Driving other vehicles when own car SORNed?

[jondude]

Car failed its MOT and I have SORNed it. Friend has offered to let me use his Fiesta to drive around as I look for a new car. (I have 2 months insurance left)

Can I do this? My policy does include driving other vehicles I do know but cannot find specifics on whether my car MUST be MOTd and taxed for the driving other vehicles to be valid? It says the other vehicle needs to be insured - which it is.

Anyone know?

[TwigtheWonderkid]

You'll have to read your own policy, but it's highly unlikely there's any requirement for your car to be MOTd for your DOC to be valid. Your DOC might be dependent on your friend's car having its own insurance, some DOCs stipulate this, others don't.

[anonymous-user]

I can't see why you would need to as long as you're insured on your vehicle. Most vehicles don't need an mot for the first three years of their life. Saying that, I believe DOC cover is really for emergencies. Probably best just to pay a few quid and get on his insurance especially if he's fully comp.

[jondude]

Thanks all - trying to get a quote from his insurers and will take it from there.

[StevenB]

You might find your insured to drive it (3rd party only) but it would not be covered for you if you leave it parked on the road.

[Aretnap]

flashbang said:

Saying that, I believe DOC cover is really for emergencies.

That might be the intent behind it, but it's not a condition of the DOC cover on any policy I've ever seen. Unless the policy says "in emergencies only" (and includes a coherent definition of "emergency") you can use it as much as you like for as long as you like.

Having said that, there's often a clause along the lines of "you still have your own car and it has not been damaged beyond economic repair". I'd interpret "damaged" as referring to accident damage, and not general wear and tear or the fact that your car is a rusty pile of crap which is no longer worth putting through an MOT. However I'm not sure that I'm so confident in that interpretation that I'd want to risk having to have the argument with the insurer for the sake of the few quid it would probably cost to be added to my mate's policy. Especially as the few quid would presumably get comprehensive cover as well - which would save an awkward conversation with my mate if I crashed it (or at least make it slightly less awkward).

[Peter911]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

You'll have to read your own policy, but it's highly unlikely there's any requirement for your car to be MOTd for your DOC to be valid. Your DOC might be dependent on your friend's car having its own insurance, some DOCs stipulate this, others don't.

Fake news. The other vehicle HAS to be insured. This came into being a few years ago about the same time as the MID changes.

Your own car can be SORNed.

[KungFuPanda]

StevenB said:

You might find your insured to drive it (3rd party only) but it would not be covered for you if you leave it parked on the road.

Why? The other car has it’s own policy.

[KungFuPanda]

Peter911 said:

TwigtheWonderkid said:

You'll have to read your own policy, but it's highly unlikely there's any requirement for your car to be MOTd for your DOC to be valid. Your DOC might be dependent on your friend's car having its own insurance, some DOCs stipulate this, others don't.

Fake news. The other vehicle HAS to be insured. This came into being a few years ago about the same time as the MID changes.

Your own car can be SORNed.

Depends on the stipulations on the insurance certificate. It maybe that all certificates stipulate this now.

[gazza285]

StevenB said:

You might find your insured to drive it (3rd party only) but it would not be covered for you if you leave it parked on the road.

Why would he need it to be, it is not his car?

[SS2.]

Peter911 said:

The other vehicle HAS to be insured. This came into being a few years ago about the same time as the MID changes.

Do you have a source for your assertion that, for any DOC extension to be valid, the vehicle has to be insured in its own right ?

[ElectricPics]

SS2. said:

Peter911 said:

The other vehicle HAS to be insured. This came into being a few years ago about the same time as the MID changes.

Do you have a source for your assertion that, for any DOC extension to be valid, the vehicle has to be insured in its own right ?

The other vehicle needs to be insured anyway because it should be SORNed or attract continuous insurance enforcement which can be a fine through the post and/or a fine and clamping and towing by a DVLA contractor. You might have cover under DOC but it's still an uninsured vehicle.

