Car insurance enquiry

[Shaunt28]

Can someone help please?

My daughter is in Austrailia and her car insurance runs out in a week.

My insurance company say I can drive her car (to keep it roadworthy), just third party cover but what they cannot answer is that if I get stopped by the police, the vehicle will not have its own policy attached to the vehicle. Would I be breaking the law even though as a driver the car would be insured. I don't know where to go for the definitive answer.

[unclebulgaria67]

Not worth the hassle of driving on third party ( driving other cars) extension when the Car is not primarily covered under a Car owners policy.  You will get stopped by Police, they may argue that you are not properly Insured, car will be picked up on AMPR cameras.  

 

And for the car to be on the road, it has to have Insurance or it has to be SORN.   Insurance is now compulsory, even if the Car is just parked on a public road.

 

Suggest your daughter renews the policy or takes out a new policy.  She can do this online from Australia, providing she is normally a UK resident and will be returning soon.

 

If your Daughter will be in Australia for quite awhile, perhaps she allows you to register the Car in your name and you then Insure it in your name. 

[Ethel Street]

You are in the UK I assume. Does your daughter normally live in the UK, she is temporarily away travelling in Australia but has left her car here?  So she is still named on the DVLA V5C ('log book' ) as the Registered Keeper? You have your own car but also have access to your daughter's car, ie she has given you permission to drive it while she is away?

 

If all that is correct then what your insurance company is telling you is that your policy has a 'Driving Other Cars' [DOC] extension which allows you drive another car in certain circumstances. Usually for Third Part Only (no cover for damage to your daughter's car). Your own certificate would be the evidence of that cover.

 

But really this isn't the best way to deal with it. What happens when the insurance on your daughter's car expires in a week's time? She needs to renew it so why doesn't she add you as a named driver to her policy? 

 

 

Edited June 5, 2020 by Ethel Street

[Shaunt28]

Her premium is £400 and she is likely to be away for the rest of the year so it would be a waste of money to renew her policy. She is only 21.

 

I only want to drive the car maybe once a week to keep in roadworthy etc.

 

I have done some insurance comparison quotes and it looks like even though she is the registered owner I could take  out a separate policy  but when I spoke to one insurance company they said I needed to be the registered owner of the vehicle (i.e. to have an interest in the vehicle). However the quote went through even though I said my daughter was the owner of the vehicle.

 

The best option would be to pay nothing and use my policy but I take the point about ANPR and police issues so probably best if I take out the policy I mentioned above unless anyone can offer any other advice.

 

Brilliant quick answers by the way, many thanks.

[Montego]

One possible problem is the continuous insurance requirement - s.144A, Road Traffic Act 1988 - the vehicle will need to comply, or if it does not, it must be kept off the public road and SORN.

Another is that for third party cover driving a different vehicle, some insurance companies require that vehicle is covered by insurance.

[unclebulgaria67]

As has been explained the Car needs continuous Insurance or has to be sorned.  

 

It might be better to register the car in your name, take out a policy in your name and then you can drive when you want. 

 

When your Daughter returns, you can then change keeper details back, you cancel your policy and she takes out Insurance in her name again. 

 

Aviva used to be helpful with Insuring cars, where the owner is abroad for a period.  Perhaps it might be worth you phoning them before you do anything, to see what they recommend.

[slick132]

Hi Shaunt and welcome to CAG

 

Maybe you should prioritise your needs about the car. Do you NEED to use it at all for your own purposes, or do you have your own car.

 

You really don't need to drive the car once a week to keep it roadworthy.

 

But you MUST keep it off the road if it's not insured. And it must be SORNED if it's not taxed. The car needs to be insured by the owner but, as said above, this can be done by YD in Oz.

[Manxman in exile]

AIUI you can drive your daughter's car so long as (1) the car is insured and (2) either you are a named driver on her policy or your insurance allows you to drive any other car that has a valid policy on it.  Once your daughter's policy expires, you can't drive it at all.  (Surely your insurers would have told you that - not that they don't know?)

 

As slick132 says, the car doesn't need to be run weekly to keep it roadworthy.  Is that necessary?*  Also, make sure it's properly SORN'd if you decide not to go down the insurance route.

 

Don't want to appear nit-picking, but if an insurance company told you that you had to be the "registered owner"", I wouldn't touch them with a barge-pole because there's no such thing.  If they said "registered keeper" you might find it more helpful to keep the terminology correct.  (I'm not having a go at you there - you need to be aware of it).  So far as I'm aware, you do not need to be either the owner or the registered keeper to insure a car, but I could be wrong.  You'd need to ask several companies.  (And I'd speak to them on the 'phone so I can speak to a real live person and explain the situation to them - I wouldn't risk doing this online and getting it wrong).

 

Failing that, she makes you the registered keeper with the DVLA and you insure in your name.  If there isn't time to do that, your daughter needs to renew it if you want or need to use the car.  (If she can't afford it, you reimburse her).

 

*Of course, if you allow the insurance to expire and SORN it, there may be a flat battery etc in seven months time.  Is it worth insuring it to avoid that possible cost?

Edited June 10, 2020 by Manxman in exile