Insurance Question
Author
Discussion

Elwood

Original Poster:

237 posts

284 months

Wednesday 11th July 2007
quotequote all
Our daughter has just bought a car for when she's past her test, so it has no insurance, but it's registered in her name and has tax and mot, is it legal for us to use her car on the road third party only with the comprehensive policies on our own cars?

esselte

14,626 posts

298 months

Wednesday 11th July 2007
quotequote all
Elwood said:
Our daughter has just bought a car for when she's past her test, so it has no insurance, but it's registered in her name and has tax and mot, is it legal for us to use her car on the road third party only with the comprehensive policies on our own cars?
Don't think so.If I remember correctly the car you're driving using you 3rd party cover has to have it's own insurance (I could of course be talking absolute rubbish)

Cooperman

4,428 posts

281 months

Wednesday 11th July 2007
quotequote all
Since you say that your daughter has bought the car, presumably the sales receipt is in her name. So she legally owns the car. This being the case, the car is covered 3rd party so long as the person has that clause in a policy on another vehicle on which they are the policy-holder. However, if they leave the car on the road unattended for longer than is necessary during a journey it will not be covered and the owner (your daughter) could be guilty of having an uninsured vehicle on the road and you could be liable as an accessory to that offence. If, during the journey, you stop to buy a newspaper, use a public toilet or something similar, you are still considered to be driving the vehicle and would be covered. You would not be covered if, for example, you went to visit a relative and parked for some time on the public road at their home.

eltax91

10,782 posts

237 months

Wednesday 11th July 2007
quotequote all
Cooperman said:
Since you say that your daughter has bought the car, presumably the sales receipt is in her name. So she legally owns the car. This being the case, the car is covered 3rd party so long as the person has that clause in a policy on another vehicle on which they are the policy-holder. However, if they leave the car on the road unattended for longer than is necessary during a journey it will not be covered and the owner (your daughter) could be guilty of having an uninsured vehicle on the road and you could be liable as an accessory to that offence. If, during the journey, you stop to buy a newspaper, use a public toilet or something similar, you are still considered to be driving the vehicle and would be covered. You would not be covered if, for example, you went to visit a relative and parked for some time on the public road at their home.
nono

If you read your insurance documents then you will see that you can drive any other car, with the owner's permission, but will be covered 3rd only. ONLY if the car has insurance on it already!

Otherwise i could just by myself 10 cars, insure 1 fully comp and drive the others 3rd party as i conveniently put the cars in relatives names...

BertBert

21,309 posts

242 months

Wednesday 11th July 2007
quotequote all
you will need to read your policy to see what it allows!

I feel it is unlikely as I don't think the 3rd party cover is extended to named drivers, could be wrong - will be in the policy

It is unlikely to be extended to a young driver either - will be in the policy.

BErt

Dwight VanDriver

6,583 posts

275 months

Wednesday 11th July 2007
quotequote all
>>>> ONLY if the car has insurance on it already! <<<<<<

Not necessarily so.

Read the fine print in the Policy.

dvd

aw51 121565

4,773 posts

264 months

Wednesday 11th July 2007
quotequote all
Dwight VanDriver said:
>>>> ONLY if the car has insurance on it already! <<<<<<

Not necessarily so.

Read the fine print in the Policy.

dvd
Mine doesn't say "only if the car has insurance on it already". I can therefore drive other cars third party only with the owners' consent, with impunity...

Only a few Insurance Companies have this rider - Norwich Union policies have it, very few others thus far but some say it is coming...

vonhosen

40,597 posts

248 months

Wednesday 11th July 2007
quotequote all
eltax91 said:
Cooperman said:
Since you say that your daughter has bought the car, presumably the sales receipt is in her name. So she legally owns the car. This being the case, the car is covered 3rd party so long as the person has that clause in a policy on another vehicle on which they are the policy-holder. However, if they leave the car on the road unattended for longer than is necessary during a journey it will not be covered and the owner (your daughter) could be guilty of having an uninsured vehicle on the road and you could be liable as an accessory to that offence. If, during the journey, you stop to buy a newspaper, use a public toilet or something similar, you are still considered to be driving the vehicle and would be covered. You would not be covered if, for example, you went to visit a relative and parked for some time on the public road at their home.
nono

If you read your insurance documents then you will see that you can drive any other car, with the owner's permission, but will be covered 3rd only. ONLY if the car has insurance on it already!

Otherwise i could just by myself 10 cars, insure 1 fully comp and drive the others 3rd party as i conveniently put the cars in relatives names...
I've read several of mine cover to cover & there was no such stipulation. It depends on your insurer.

