Claim in company car, tell the insurance for private?
Discussion
Theoretical one here.
I’m a company director (powerfully built obviously) and I run a pickup as a company vehicle.
A while ago someone reversed into the pickup, scratched and dented the wing. He confessed, I got quotes and he paid. Zero hassle.
The question is that if he’d just driven off, as I suspect most people would, and if claimed on my company insurance would I then need to tell my private car/motorbike insurers about it for the next 5 years?
Or is it a separate thing because it’s a company truck?
I’m a company director (powerfully built obviously) and I run a pickup as a company vehicle.
A while ago someone reversed into the pickup, scratched and dented the wing. He confessed, I got quotes and he paid. Zero hassle.
The question is that if he’d just driven off, as I suspect most people would, and if claimed on my company insurance would I then need to tell my private car/motorbike insurers about it for the next 5 years?
Or is it a separate thing because it’s a company truck?
Speed addicted said:
Theoretical one here.
I’m a company director (powerfully built obviously) and I run a pickup as a company vehicle.
A while ago someone reversed into the pickup, scratched and dented the wing. He confessed, I got quotes and he paid. Zero hassle.
The question is that if he’d just driven off, as I suspect most people would, and if claimed on my company insurance would I then need to tell my private car/motorbike insurers about it for the next 5 years?
Or is it a separate thing because it’s a company truck?
My thinking is yes, a claim is a claim. But in the past I found them not very interested in my no claims history on business vehicles. A claim is a claim, but no claims is separate seemed to be the theme.I’m a company director (powerfully built obviously) and I run a pickup as a company vehicle.
A while ago someone reversed into the pickup, scratched and dented the wing. He confessed, I got quotes and he paid. Zero hassle.
The question is that if he’d just driven off, as I suspect most people would, and if claimed on my company insurance would I then need to tell my private car/motorbike insurers about it for the next 5 years?
Or is it a separate thing because it’s a company truck?
I stand to be corrected if that has now changed.
Your contractual obligations are outlined in your policy.
They generally include you informing them of any applicable collisions, not just those in the insured vehicle.
They can of course decide that it's not relevant (that's their choice), but your duty is to answer all questions truthfully & supply relevant information as required within the policy T&Cs.
They generally include you informing them of any applicable collisions, not just those in the insured vehicle.
They can of course decide that it's not relevant (that's their choice), but your duty is to answer all questions truthfully & supply relevant information as required within the policy T&Cs.
Speed addicted said:
Theoretical one here.
I’m a company director (powerfully built obviously) and I run a pickup as a company vehicle.
A while ago someone reversed into the pickup, scratched and dented the wing. He confessed, I got quotes and he paid. Zero hassle.
The question is that if he’d just driven off, as I suspect most people would, and if claimed on my company insurance would I then need to tell my private car/motorbike insurers about it for the next 5 years?
Or is it a separate thing because it’s a company truck?
What does how your built have to do with anything? I’m a company director (powerfully built obviously) and I run a pickup as a company vehicle.
A while ago someone reversed into the pickup, scratched and dented the wing. He confessed, I got quotes and he paid. Zero hassle.
The question is that if he’d just driven off, as I suspect most people would, and if claimed on my company insurance would I then need to tell my private car/motorbike insurers about it for the next 5 years?
Or is it a separate thing because it’s a company truck?
4rephill said:
Speed addicted said:
Theoretical one here.
I’m a company director (powerfully built obviously) and I run a pickup as a company vehicle.
A while ago someone reversed into the pickup, scratched and dented the wing. He confessed, I got quotes and he paid. Zero hassle.
The question is that if he’d just driven off, as I suspect most people would, and if claimed on my company insurance would I then need to tell my private car/motorbike insurers about it for the next 5 years?
Or is it a separate thing because it’s a company truck?
What does how your built have to do with anything? I’m a company director (powerfully built obviously) and I run a pickup as a company vehicle.
A while ago someone reversed into the pickup, scratched and dented the wing. He confessed, I got quotes and he paid. Zero hassle.
The question is that if he’d just driven off, as I suspect most people would, and if claimed on my company insurance would I then need to tell my private car/motorbike insurers about it for the next 5 years?
Or is it a separate thing because it’s a company truck?
zarjaz1991 said:
Always break down the question asked.
"Have you had any accidents, claims or convictions in the past five years?"
The word 'any' is key here. The correct answer here would be 'yes'.
But 'any' doesn't mean 'any' does it?"Have you had any accidents, claims or convictions in the past five years?"
The word 'any' is key here. The correct answer here would be 'yes'.
Where do you draw the line?
Would you infer that they also want to know about the puncture you got when driving over debris/pothole; or scratches you've got from driving too close to bushes; or dings you've got from car parks.
Should the insurer not specify the parameters of accidents they're asking about? i.e.
- "Have you had any accidents, claims or convictions in the past five years, in any motor vehicle where you were the driver/policy holder", or
- "Have you had any accidents, claims or convictions in the past five years, in any motor vehicle, including those in which you were a passenger or not the policy holder?", or
- "Have you had any accidents, claims or convictions in the past five years, in a private motor vehicle?"
It won't for instance require you to tell them about stubbing your toe in the bathroom, or breaking your leg skiing.
I'd say it depends. If the pickup is registered, insured and owned by the company and it was on company premises at the time with you not in it, then I'd say it's nothing to do with your private insurance.
