No insurance on car, don't want to SORN - help!

[youngsyr]

Hi all, I'm in the process of changing cars and have already bought the replacement, but haven't sold my current car yet. I also have a third car that I'll be keeping ("the keeper").

The problem is that I only have two insurance policies with NCB and all three cars are pretty hefty to insure (in the region of £500 per year with full NCB). So, I have moved my insurance policy from the keeper to the new car, leaving the keeper uninsured and sitting on the drive.

I hope to sell my current car in the next 6 weeks or so and so will need insurance on it for test drives etc.

I also want to drive the keeper every now and again on a day insurance policy just to keep it ticking over and stop any mothballing issues, so don't want to SORN it.

I just received a warning letter about the Keeper not being insured though, threatening a fine if it isn't either SORNed or added to the Motor Insurance Database (i.e. by having a policy added against it).

Can anyone suggest any solutions that don't involve taking out a full annual third insurance policy on the keeper?

Will a fire and theft only policy get the car on the MIB?

How much is the fine if I just decide to take it on the chin and are there any other penalties that rule this out as an option?

Thanks in advance for any help offered.

[cwis]

Ask your insurance company. I had two cars on one policy in exactly this scenario for about 25 quid on top of the policy for the new car a few years ago. I think the time limit was 28 days or so. May well end up cheaper than day insurance too.

[TooMany2cvs]

youngsyr said:

Can anyone suggest any solutions that don't involve taking out a full annual third insurance policy on the keeper?

Sorry, but no. Since 2011, when the continuous insurance regs came in, any car that's taxed needs to be insured at all times. The only way you can have an uninsured car is if it's SORNed.

youngsyr said:

Will a fire and theft only policy get the car on the MIB?

No, it needs to be insured for road risks. After all, why have it taxed if it's not going to be insured...?

Talk to the insurer of the car you'll be selling, see if they'll cover both for the overlap.

[DragsterRR]

TooMany2cvs said:

No, it needs to be insured for road risks. After all, why have it taxed if it's not going to be insured...?

Plenty of reasons.

I bought a car a week ago for the mrs.
I work away from home. I taxed it and insured it for a couple of days to test it and make sure it was ok.
It is.
I'm not taking it home for the mrs for another 10 days. It's not going to be driven until then.
When it is insured properly it will be in her name not mine.
So a day policy in 10 day time is fine. Until then? Why would I even insure it in my name?

Good enough example? Stupid bloody law.

[BertBert]

You could actually sorn the keeper, it's only a desire to drive it, it's certainly not going to get any mothballing issues after 6 weeks.

youngsyr said:

I hope to sell my current car in the next 6 weeks or so and so will need insurance on it for test drives etc.

[youngsyr]

OK, thanks for the replies. Seems like either one of my current insurers has to help me out or I get a full policy.

But what about the third option - do nothing and just pay the fine? Anyone know how much it will be? Any other adverse consequences?

[Marti99]

Not sure about the standard fine for not doing a sorn but if you get caught while on a test drive or whatever it will be 6 points and a nice fine along with the cost of getting your car out the impound.

[youngsyr]

Marti99 said:

Not sure about the standard fine for not doing a sorn but if you get caught while on a test drive or whatever it will be 6 points and a nice fine along with the cost of getting your car out the impound.

You've misread my post - the uninsured car will remain parked on my drive, taxed, but uninsured. If and when I decide to drive it, I will take out a day insurance policy on it.

At no point will any of my cars be driven on the road without insurance.

[marshalla]

You should've left the policy on the keeper and got your insurance company to cover the new car, whilst extending temporary cover to the car that's for sale for a few weeks. They're used to doing that.

[oldcynic]

youngsyr said:

You've misread my post - the uninsured car will remain parked on my drive, taxed, but uninsured. If and when I decide to drive it, I will take out a day insurance policy on it.

At no point will any of my cars be driven on the road without insurance.

You're assuming they won't lift it from your driveway.

I don't know the letter of the law and their possible actions, but I know they've got the upper hand if they take your car - regardless of whether such action was legitimate. It's probably far simpler to comply with the letter of the law, despite the fact that the law probably doesn't achieve much or any of what it was intended for.

[SS2.]

youngsyr said:

But what about the third option - do nothing and just pay the fine? Anyone know how much it will be?