Elwood

Original Poster:

237 posts

284 months

Wednesday 11th July 2007
quotequote all
It does seem to be a bit of a grey area, our daughters going to insure it when she's passed her test as she's using the driving school car for her lessons and her test.
I don't really want to have to take out another policy for a few weeks or so, I have four already and I can't find anything in the policy, so I'll ring them tomorrow.

Elwood

Deva Link

26,934 posts

276 months

Wednesday 11th July 2007
quotequote all
eltax91 said:
Otherwise i could just by myself 10 cars, insure 1 fully comp and drive the others 3rd party as i conveniently put the cars in relatives names...
You could do, and it's because of people doing things like this, and the general confusion over DOC cover, that it's being phased out.

These days taxing the other 9 cars would be impossible, of course.

aw51 121565

4,773 posts

264 months

Wednesday 11th July 2007
quotequote all
You could get a 'motor trader' policy for your 'several' cars, and I believe you don't need to be a motor dealer nowadays to do this.

Would be cheaper than insuring 'several' cars but the cover has large excesses and payouts are on strict 'trade' values I am told, so it's not all "beer and skittles"...

WeirdNeville

6,050 posts

246 months

Wednesday 11th July 2007
quotequote all
The only way to be sure is to phone your insurance company and tell them of your intentions, and ask them if you'd be covered.

In my experience of these matters the answer will be "no". They generally stipulate that either only the policy holder is 3rd party only on other vehicles, that the owner of the vehicle must also be the policyholder, that the other vehicle has its own policy of insurance in force, or some combination of these.

Cooperman

4,428 posts

281 months

Thursday 12th July 2007
quotequote all
You don't need to ring the insurers. You just need to read your owen policy document. If it says that 'the insured is covered by 3rd party insurance to drive any vehicle not owned by him/her and not hired to him/her under a hire-purchase agreement', then you are covered so long as there is no rider to say that any such vehicle must be subject to cover on another policy. My policies certainly don't say this and I am free to drive anything which is currently taxed and MoT'd. It's all there in the policy document if you read it.

Zumbruk

7,848 posts

291 months

Thursday 12th July 2007
quotequote all
Cooperman said:
You don't need to ring the insurers. You just need to read your owen policy document. If it says that 'the insured is covered by 3rd party insurance to drive any vehicle not owned by him/her and not hired to him/her under a hire-purchase agreement', then you are covered so long as there is no rider to say that any such vehicle must be subject to cover on another policy. My policies certainly don't say this and I am free to drive anything which is currently taxed and MoT'd. It's all there in the policy document if you read it.
Quite.

I own two cars, insured with different companies. One policy says I am covered to drive any car not owned by me (hire-purchase, yada, yada, yada) but the other says that I am only insured to drive a car not owned by me providing it is insured in its own right.

So, it varies.

Read the policy, like the man said.

Deva Link

26,934 posts

276 months

Thursday 12th July 2007
quotequote all
Zumbruk said:
I own two cars, insured with different companies.
That would be messy if you ever did claim. Strictly speaking you'd probably need to claim on both your policies - shared risk, or something.

esselte

14,626 posts

298 months

Thursday 12th July 2007
quotequote all
Deva Link said:
Zumbruk said:
I own two cars, insured with different companies.
That would be messy if you ever did claim. Strictly speaking you'd probably need to claim on both your policies - shared risk, or something.
What,if car A was insured with co. A and car B insured with Co B? Why would Co A have to pay out on a claim for car B?

Deva Link

26,934 posts

276 months

Thursday 12th July 2007
quotequote all
esselte said:
Deva Link said:
Zumbruk said:
I own two cars, insured with different companies.
That would be messy if you ever did claim. Strictly speaking you'd probably need to claim on both your policies - shared risk, or something.
What,if car A was insured with co. A and car B insured with Co B? Why would Co A have to pay out on a claim for car B?
No - Zumbruk is talking about driving a third car (car C, if you like) not owned by him, etc etc, using the DOC cover on his Car A and Car B policies.

esselte

14,626 posts

298 months

Thursday 12th July 2007
quotequote all
Deva Link said:
esselte said:
Deva Link said:
Zumbruk said:
I own two cars, insured with different companies.
That would be messy if you ever did claim. Strictly speaking you'd probably need to claim on both your policies - shared risk, or something.
What,if car A was insured with co. A and car B insured with Co B? Why would Co A have to pay out on a claim for car B?
No - Zumbruk is talking about driving a third car (car C, if you like) not owned by him, etc etc, using the DOC cover on his Car A and Car B policies.
Ahhh I see......