Can my company make me use my personal car for work?
Discussion
Ask the company's EHS person what policies they have in place to protect against corporate manslaughter claims for employees using their own cars. Do they check and document MOTs, driving licences, appropriate insurance cover, relevant risk assessments even appropriate servicing and maintenance.
Tell them to hire you a car, it's often cheaper than mileage allowances anyway.
Also, as part of their duty of care they'd have to be confident of the servicing and maintenance of your own car. Should you have bald tyres and get involved in an accident then they'd be royally f
ked.
Have a google for duty of care.
Also, as part of their duty of care they'd have to be confident of the servicing and maintenance of your own car. Should you have bald tyres and get involved in an accident then they'd be royally f
ked.Have a google for duty of care.
calibrax said:
I'd start looking for a new job NOW. It sounds like the management are not the sort of people anyone would want to work for.
Exactly what I was thinking. In contrast when I had a long work journey one of the senior managers said to let him know if I got a rubbish pool car and he'll let me have his company car and use the pool car for a few days. In fact I'm sure I've done more miles in his car than he has because he does so few work miles and I often borrow his car for the day.When I mentioned using my own car for work one of the directors instantly said he would pay the max mileage payment allowed and if it increased my insurance cost the company would cover that too.
No company should expect their employee to be out of pocket when doing a work task. Sounds like your company is feeling the strain financially, jump before you are pushed!
edc said:
Ask the company's EHS person what policies they have in place to protect against corporate manslaughter claims for employees using their own cars. Do they check and document MOTs, driving licences, appropriate insurance cover, relevant risk assessments even appropriate servicing and maintenance.
I wouldn't take that approach at all. Don't negotiate - unless you want to. A flat "no" leaves them no room to weedle you into doing something out of order.C
calibrax said:
I'd start looking for a new job NOW. It sounds like the management are not the sort of people anyone would want to work for.
No, it sounds like the OP is trouble. As a manager, I would look elsewhere for promotion candidates.Most people I know use their own cars for work and don't moan about it. It's what mileage allowance is for.
oyster said:
No, it sounds like the OP is trouble. As a manager, I would look elsewhere for promotion candidates.
Most people I know use their own cars for work and don't moan about it. It's what mileage allowance is for.
+1 why such a big deal for the op? Mileage allowance will cover fuel plus extra for wear & tear etc.Most people I know use their own cars for work and don't moan about it. It's what mileage allowance is for.
The 45p a mile is what keeps my 15p a mile car worth using for business. But I'm running my own limited company, so it's my decision, and I (not my company) pay the extra insurance for business use. I usually hit the 10K mark by March, and do a month at 25p a mile.
Even when I was employed I'd rather use my own car, but then the cars I was running were in the sub £1000 category.
Many big companies, have now decided that it is too dangerous to allow employees to use their own cars, I assume what is driving this is that whilst you are driving your own car, they are still vacariously liable for your actions, and would rather cover the risks through their own pool car insurance. Plus if you have an accident whilst in your car but on company business, they are liable for damages to you.
For them to allow you to use your own car, they would have to exercise a duty of care, which would include, having a copy of your insurance schedule, and MOT and Service Records, because they are liable for you whilst you are at work.
To the OP, I'd play the game carefully. If it is clear in your contract that you will use your own car, then it's a different matter, but if not, I'd play the business cost card. If they are paying 45p a mile to you and a diesel hire car costs 25 quid a day and 13p a mile on fuel, you only need to do 75 miles for it to be cheaper for the company to rent a car.
Play clever by renting the car yourself and having it delivered to work, and keeping the profit.
Even when I was employed I'd rather use my own car, but then the cars I was running were in the sub £1000 category.
Many big companies, have now decided that it is too dangerous to allow employees to use their own cars, I assume what is driving this is that whilst you are driving your own car, they are still vacariously liable for your actions, and would rather cover the risks through their own pool car insurance. Plus if you have an accident whilst in your car but on company business, they are liable for damages to you.
For them to allow you to use your own car, they would have to exercise a duty of care, which would include, having a copy of your insurance schedule, and MOT and Service Records, because they are liable for you whilst you are at work.
To the OP, I'd play the game carefully. If it is clear in your contract that you will use your own car, then it's a different matter, but if not, I'd play the business cost card. If they are paying 45p a mile to you and a diesel hire car costs 25 quid a day and 13p a mile on fuel, you only need to do 75 miles for it to be cheaper for the company to rent a car.
Play clever by renting the car yourself and having it delivered to work, and keeping the profit.
Well there's a fist full of opinions.
I wonder though if you're all missing the point of the original posting?
If your Company management want you to go somewhere on business I would assume that you would go by public transport on expenses.
Why get into some fit-of-indignation about using a car?
I wonder though if you're all missing the point of the original posting?
If your Company management want you to go somewhere on business I would assume that you would go by public transport on expenses.
Why get into some fit-of-indignation about using a car?
As other posters have said if you dont have business use on your policy then you are technically un-insured so if you have an accident then your in the brown stuff
I once said i would help do a site move years ago and as the moving transits were full the supervisor asked if i could put some stuff in my car and drive it to the new site. Parked up, unloaded and when i had come back i have a big key-scratch right the way down one side of the car.
When i asked about re-imbursement to get a smart repair as the car was due to be sold in 2weeks i was basically told "Its your car, you deal with it - nowt to do with us"
Since then i will never use my car for work use
I once said i would help do a site move years ago and as the moving transits were full the supervisor asked if i could put some stuff in my car and drive it to the new site. Parked up, unloaded and when i had come back i have a big key-scratch right the way down one side of the car.
When i asked about re-imbursement to get a smart repair as the car was due to be sold in 2weeks i was basically told "Its your car, you deal with it - nowt to do with us"
Since then i will never use my car for work use
DaveEssex said:
Well there's a fist full of opinions.
I wonder though if you're all missing the point of the original posting?
If your Company management want you to go somewhere on business I would assume that you would go by public transport on expenses.
Why get into some fit-of-indignation about using a car?
Yes. Because every single location in the country is well served by an efficient public transport network that won't take half a day to travel 25 miles. I wonder though if you're all missing the point of the original posting?
If your Company management want you to go somewhere on business I would assume that you would go by public transport on expenses.
Why get into some fit-of-indignation about using a car?
897sma said:
oyster said:
No, it sounds like the OP is trouble. As a manager, I would look elsewhere for promotion candidates.
Most people I know use their own cars for work and don't moan about it. It's what mileage allowance is for.
+1 why such a big deal for the op? Mileage allowance will cover fuel plus extra for wear & tear etc.Most people I know use their own cars for work and don't moan about it. It's what mileage allowance is for.
Thankfully, my company are understanding about this sort of thing, if the pool cars are out it's either get a taxi booked and the company foots the bill, or someone will be sent out in the pool car to chauffeur people around.
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