Hi guys

Bit of a messy car insurance claim. I purchased a vehicle which i got myself insured as a second driver and my mother the main driver (I’ve since been told this is illegal and the company should never have allowed this in the first place) i moved address and my mum has moved address but she forgot to change the address with the insurance company, so in effect the insurance policy is registered in my mums name, at our old address, i won the car, at another address. i took the car to a garage to get it serviced and the car was stolen from the garage, I’ve now found out the garage has no insurance. The police found the car burnt out. Personally i think I’m screwed when it comes to my insurance claim, have i got any hope?

Hi guys

 

Bit of a messy car insurance claim. I purchased a vehicle which i got myself insured as a second driver and my mother the main driver (I’ve since been told this is illegal and the company should never have allowed this in the first place) i moved address and my mum has moved address but she forgot to change the address with the insurance company, so in effect the insurance policy is registered in my mums name, at our old address, i won the car, at another address. i took the car to a garage to get it serviced and the car was stolen from the garage, I’ve now found out the garage has no insurance. The police found the car burnt out. Personally i think I’m screwed when it comes to my insurance claim, have i got any hope?

Hello there.

I'm a bit confused, maybe you could clarify please?

You say you bought the car and then later that you won it. Which is right please?

And maybe you could clarify the bit about your Mum being the main driver and you the second one? Which part is illegal?

My best, HB

oh sorry , i hold the car at another address (not sure how i ended up writing that ). Right If you take out a insurance policy, the person who owns the bvehicle (the person whoes name is on the V5) has to be the main account holder. I owned the vehicle but wasn't listed as the main account holder, which is supposed to be illegal yet somehow they were still happy to take my money even though i may not have been covered

If the car was yours and you were in fact the main driver, then the policy should have been in your name. So by getting your mum to take out the policy is 'fronting' which is illegal.

I suggest that your mum makes the claim on her policy and she just explains that the registration documents are in your name, because you bought the car for her. Being that the claim is for a theft from a garage and not an accident, the Insurers might not look into this too far. The Insurers should pay your mum out for the 'market value' of the car and they will try to recover the claim from the garage.

I would suggest that your mum does not tell the Insurers that the car was yours and you were the main driver, because they will void the policy and she will then have difficulty obtaining Insurance for her own car/house etc. You would also be faced with having to take legal action against the garage for not securing the car, which would be costly and you would not be guaranteed to win.

Keep this simple. You gave the car to your mum and that is the reason the policy was put in her name. You just made a mistake with the registration documents, which you should have transfered to her.

you could takr the garage to court, but would they pay!

Personally, as you have fronted the policy, then it is v unlikely you will get any money from them. The best you can hope for is them voiding the policy ab-initio, which means you will get the premium back.

A to taking the garage to court, it depends if they have been negligent. How as the car stolen? were the keys left in the vehicle? Were teh keys just left on a noticeboard?? etc

Sorry, but as per the above, no chance at all, the slimest of slim chances you can find the garage at fault, but that will take some doing.