If on the other hand you were out and about with it, it's under your custody and had maybe parked in a supermarket car park for example, when it got hit then I would say that your are 'in the driving seat' as such and would need to declare the claim.
If on the other hand you were out and about with it, it's under your custody and had maybe parked in a supermarket car park for example, when it got hit then I would say that your are 'in the driving seat' as such and would need to declare the claim.
Matt_E_Mulsion said:
I'd say it depends. If the pickup is registered, insured and owned by the company and it was on company premises at the time with you not in it, then I'd say it's nothing to do with your private insurance.
If on the other hand you were out and about with it, it's under your custody and had maybe parked in a supermarket car park for example, when it got hit then I would say that your are 'in the driving seat' as such and would need to declare the claim.
IF it's parked in a car park and not even moving. What has it got to do with his private insurance?If on the other hand you were out and about with it, it's under your custody and had maybe parked in a supermarket car park for example, when it got hit then I would say that your are 'in the driving seat' as such and would need to declare the claim.
zarjaz1991 said:
Always break down the question asked.
"Have you had any accidents, claims or convictions in the past five years?"
The word 'any' is key here. The correct answer here would be 'yes'.
I would have no trouble answering 'no' in that position. He hasn't had an accident (somebody else did with his parked car but he didn't himself), he didn't claim and for the purposes of this conversation we can answer 'no' to convictions as that doesn't relate to the car park bump."Have you had any accidents, claims or convictions in the past five years?"
The word 'any' is key here. The correct answer here would be 'yes'.
Garybee said:
zarjaz1991 said:
Always break down the question asked.
"Have you had any accidents, claims or convictions in the past five years?"
The word 'any' is key here. The correct answer here would be 'yes'.
I would have no trouble answering 'no' in that position. He hasn't had an accident (somebody else did with his parked car but he didn't himself), he didn't claim and for the purposes of this conversation we can answer 'no' to convictions as that doesn't relate to the car park bump."Have you had any accidents, claims or convictions in the past five years?"
The word 'any' is key here. The correct answer here would be 'yes'.
As I've also said the typical question doesn't just say accident. It tends to include injury, loss or damage too.
If you are looking at insurance it isn't based on how you try to interpret it in an effort to answer 'no' to a question. If the insurance company interpret it differently then they may not pay out or maybe in extreme cases of mis-information cancel the policy (cover for loss was the whole purpose of you getting insurance in the first place). Insurance companies also tend to say if there is any doubt as to whether you should declare, then declare it. If the insurance company won't pay out then you're going to need an Ombudsman or court interpretation of the wording & they ware pretty well trodden paths.
Police officers who are involved in Police collisions are told they should inform their private insurers of the facts.
The initial question was more IF I had claimed to fix the truck would I need to declare it on my private car/bike insurance.
As it was sorted otherwise, I see no point in mentioning it to anyone. There’s no record, it’s a minor but annoying thing.
But it made me wonder if I’d needed to claim on the company insurance if it would then effect the car and three sets of bike insurance I also hold, this becoming a proper pain.
So it looks like it’s a yes for declaring accidents/damage in the company vehicle on the other insurance policies.
It’s a shame really, the truck is far from small and quite easy to see but that’s the second time it’s been reversed into in the last year that I know about!
As it was sorted otherwise, I see no point in mentioning it to anyone. There’s no record, it’s a minor but annoying thing.
But it made me wonder if I’d needed to claim on the company insurance if it would then effect the car and three sets of bike insurance I also hold, this becoming a proper pain.
So it looks like it’s a yes for declaring accidents/damage in the company vehicle on the other insurance policies.
It’s a shame really, the truck is far from small and quite easy to see but that’s the second time it’s been reversed into in the last year that I know about!
Matt_E_Mulsion said:
I'd say it depends. If the pickup is registered, insured and owned by the company...
This is my line of thinking generally, if it's insured in my name, it's 'my claim' if it's insured in the companies name it's theirs. The fleet vehicles I work around get bumped and scraped a lot (delivery vans), as a driver you report any damage you see, but in my experience once it's reported you don't hear anything back about it, 90% of the time I have no idea if damage is repaired by the fleet management in house or by insurance claim.WestyCarl said:
Been in the same situation. Company car, Company policy but made a small claim with me as named driver.
When my wife came to insure her car with me on the policy they knew about my claim, I believe there is a database showing all claims form drivers some companies can check.
This ^^^^When my wife came to insure her car with me on the policy they knew about my claim, I believe there is a database showing all claims form drivers some companies can check.
I’ve had the same situation myself, someone scraped the side of a hire car I was using for my employer whilst it was parked at a hotel. We had to report it out the company insurer, although in the end no claim was made by the hire car company.
When I next renewed my personal car insurance the insurer (a different one) know all about an ongoing (at the time) claim against my name.
Chris
Chris32345 said:
As it a claim involved with a car you are insured on and needs to be declared regardless of fault or circumstances
Eh?? I'm a named driver on my brother's car. He isn't a driver on my car. If he crashes his car, why do I have to tell my insurers?The correct answer depends on who was in charge of the vehicle at the time of claim. If I borrowed my brother's car, and it got hit in the supermarket car park whilst I had it, when my brother came to make the claim, they would ask him who was in charge of the car at the time and he would say I was, and give them my details.
In that case, I would need to disclose it to my own insurers at next renewal.
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