***Jonesy***

My new insurance, for the first time, covers me 3rd party to drive any other car not owned by me, with the owners permission.

I've heard a lot of mates say that the car I drive with the owners permission must have its own insurance policy tho. I have heard this a lot and it does make sense, but it doesn't say in my policy that the other cars must have their own insurance policy.

So for example, could I buy a skyline r32 gtr, which would cost me over 5k to insure at 23 year old with 9 points (if I could even get insured)! Then put it in someone elses name, my lasses or my parents or something, then could I drive it 3rd party on my scooby insurance??? Or would it, like my mates say, need to be insured by the owner first?

Surely if it needed to have its own insurance it would say so in my policy?

All comments welcome but I am mainly looking for people who know the answer 100%, rather than people who would think this, or would think that

1688bran

the car u drivin not owned by u got to have insurance too unless u got a trade insurance policy ..

jiffthejiffmanjaffa

iTrader: (10)

Hi mate,

It depends on your policy. Some say that the other car must have it's own insurance and others don't.

More are now saying that the car must has it's own insurance, to get around as you say one person buying and insuring a metro for £100, only then to drive around in a skyliner worth £5k which they would never get insured on in the first place.

Another thing, insurance companies say is you are only insured third party when you drive other cars, so if you have a smash and its your fault, the other person gets paid out but you'll get sqat diddley!!!

***Jonesy***

Says who tho mate? Not my insurance! My policy clearly says 'you are insured third party to drive any other car not owned by yourself'. So who says it must have its own insurance policy

It doesnt say it has to have its own policy so what makes you say it must? Not having a go at you, just confused mate.

***Jonesy***

Ah so it depends how the policy is worded then, ok I should be legal then?

Only problem is, like you say, I would be screwed if I caused a crash.

Speech

Think this one has just been done last week, so have a search and it might pop up again.

But basically the outcome (last time I reead it) was if you done as you say (buy Skyline, put owner as you lass) then when you leave the car parked somewhere then the car is not insured and this is illegal.
Also, when you go to get road tax for the car you need to have a valid MOT, registration document and Insurance certificate for the car requiring tax, going in with your car insurance and saying "but I drive it under the 3rd party cover offered by this policy" is not acceptable - This is a fact.

I was also always under the impression that to drive a vehicle under the 3rd party cover of your own policy the car had to be insured already under a seperate policy.

Speech

Here's the post from last week:
Driving another car on 3rd party insurance

Basically there are a lot of interpretations to this, but the main sticking point that I know of as being a fact is the road tax, without a valid insurance policy on the car requiring tax then no tax disc will be issued.

kgt

iTrader: (1)

I worked for a broker for 3 years. It was a common misconception that :

(a) "I've got fully comp so I can drive other cars" - WRONG

not every underwriter grants DOC extensions on policies, check your paperwork, some dont give on age grounds for example.

(b) "Ive got DOC in my policy, I checked, means I can drive anything, insured or not" - WRONG

the other vehicle must be insured, you are merely piggy backing on the fact that its legal to be on the road (ie insured by someone, tax'd, MOT'd etc) and you are only covered for third party damage, death or bodily injury.

Two cars in one family got written off once in one weekend by the 'wrong' drivers, how we chuckled when they came in to tell us on the Monday morning (once they'd left the office of course)

***Jonesy***

[QUOTE=kgt;7241045](b) "Ive got DOC in my policy, I checked, means I can drive anything, insured or not" - WRONGQUOTE]

So let me get this right, even tho my policy says I am insured to drive any other car not owned by me (no mention of it having to have its own policy) I cant unless it does have its own policy?


Yeah, I had thought of that problem too

***Jonesy***

Ok, so just to confuse things even more, how would this work? (or not work maybe)

Hypothetically speaking:

Buy a gtr, put it in her name, get the owner to put 12 months tax on it before I buy it, my lass lives with me so no problems about where its parked over night. Am I insured to drive it 3rd party legally for the 12 month?

Next part, tax runs out in say 7-10 days time, get me lass to insure it in her name, she can then tax it correct? So she goes and gets it taxed for another 12 month, then she rings insurance company and cancels the policy within 14 days to get a full money refund?

