insurance ? does every car have to have its own policy?
insurance ? does every car have to have its own policy?
Author
Discussion

a1rak

Original Poster:

556 posts

199 months

Saturday 5th February 2011
quotequote all
Watched a TV programme the other day "Motorway Cops". They had stopped a women because the vehicle was showing as having no insurance on PNC.

After they had stopped the car it was apparent that the driver was not the owner of the vehicle but the owners sister. The Police then continually kept asking the driver if she had her OWN fully comp insurance on another vehicle which would have covered her to drive her sisters car.

This is my question. I understand that any fully comp policy can entitle you to drive another vehicle which you do not own but have the owners permission to do so. But I thought you could only do this if the car you intended to drive was insured by someone else, ie every car on the road must have its own insurance policy.

Am I right or wrong in my assumption?


kambites

69,722 posts

237 months

Saturday 5th February 2011
quotequote all
I believe it depends on the wording of the policy, most insist that the other car be insured but all that actually matters is that someone will cover you for third party liability.

It doesn't have to be fully comp, either. I've had third party insurance that covers me to drive other cars and fully comp that doesn't.

YoungOne

194 posts

175 months

Saturday 5th February 2011
quotequote all
Fully comp doesn't always cover you to drive other cars either, I'm 23 and my policies have never covered me 3rd party on other vehicles.

Check the small print

petrolsniffer

2,469 posts

190 months

Saturday 5th February 2011
quotequote all
As above? depends on policy

I've been told by my insurer I can drive any car on my policy even if it's insured by someone else or not

I questioned them if I left the car and they said thats fine as i'm essentially 'in charge' of it.

Although It might be useful to have this i'm not 100% confident how clued up a BIB would be on this so i'd rather not drive another car with no policy of its own.

a1rak

Original Poster:

556 posts

199 months

Saturday 5th February 2011
quotequote all
YoungOne said:
Fully comp doesn't always cover you to drive other cars either, I'm 23 and my policies have never covered me 3rd party on other vehicles.

Check the small print
Ok Sorry, not all F.Comp policies will cover another vehicle and some third party policies will cover another vehicle. But back to my question DOES EVERY CAR ON THE ROAD HAVE TO HAVE ITS OWN POLICY BEFORE a third party can drive it on their insurance.

The reason I want to know is that I have 3 cars, If I insure the cheapest ( MG ZT )car myself and then put the other 2 cars (TVR and 306 Rallye) in my wifes name could I drive them on my MG policy instead of having 3 seperate policies.

marshalla

15,902 posts

217 months

Saturday 5th February 2011
quotequote all
a1rak said:
Ok Sorry, not all F.Comp policies will cover another vehicle and some third party policies will cover another vehicle. But back to my question DOES EVERY CAR ON THE ROAD HAVE TO HAVE ITS OWN POLICY BEFORE a third party can drive it on their insurance.
No.

(but it may not be straightforward because of policy wording - the only thing you can do is READ THE POLICY)

hairykrishna

14,065 posts

219 months

Saturday 5th February 2011
quotequote all
The short answer is no, depending on policy. The complication comes when/if you leave the car parked up and unattended. Illegal for an uninsured car to be left parked on the road - is it still covered by the other policy? Again depends on the wording I think.

redstu

2,287 posts

255 months

Saturday 5th February 2011
quotequote all
How would you tax a car that had no insurance?

saaby93

32,038 posts

194 months

Saturday 5th February 2011
quotequote all
redstu said:
How would you tax a car that had no insurance?
the inurance isnt for the car, it's for a person to drive a car
Which is why DVLA and the insurers cant get their heads around how many cars are insured
As far as I know, if you dont own the car you usually have third party cover so can take out tax for it if its moTd.



geeteeaye

2,369 posts

175 months

Saturday 5th February 2011
quotequote all
Didn't the rules change to the effect that if a vehicle isn't SORN it has to be insured?

saaby93

32,038 posts

194 months

Saturday 5th February 2011
quotequote all
geeteeaye said:
Didn't the rules change to the effect that if a vehicle isn't SORN it has to be insured?
As said in prevoius post we dont insure vehicles we insure people to drive particular vehicles. If it's not SORNed and not on the Askmid database DVLA think it's being illegally used on the road - while it could be parked up mothballed or just not on the database - its not mandatory for the insurer to put it on there.
A nice letter should turn up to registered keepers but no-one seems to have received one yet.


Tom H

543 posts

203 months

Saturday 5th February 2011
quotequote all
I believe that it is in force now but very unlikely to get prosecuted until after April and the law will be enforced.

saaby93

32,038 posts

194 months

Saturday 5th February 2011
quotequote all
Tom H said:
I believe that it is in force now but very unlikely to get prosecuted until after April and the law will be enforced.
All the law says they will write to you saying the records do not tie up and you need to resolve it
As far as I can tell all you do next is SORN it online
If you dont do that within x days or you dont receive the letter they issue a FPN

ETA Or it's covered with a mates third party insurance?
It's a weird law - are the only people who can be penalised those who dont reply or receive the post?


Edited by saaby93 on Saturday 5th February 23:28

Noger

7,117 posts

265 months

Saturday 5th February 2011
quotequote all
saaby93 said:
s said in prevoius post we dont insure vehicles we insure people to drive particular vehicles.
Mostly, we insure people to use, not drive.

But the answer is obviously no. And continues to be no, despite the CEI changes.

Edited by Noger on Sunday 6th February 07:58