Insurance number of miles per year

[The Moose]

As we all know, when one does a quote for motor insurance you're asked to estimate your annual mileage.

Now, obviously if you estimate 5,000 and do 50,000 then something is obviously wrong, but if you suggest 10,000 but end up doing 12,000 does that mean you're not insured for the final 2k, or does it not matter?

Also, if you do a good chunk of miles per year on a track (where according to the policy, you're not insured), is this totally independent of the mileage, or does it all add up?

ETA: and how is this verified/checked?!

[PumpkinSteve]

I've wondered this too, they don't ask for you mileage when you take out the policy (or at least I've never been asked), so how would they know?

[marshalla]

MOT records for cars that are old enough, odometer for cars that aren't.

[SD1992]

I have to admit, when i took out insurance on my current car (ST24) I insured it for 5k a year as I was honestly not expecting to drive it much. Part of the reason for buying it was to deter me from driving in town as that killed my bank balance last year.

However I did 5k in 2 months in summer alone!

Car is off the road now (saving money, not smashed!) so I don't think it matters now. However I really don't see how they could check it. I service it and do all the work it needs myself, and the only time it sees a garage is for the MOT. I know mileage is noted down for MOTs, but they are notoriously unreliable. Last year I put my last car in for an MOT on 85k, and the MOT sheet said 105k!

Very hard to prove IMO.

[The Moose]

marshalla said:

MOT records for cars that are old enough, odometer for cars that aren't.

What about cars that are used off road/on a track/lent to mates for long-ish journeys etc??

[marshalla]

The Moose said:

What about cars that are used off road/on a track/lent to mates for long-ish journeys etc??

I suspect it's up to you to provide evidence that that usage occurs and is off-cover.

[The Moose]

marshalla said:

The Moose said:

What about cars that are used off road/on a track/lent to mates for long-ish journeys etc??

I suspect it's up to you to provide evidence that that usage occurs and is off-cover.

How are you supposed to do that?!?!

So much for innocent until proven guilty then!!

[kaf]

SD1992 said:

However I really don't see how they could check it.

If last MOT says 50,000 and the clock shows 70,000 and you 'estimated' 9,000 per year, I can guarantee one thing, they will not pay out.

And they will leave it to YOU to prove otherwise.

Like many things with insurance, you can get away with all kinds of lies..............until you need to claim and their fist full of aces comes out.

[marshalla]

The Moose said:

How are you supposed to do that?!?!

So much for innocent until proven guilty then!!

Even if you can prove it, there will almost certainly be an argument that track use promotes more rapid wear on components and that the vehicle may have become unroadworthy as a result. Insurance contracts have nothing to do with fairness, btw and the principles of criminal law do not always apply to them.

[SD1992]

kaf said:

If last MOT says 50,000 and the clock shows 70,000 and you 'estimated' 9,000 per year, I can guarantee one thing, they will not pay out.

And they will leave it to YOU to prove otherwise.

Like many things with insurance, you can get away with all kinds of lies..............until you need to claim and their fist full of aces comes out.

Like I said - MOT readings are extremely unreliable. I don't think out of the 3 MOTs I have put cars through one of of them has stated the correct mileage on the car.

[sleep envy]

Some insurance will just charge you Xp/mile if you go over the limit

[R12HCO]

On a similar note, I dont understand why they ask you the value as they say instantly that why would offer you market value if anything happend.

[The Moose]

R12HCO said:

On a similar note, I dont understand why they ask you the value as they say instantly that why would offer you market value if anything happend.

But I bet if you put the value down as £5k on a £15k car, you'd not get paid out

[MartyPubes]

The Moose said:

What about cars that are used off road/on a track/lent to mates for long-ish journeys etc??

If you estimated 9000 miles a year and did 9300 I don't think any eyebrows would be raised. If you'd done 15,000 that's a lot of trackdays/mates loaning for long journeys...

[fastcars_hardy]

SD1992 said:

Like I said - MOT readings are extremely unreliable. I don't think out of the 3 MOTs I have put cars through one of of them has stated the correct mileage on the car.

sounds like you need to find a new garage because if he can't even get the mileage right i wouldn't trust him on my car.

[SD1992]

fastcars_hardy said:

sounds like you need to find a new garage because if he can't even get the mileage right i wouldn't trust him on my car.

This has been at 3 different garages! First bunch were cowboys and took me for a ride, but the others were fine besides the mileage thing.

[The Moose]

MartyPubes said:

The Moose said:

What about cars that are used off road/on a track/lent to mates for long-ish journeys etc??

If you estimated 9000 miles a year and did 9300 I don't think any eyebrows would be raised. If you'd done 15,000 that's a lot of trackdays/mates loaning for long journeys...

And what if your job role changed which required a greater number of miles commuting?

Would this still be a problem? As when you initially took the policy out, that was what you estimated?!

[kaf]

The Moose said:

And what if your job role changed which required a greater number of miles commuting?

Then you phone the ins co and tell them.

You are obliged to tell them of any material change.

[monthefish]

kaf said:

If last MOT says 50,000 and the clock shows 70,000 and you 'estimated' 9,000 per year, I can guarantee one thing, they will not pay out.

Has this actually happened to anyone?

(Has anyone even been asked to provide the MOT's following a claim?)


kaf - you sound pretty sure of yourself; what position in the insurance industry do you hold?

[AMST09]

With Adrian Flux I have to tell them my actual mileage

Most insurances also say "how many miles do you estimate to do this year"
Not "how many miles do you estimate to do on the road this year"