Things I did not know about car insurance...

[YorkshireBloke]

Hi All,

I post this in trepidation: there is a chance that EVERYONE knew this stuff!

OK, just put the A8 on the road, was SORNed, taxed online No Probs (well done Gov?! Seems weird to say that). MOT had expired.

Learning;

1. Insurance is needed to take the car to MOT (obviously). Did you know that Admiral Insurance say if it fails test car IS NOT insured to DRIVE HOME?

Insured to take to "a place of repair" but not home. It would be wise to book it into the place of repair if not Taxed of course.

2. If you were getting your pal to help out and shift the car from the MOT station to your home and relying on his insurance "to drive another car" Admiral would insist that this "other car" had cover from its owner.

Yes, that cover voided by MOT failure, putting your pal in the position of driving illegally...

3. Admiral UK explain the "can't drive home" and put me through to "one day cover" Overseas. The lady misunderstands me and me her, she says I can bring home the car if it fails MOT "if it is trailered". I very nearly take insurance but withdraw after clarifying.

Admiral send me a one day cover-note and a schedule of DD payments incorporating the one day cover I didn't buy.

4. OK, car insured. Life goes on, you change job. If you don't tell your insurer this could affect your cover (the price risk according to what you do).

The new job causes you to split up with your missus, you get a flat in Town and like a good boy you tell your insurer.

They CANCEL the policy. Immediately. Town centre has lots of car crime (shoppers and commuters you bozos, not flat dwellers!). You can't legally drive home from your work. Yes, thanks Kwik Fit, sorry to have had to explain that story to so many telesales people for the following four years.

5. Life goes on. You buy new car insurance and are asked "have you ever had insurance refused or cancelled".

Anyhow, enough! Hope a few people learned a bit from my learning...

And no, my pal didn't get done, I haven't had an uninsured accident but hell, no thanks from the insurance people!!

Check, double check, don't assume the telesales folk are fully aware of your needs. You WILL be held fully legally responsible for any problems.

Robert

[Nick Jones]

I think the moral of the story is don't use Admiral? For sure they are not all like that though quite likely Admiral are not the only ones.

There seems to be some very sharp practice in the insurance industry these days. Very happy to take your money (lots of it) but not to take any risks....

Nick

[ulfilias]

Insurance is quite a tricksy beastie and it's often quite surprisng what is an isn't insured!

I'm surprised that your insurance isn't actually voided by a lack of MOT regardless of where you are driving it. Legally you are allowed to drive to/from and MOT station, but often a valid MOT is a stipulation of the insurance and the police can do you for driving without insurance, despite being legally allowed to drive the car on the road!!!

Also while they canceled the insurance because you moved, that isn't the kind of canceling that they are talking about in regards to refusal of insurance. The isurers didn't like the risk of the town rather than a refusal to insure!

Lee