how close the case is to settlement. A minor injury caused by a commercial truck often funds higher than a severe injury caused by an uninsured driver, because the truck carries far deeper coverage. Want the pricing detail first? See our breakdown of pre-settlement funding costs and fees.
Car Accident Loan vs Other Ways to Get Cash
When money gets tight during a case, most injured drivers weigh a few options. Here is how a pre-settlement advance compares with the usual alternatives.
| Option | Owe it if you lose? | Credit check? | Monthly payments? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Car accident loan | No | No | No |
| Credit card | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Personal bank loan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Borrowing from family | Yes | No | Often |
What happens if you lose your case?
You owe nothing. The agreement is non-recourse, so our right to repayment only exists if your case results in a settlement or judgment. If a jury rules against you, or the case falls apart, the advance is forgiven. Nothing goes to collections, nothing lands on your credit report, and the funder absorbs the full loss. That risk is also why the payback figure looks higher than a bank rate. The funder has to price in the cases that fail. For you, the trade is simple: a known cost if you win, and zero cost if you lose.
See What Your Case Qualifies For
Applying takes about two minutes and never touches your credit. Most drivers hear back within 24 hours of their attorney sending the file.
Car Accident Cases We Fund
Funding is available across nearly every category of motor vehicle injury case, including:
Rear-end collisions
Among the easiest to fund, since fault usually sits with the rear driver.
T-bone & intersection
Witnesses and traffic cameras usually settle the fault question.
Head-on collisions
Often serious, with high settlement values and high approved advances.
Drunk driver crashes
Punitive damages may apply, which tends to make for strong funding cases.
Commercial truck
Federal carrier rules open extra liability paths, with policies often $1M+.
Rideshare (Uber, Lyft)
Commercial coverage kicks in based on the driver’s app status at impact.
Hit-and-run
Uninsured motorist coverage usually applies once the claim is on file.
Multi-vehicle pileups
Liability gets complex, but there are often several insurers to draw from.
Pedestrian & bicycle
Frequently severe, and they often qualify for substantial advances.
Beyond auto cases, ECO funds the full range of personal injury claims. If your case looks unusual, apply anyway. Underwriting is case by case, and odd fact patterns sometimes turn into the strongest files once the documents are in.
Car Accident Loans At a Glance
| Funding amount | $500 to $250,000+ |
| Time to funding | 24 to 48 hours after documents arrive |
| Credit check | None |
| Income or job proof | Not required |
| Monthly payments | None until the case resolves |
| Repayment if you lose | None (non-recourse) |
| States served | All 50 |
| What you provide | Your contact info, your attorney’s info, a short case description |
Why Injured Drivers Choose ECO
ECO Pre-Settlement Funding works with car accident plaintiffs in all 50 states. Our underwriters include former personal injury paralegals and case managers, so we read a file the way your attorney does and approve on the same factors your lawyer cares about: documented liability and verified damages.
- No hidden fees. The contract states exactly what you owe at every six-month milestone.
- No prepayment penalty. Settle in 90 days and you owe the 90-day figure, not the full term.
- Capped payback. We cap total repayment in every state, even where the law does not require it.
- Direct attorney contact. Your attorney’s office works with our team. No sales floor in the middle.
Funding rules differ by state. See specifics for California and Texas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will applying for a car accident loan affect my credit score?
No. We do not run a credit check, and the application is never reported to a credit bureau. The funding is tied to your case, not your personal credit, so your score stays the same whether you apply, get approved, or use the funds.
Does my attorney have to approve the funding?
Yes. Your attorney has to acknowledge the agreement and agree to send the payback from the settlement proceeds. Most personal injury attorneys know the process well and support it when a client is under financial pressure during a long case.
How much will I owe at settlement?
The payback is fixed in the contract and grows on a disclosed schedule. A $5,000 advance settled in 12 months might run $7,500 to $9,000 depending on your state and case factors. Your contract spells out the exact figures at the 6, 12, 18, and 24 month marks, and the maximum payback is capped in writing.
Can I apply if I already have other pre-settlement funding?
Sometimes. If the earlier funder’s lien plus a new advance still leaves real value in the settlement for you, a second advance can work. We coordinate with the first funder to confirm balances and structure the new lien so it does not swallow your net settlement.
What if my case takes years to settle?
Long cases do not mean unlimited cost. We cap total payback regardless of how long the case runs, so the maximum figure in your contract is the most you will ever owe, even if settlement takes years.
Can I use the money for anything?
Yes. The funds go straight to you, not to your doctors or your attorney. Most people use it for rent or mortgage, groceries, car payments, utilities, and everyday bills. There are no spending restrictions.
How long does the application take?
The form itself takes about two minutes. The full process from submission to wired funds usually takes two to three business days, mostly depending on how quickly your attorney’s office sends over the case file.
Apply Today, Get a Decision in 24 Hours
If your car accident case is pending and the bills are piling up, you can apply in under two minutes. You owe nothing if your case loses, and you pay the agreed amount only when it settles. Nothing in between, and nothing on your credit report.