Probably an advisory letter first, followed by a £100 fixed penalty (reduced to £50 for early payment) if vehicle not SORN'd or insured shortly after. Fine & other costs would be significantly higher if the matter was proceeded to court.

[SS2.]

oldcynic said:

You're assuming they won't lift it from your driveway.

He'd be quite correct to make that assumption.

[ging84]

Just sorn it

I'm guessing you have not looked up the cost of day insuring it, because day insuring it at least once a month will cost a hell of a lot more than insuring it for a year.
If you are planning on taking it out less than once a month, then sorning it and taxing it when you need will save you money

[youngsyr]

oldcynic said:

youngsyr said:

You've misread my post - the uninsured car will remain parked on my drive, taxed, but uninsured. If and when I decide to drive it, I will take out a day insurance policy on it.

At no point will any of my cars be driven on the road without insurance.

You're assuming they won't lift it from your driveway.

I don't know the letter of the law and their possible actions, but I know they've got the upper hand if they take your car - regardless of whether such action was legitimate. It's probably far simpler to comply with the letter of the law, despite the fact that the law probably doesn't achieve much or any of what it was intended for.

I'm not assuming anything - I'm asking what the possible consequences are if I don't insure the car!

Are you saying they can legally come onto my land and remove my car if I don't insure it?

[youngsyr]

ging84 said:

Just sorn it

I'm guessing you have not looked up the cost of day insuring it, because day insuring it at least once a month will cost a hell of a lot more than insuring it for a year.
If you are planning on taking it out less than once a month, then sorning it and taxing it when you need will save you money

Day insure is £45 a time.

Annual insurance is around £400, with full NCB. I suspect it will be double that without it. Tax is c.£200 p.a.

That's what's got me thinking that it might be cheaper just to keep it uninsured apart from the odd day and just pay the fine.

[SS2.]

youngsyr said:

Are you saying they can legally come onto my land and remove my car if I don't insure it?

If that's what he's implying, then he'd be mistaken.

[ging84]

youngsyr said:

Day insure is £45 a time.

Annual insurance is around £400, with full NCB. I suspect it will be double that without it. Tax is c.£200 p.a.

That's what's got me thinking that it might be cheaper just to keep it uninsured apart from the odd day and just pay the fine.

Tax might be £200 a year, but it only costs you an extra £10 to pay it month to month
If you take the car out less than once a month, it will save you money to sorn in between.
If you take the car out once a month, it will cost you £10 a year extra to sorn in between .
If you take the car out more than once a month, at £45 a time to day insure it, that's going to cost you at least as much as a year's insurance even without any no claims discount.

[youngsyr]

ging84 said:

youngsyr said:

Day insure is £45 a time.

Annual insurance is around £400, with full NCB. I suspect it will be double that without it. Tax is c.£200 p.a.

That's what's got me thinking that it might be cheaper just to keep it uninsured apart from the odd day and just pay the fine.

Tax might be £200 a year, but it only costs you an extra £10 to pay it month to month
If you take the car out less than once a month, it will save you money to sorn in between.
If you take the car out once a month, it will cost you £10 a year extra to sorn in between .
If you take the car out more than once a month, at £45 a time to day insure it, that's going to cost you at least as much as a year's insurance even without any no claims discount.

You haven't included admin fees for cancelling a full year policy (I won't need 3 policies when I sell the current car), so at about once a month it seems I'm about break even, without the hassle of having to arrange and then cancel a SORN and an annual insurance policy.

[btcc123]

What you should have done is leave the keeper car with its existing insurance,when you bought the new car ring up your old car insurance and ask them to transfer the insurance to your new car but explain that you will be selling your old car privately in a few weeks and could they also insure the old car until you sell it say within 2-3 weeks.

I have done this a few times and the insurance company have charged me about £50 as I have always sold my old car within 2-3 weeks.

I may be wrong but I think the fine for no insurance if you have had a reminder to insure or sorn is £1,000

[SS2.]

btcc123 said:

I may be wrong but I think the fine for no insurance if you have had a reminder to insure or sorn is £1,000

That's the absolute maximum, and only if goes to court.

The fixed penalty is £100, with a reduction if paid within a couple of weeks.