Edited by ElectricPics on Tuesday 1st October 10:04

[StevenB]

KungFuPanda said:

StevenB said:

You might find your insured to drive it (3rd party only) but it would not be covered for you if you leave it parked on the road.

Why? The other car has it’s own policy.

It came up a few years ago when I needed to use the driving other cars extension. might not be relevant now, but worth checking.

What it meant was you could drive off road to off road

[Wooda80]

Surely all the law is concerned with is whether you have cover in place for if you kill or injure someone.

The law isn't bothered whether or not the car is SORN'd ( even if DVLA might be ) or on MID ( although it might be more convenient for you if it is ) , or whether or not anyone will pay out if the car gets stolen or scratched while parked on the road overnight, or if you scratch someone else's bumper, or whether your journey is really necessary.

Just read and comply with the clear and expressed conditions on your own policy, rather than what anyone else's used to say and drive the car.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Peter911 said:

TwigtheWonderkid said:

You'll have to read your own policy, but it's highly unlikely there's any requirement for your car to be MOTd for your DOC to be valid. Your DOC might be dependent on your friend's car having its own insurance, some DOCs stipulate this, others don't.

Fake news. The other vehicle HAS to be insured. This came into being a few years ago about the same time as the MID changes.

.

No it didn't, no idea where you got that from.

Lots of DOC extensions (mine included with Aviva) has no such stipulation.

[Lee2246]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

No it didn't, no idea where you got that from.

Lots of DOC extensions (mine included with Aviva) has no such stipulation.

Just had a quick look on my insurance documents that says i'm insured to drive other vehicles and they say different things. They all say "with the permission of the owner" Then references this on one policy:


"Section C 'Driving other cars', may be excluded from this policy. If included, it will show on your certificate of motor
insurance and gives third party only cover (which means that if the car is damaged or stolen we will not pay the cost to
repair or replace it). This section will not apply when the other car is not insured in its own right."

So I'm guessing that's saying if the car I've borrowed isn't insured I'm not insured.



but this on another policy says:

"DRIVING OTHER CARS
Paragraph 6 on page 1 of this certificate will show whether this policy provides any cover whilst you are driving another vehicle. If there is no
reference to this, you are not covered to drive other vehicles. If cover is provided, it is limited to third party only. Any damage to the vehicle you
are driving under this extension is not covered by your policy. Any cover provided does not apply outside the United Kingdom."

So as long as i'm in the UK I can drive any car insured?

Probably best just to make sure the car your borrowing is insured, save any hassle

[SS2.]

ElectricPics said:

SS2. said:

Peter911 said:

The other vehicle HAS to be insured. This came into being a few years ago about the same time as the MID changes.

Do you have a source for your assertion that, for any DOC extension to be valid, the vehicle has to be insured in its own right ?

The other vehicle needs to be insured anyway because it should be SORNed or attract continuous insurance enforcement which can be a fine through the post and/or a fine and clamping and towing by a DVLA contractor. You might have cover under DOC but it's still an uninsured vehicle.

CIE is not relevant to the DOC / third party extension (which is what's being discussed), unless a source can be presented to show the contrary.

If you want to being CIE into it, what about using a DOC extension to drive a SORN vehicle to / from a pre-arranged MOT ?

[TwigtheWonderkid]

Lee2246 said:

Probably best just to make sure the car your borrowing is insured, save any hassle

Probably best to just check your own DOC wording to see if the vehicle you're driving needs to be covered in its own right. If not, no need to check the insurance on the car you're borrowing.

[gazza285]

StevenB said:

KungFuPanda said:

StevenB said:

You might find your insured to drive it (3rd party only) but it would not be covered for you if you leave it parked on the road.

Why? The other car has it’s own policy.

It came up a few years ago when I needed to use the driving other cars extension. might not be relevant now, but worth checking.

What it meant was you could drive off road to off road

Of course you can park it on the road, what possible reason is there to not be able to park it on the road? It is covered by the owner's insurance.