Insurance - Test Drive Cover?

[paddyhasneeds]

Had the shock of my life today. I've arranged a vehicle from a main dealer for the afternoon on Friday and they asked if I could get it put on my insurance as every time they do an unaccompanied drive their insurance charges them £x - I know one argument is "cost of doing business" but I also assumed I'd simply phone my insurer and they'd change the vehicle temporarily.

Apparently not - not even at a cost or admin fee, just point blank no.

I'm with A-Plan, the policy is with Equity Red Star and is fully comp and I'm mid 30's with NCD since forever so I'm not a boy racer wanting to try a fast car for a laugh type of thing.

Is this normal?

[GreigM]

Find a new dealer - it is a cost of doing business.

[rallycross]

If I was an insurance co' I'd hate to insure people for one day, unacompanied test drives! Pretty high risk.

If you want a test drive at no cost just go out with the dealer beside you, arrange in advance that you want to go for a decent long drive and not just 'round the block'.

[MrWest90]

If you were going to pay your insurance company a fee for a day, why not offer to pay the charge it would cost the dealer to add you on to there trade policy for the day? It might only be a small amount, and they can only say no if not. But really it is the cost of business and if your looking to spend thousands with them, they should just pay it.

[paddyhasneeds]

Tbh I can see both sides of the dealer side of things so I'm not that bothered about that.

My surprise was more at the point blank refusal of my current insurer.

I suspect there may be a section covering test drives in their small print but I wasn't looking to do it on some sort of free blanket (i.e. insure a Fiesta and test drive a Ferrari), the fact that they won't even do it at cost which is what surprised me.

(the insured car is a 2006 Porsche Boxster, the car I'm test driving is a 2010 Land Rover Freelander 2 so hardly shed to chariot).