Insuring one car twice.

[KardioKate]

Is it definitely illegal? I've come across conflicting things on googlement.

I need to be able to drive my Mother's car for a couple of months, and her insurance company want £800 for that.

Taking out my own policy on the thing would be £330 p/a.

Big difference, but I'm guessing it is illegal?

[Strawman]

I think the illegal part is one driver having two policies on the same car, and then only really illegal if they crashed the car then claimed twice, i.e. insurance fraud. I think what you want is OK but I'm not an expert, phoning the company that is offering the cheaper policy to ask them would be definitive.

[thinfourth2]

Don't know if illegal but if you have a crash then you are in a legal minefield

[KardioKate]

thinfourth2 said:

Don't know if illegal but if you have a crash then you are in a legal minefield

I can't see how though. If I was driving, then I'd claim on mine. If it wasn't me then it'd be on my Mum's ins?

[McSam]

Strawman said:

I think the illegal part is one driver having two policies on the same car, and then only really illegal if they crashed the car then claimed twice, i.e. insurance fraud. I think what you want is OK but I'm not an expert, phoning the company that is offering the cheaper policy to ask them would be definitive.

I also think this is the case. I mean, when you buy a car, the previous owner might not cancel their insurance for a couple of days or even longer, and surely that can't cause a problem? As for if you have an accident, you're the one driving at the time so clearly it falls under the responsibility of your policy.

[trashbat]

You must be able to insure the same car twice - otherwise you wouldn't be able to arrange fully comp test drive insurance. Similarly you could be insured to drive *any* car TPFT via your own policy.

I don't know how it fits together with MID though.

[thinfourth2]

KardioKate said:

thinfourth2 said:

Don't know if illegal but if you have a crash then you are in a legal minefield

I can't see how though. If I was driving, then I'd claim on mine. If it wasn't me then it'd be on my Mum's ins?

At which point the insurance company refuse your claim as they say its the other companies problem.

[Magic919]

There's no law against having two policies on a car. You aren't covered on her policy anyway. Make sure your Insurer is happy to show your Mum's interest as owner of the car.

[Jakg]

It's allowed, although many insurance companies won't do it.

The Admiral group always tell people it's "illegal" on the phone...

[McSam]

Jakg said:

The Admiral group always tell people it's "illegal" on the phone...

Bugger, that's another thing they won't like me trying to do, then..

[ZOLLAR]

It isn't illegal to insure 2 cars at the same time, what is illegal is claiming for the same accident twice.
But if an insurer finds out the car is insured long term elsewhere they may decline to save themselves the hassle of dealing with dual insurance claims.

[Ozzie Osmond]

• Insurance is different from betting although both involve "risk".
• You can't insure a £5,000 car for £10,000
• If you insure something twice you can't claim twice! To try to claim for the same thing twice is fraud and very, very illegal!
• If you insure something twice each insurer's risk is halved and your claim against each is halved. In other words if you insure an expensive vase twice against accidental breakage, each insurer pays half when you drop it.

Imagine your van is comprehensively insured with your mate John as a named driver because you sometimes lend him the van to take rubbish to the tip. John has his own car which is fully insured and his policy includes third party risks when he is driving other vehicles.
Now imagine he knocks down and injures a pedestrian in your van, and the pedestrian claims for compensation. He is responsible, not you, because he was driving.

[redgriff500]

I was always told it was illegal.

I suggest the grey area comes if it's stolen.

However the common sense approach would either be to then divide the liability