Insurance for impounded car

[wige1001]

Hi all,

 

I have recently had my car impounded due to driving without insurance. I hadn't realised that it had expired a few days earlier. I'm in the process of paying the fines etc, but am having problems finding a willing insurer.

 

I was wondering if:

 

1 - Anyone was aware of any insurance companies that will provide a quote for an impounded car.

2 - Anyone knows if it is possible for a third party (my parents/brother) to drive the car away under their fully comprehensive insurance (taken out on their own cars, but obviously allowing them to drive any other vehicle)

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks in advance.

[sailor sam]

Hi and welcome to CAG.

 

1) Can't you simply renew with your 'expired' insurers? I am not aware that they need to know that the car is inpounded.

2) Yes providing that their policy states that they can drive any other vehicle which is not owned by them. They will need to produce a certificate stating this. Otherwise, they will have to obtain a cover note bearing the details of your car. But, as long as you can get your own insurance sorted out (which should only take a few minutes) then I don't see the problem unless there is something else to this which you havn't mentioned.

[green_and_mean]

.

2) Yes providing that their policy states that they can drive any other vehicle which is not owned by them. They will need to produce a certificate stating this. .

 

Some policies specify the 3rd party cover for vehicles not owned by you given as part of your own insurance does not cover 'impounded' vehicles because as soon as the driver leaves the car unless its on private property its uninsured again, you need to check the policy.

[Aretnap]

Many (most?) insurers now limit their driving other vehicles cover to cars which have a current policy of their own, so if you haven't insured your car yet, anyone wanting to drive it on their own fully comp cover will have to check their terms and conditions carefully.

 

I'm not aware that insurance companies need to know that the vehicle is currently impounded when you ask for a quote (though I suppose if they consider it to be a material fact then that pretty much makes it so), but you will have to declare the pending (or current, if you've accepted the fixed penalty) IN10 conviction, and that in itself could make getting insurance at a reasonable price difficult - it puts you in the same bracket as chavs who drive untaxed, uninsured, unroadworthy cars quite deliberately. You may have to do a lot of shopping around, and perhaps look at non-mainstream insurers who offer specialist cover to drivers with heftier convictions.

[Jamberson]

You can always take out a private hire tow truck to getit home/onto some private space. Although this might cost you, it could be balanced out by your being able to get a better quote once it's out, from an insurer of your choice.

[green_and_mean]

You can always take out a private hire tow truck to getit home/onto some private space. Although this might cost you, it could be balanced out by your being able to get a better quote once it's out, from an insurer of your choice.

 

No you can't it has to have valid insurance before its collected.

[mcplod]

2) No, sorry. In order to recover the vehicle you must produce Insurance that covers the specific vehicle impounded and be valid for the person whom you are saying will uplift it. It cannot be a third party policy from someone elses vehicle and it cannot be a trade policy

[Zamzara]

2) No, sorry. In order to recover the vehicle you must produce Insurance that covers the specific vehicle impounded and be valid for the person whom you are saying will uplift it. It cannot be a third party policy from someone elses vehicle and it cannot be a trade policy

 

Retention and Disposal of Seized Motor Vehicles Regulations 2005:

 

...© produces at a police station specified in the seizure notice a valid certificate of insurance covering his use of that vehicle and a valid licence authorising him to drive the vehicle,

 

There seems to be no basis for not accepting third party cover stemming from another's insurance. The police used to claim that this should be interpreted to mean the vehicle has to be named specifically in a document but this was debunked in Pryor v Chief Constable of Greater Manchester earlier this year.

[mcplod]

Try it. But certainly in my Force area they will only accept a policy specifically covering that vehicle. The idea being that if I reclaim your vehicle using my policy there is still no Insurance on your vehicle for you to drive it.

[crem]

Try it. But certainly in my Force area they will only accept a policy specifically covering that vehicle. The idea being that if I reclaim your vehicle using my policy there is still no Insurance on your vehicle for you to drive it.

 

You may well be correct as to how the police enforce it, but that doesn't mean they are following the correct interpretation of the law.

 

We have had this discussion on another thread regarding whether or not the police overstep their authority when deciding if they are going to impound a car from an "uninsured driver" when the car is fully insured already, but just not for that particular driver. My opinion is that they do.

[seanamarts]

I was on the understanding that the car had to be insured if a third party with their own insurance was going to drive it, .. Sorry just a thought