:s


Hypothetically speaking

fitzscoob

Are you intending on being the main driver of the car?

a_fisher

In short: you want a car you can't insure.

Don't do it

DaveD

iTrader: (2)

No, no, no, no!!!

The CAR must have its own insurance!!
If the car is left on the public highway it MUST be insured. Since you can't guarantee that you'll never leave the car unattended on the public highway, it HAS to have its own insurance!

The police now regularly set up roadside check points with cameras that read car number plates. The car's details are checked for things like road tax and insurance - if the car isn't insured, its not legal.

As said above, your third party insurance rides on top of the car's own insurance and acts as your cover for any third party or legal claims. If the car is not insured, in effect it is not road legal, and would therefore probably invalidate your own insurance.

***Jonesy***

Not true.

I have a car that I'm more than happy with, insured fully comp in my own name, my scoob.

I'm just trying to find out the crack with my policy. If i DID want to buy a gtr I would clear this up with the police and my insurance company directly, i'm asking on an internet forum as it really isnt that important, i would just like to know the score

***Jonesy***

The car must have its own insurance, ok if that is a 100% certain fact then fair enough, theres my answer right there!

Still think its dodgey because theres no mention of this in my policy. Why does it not say 'your third party insurance rides on top of the car's own insurance and acts as your cover for any third party or legal claims' ?

Speech

When you say there is no mention on your policy, do you mean your certificate and policy particulars - the 2-3 pages of A4 which state the main particulars of your policy which you get come renewal time - or the Policy Details/Smallprint - usually given out first time you insure your car with that company and usually contained in a 30page booklet which goes through everything in a fine toothcomb??

***Jonesy***

To be honest mate I'm talking about the 2-3 pages of A4 which state the main particulars of your policy which you get come renewal time.

Are you saying if I do read EVERYTHING I got from them there will be something to say the other car must have its own policy?

I think I should ring the police and have a word with a traffic cop, and my insurance company too and find out one way or the other for certain

blu scoob

the other car has to be insured then u can drive it 3rd party,I live in liverpool and if the car dose not show up on the police computer it will be taken,nearly every police car around hear his one in it and it wouldnt be long before u were pulled out of it plus a 108 bill for tow in and points for no ince

fivetide

iTrader: (1)

They'll tell you what most people here have said, the car has to have its own insurance. It has to be legal for road use is what your insurance will say and without its own policy the other vehicle is not legal for road use.

It is the same if you get your granny to insure the car and add you as a driver. As you are actually the main driver the insurance would like as not refuse to pay out for any claims as you have technically committed fraud.

Think about it for a second, why doesn't everyone here have a reliant robin sitting fully comp on their driveway and a scooby, un insureed registered to their mum? Because it can't be done. You aren;t the first to think of this, you won't be the last and surprisingly the govt has beat you to it.

£200 fine and 6 points minimum.

5t.

Speech

Right, I have done some digging about online and whilst on The Answer Bank I have managed to gain the following:

The OP asked about driving her blokes van which was currently un-insured. She asked her insurance company who said her DOC cover didn't include vans, but that if it were a car that technically she could do so, but as soon as she left the vehicle parked on the public highway (street, public car-park etc) then the owner of the vehicle would be commiting an offence - having an uninsured vehicle on the public highway.

Second to this, the law is in the process of being changed. Again, from the above site - "Section 22(i) of the road safety act 2006 - If a motor vehicle registered under the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 does not meet the insurance requirements, the person in whose name the vehicle is registered is guilty of an offence." Section 22 of this act is curently not in force (as with a big chunk of the act) but it goes on to state that the vehicle in question must be named on a policy by it's registration mark or covered by a policy held by the owner which covers any vehicle (much like traders insurance).

So, whilst it would be possible to do just now as long as you never parked it anywhere but in your garage/drive and as long as your policy allows it (check with your insurer/read small print) when Section 22(i) of the Road Safety Act 2006 comes into force you will be out of luck.

Hope this helps to clear up this question and put it to bed once and for all.



Edit - The above info was all posted on May this year, so it may be the case that the act is fully in force now - If I remember I will ask a mate (copper) what he knows on this....