Insured or not insured…that is the question!

[BigSi]

How does this work? After not having much luck with selling the Jeep on the internet, decided to park it on a large grassy patch of ground beside the main road. If somebody wanted to take it for a test drive, how does it work as the vehicle isn’t insured? It’s taxed and MOT’d, but just not insured.

I was under the impression that you could (policy allowing), drive any vehicle under third party, but that vehicle has to be insured?  :-k  :-k  :-k  :-k

[Disco-Ron]

Yep, the vehicle should have it's own insurance aswell..... also, i am led to believe that displaying a car for sale at the side of the road is no longer legal..... and besides that, if it's on the highway, it should be insured, i know you saod 'near' the road, but who actually owns that little bit of land..... could easily be the highways agency......

[Boggert]

Just remember the public highway is hedge to hedge... I would insure it just to be on the safe side.

[Yoshi]

I thought it was dispelled on here that you needed to have the car insured if you were driving it on your own insurance under third party???

[Boggert]

The car you are driving has to have its own Policy, be it fully comp or third party, for your own policy to be valid to drive on.

[L90OOK]

No the car needs to be insured.  If you are insured to drive another car third party under your insurance then I am sure that car can't be registered to you, & needs to be insured seperately too.  Stops people owning 100's of vehicles & only one insurance policy.

[BigSi]

I think the land is owned by the Council (minor road on one side, main road sweeping around the front, with hedge behind). I really can’t justify insuring it as the insurance company want £400, as my NCD is now on the Land Rover.

AF told me that unless the vehicle was insured, it can’t be driven on the public highway, no mater what insurance I have (even though I own both vehicles).

So does this mean that nobody can take it for a test drive?  :?  :?  :?  :?

[Yoshi]

The problem is, reading through the insurance policy i have here, it states nothing about the other vehicle being insured.  It just says it cant be owned by or hired to the driver.  Which means you can drive it on the road, but once the driver leaves the vehicle parked up anywhere on a public highway it becomes illegal.

So by reading that ii should think as long as the other person is driving it for a test drive then all should be fine??

Oh, council owned land is public land thus means it would need insuring to park there.

[Sider]

Wasn't there some exception applying to the compulsory road testing in the case of sale or some malarkey like that???

[Bunnie]

the allowed to drive another vechicle bit on your insurance is no longer a standard thing. who ever is driving the car other than the insured would need to check that there policy allows this.

i used to have the ability to drive other cars when the zuki was insured but i dont get that ability with puggys insurance.

[TDi90]

if you have fully comp insurance (like me!!) then you are 3rd party on another car.
Rob

[Bunnie]

as i said above rob thats not always the case now! its not a standard thing any more

[L90OOK]

if you have fully comp insurance (like me!!) then you are 3rd party on another car.
Rob

Only if that other car is insured, MOT'd, Tax'd, not owned/registered to you & you have written permission to drive it.
Check with your insurance company first!!  :D

[Elmo]

Not any more, you only get 3rd party cover from a fully comp policy if it specifically states you do.

[TDi90]

if you have fully comp insurance (like me!!) then you are 3rd party on another car.
Rob

Only if that other car is insured, MOT'd, Tax'd, not owned/registered to you & you have written permission to drive it.
Check with your insurance company first!!  :D

exactly.
so my dads lambo.... nah only joking .... he wouldnt let me  :lol:

[Buddha]

If I drive a vehicle, not belonging to me, with it's owners permission and I am not otherwise unable to drive (eg, disqualified driver etc) then my own insurers will cover the risks required for me to be insured under the Road Traffic Act and to third parties should an accident occur. If I'm at fault, damage to the vehicle I'm driving is not covered.

This is an arrangement between my insurers and myself to protect me and third parties. It has nothing to do with the owner of the vehicle and is not dependant on that vehicle being insured* and gives no benefit to them. Moreover, it unreasonable of my insurer to require me to KNOW the vehicle to be insured - sight of a policy document is not enough to KNOW that cover is effective and that any terms impossed have not been breached.

However, as has been stated in the posts above, a vehicle that is uninsured in it's own right has no right being on the highway (from verge to verge) or other public place. I have no 'insurable interest' in the vehicle which doesn't belong to me, so, if it to be stolen in my posession - no cover. Catches fire whilst in my posession, no cover. Parked on the highway whilst on loan (not hire) to me - no cover (& as such offences are being committed.)

*EDIT - You cannot be insured and subsequently claim for the same risk twice without running the risk of being accused of fraud.
If your policy provides third party cover for other vehicles AND you are a named driver on a policy, in the event of an accident it would have to be the policy where you're a named driver that would be used to settle any claim.

[smo]

As explained above, the vehicle you are driving whilst covered by your own policy under 3rd party risks does NOT have to be insured.

[Boggert]

The vehicle has to have its own insurance policy... The reason I say that is because as soon as you get out of the car, Its an uninsured vehicle on a public highway. Every vehicle on the public highway must have its own insurance or be covered company policy.
If you park your car badly and cause an accident and you are deemed at fault, then there is no policy covering it. You cannot go, oh well my other policy will cover it. Insurance companies are on the ball and the claim won't go anywhere.

If you are issued an HORT1 (or Producer) by the local plod, you will have to produce a valid insurance document for that car, as well as you own document proving you can drive it 3rd party.

The other reason is the insurance companies are hot on this is they had a problem with the boy racers buying an old metro and insuring it, then going out and buying a Toyota Celica and driving it 3 rd party on the other car policy. Nice scam...

I think Insurance companies should make this clear as not everyone knows this. I wasn't sure until I spoke to a Traffic sergeant and he explained the rules to me.

If this was the case I guess we would only have 1 insurance policy, and save a fortune.

[smo]

The vehicle has to have its own insurance policy... The reason I say that is because as soon as you get out of the car, Its an uninsured vehicle on a public highway. Every vehicle on the public highway must have its own insurance or be covered company policy.
If you park your car badly and cause an accident and you are deemed at fault, then there is no policy covering it. You cannot go, oh well my other policy will cover it. Insurance companies are on the ball and the claim won't go anywhere.

If you are issued an HORT1 (or Producer) by the local plod, you will have to produce a valid insurance document for that car, as well as you own document proving you can drive it 3rd party.

The other reason is the insurance companies are hot on this is they had a problem with the boy racers buying an old metro and insuring it, then going out and buying a Toyota Celica and driving it 3 rd party on the other car policy. Nice scam...

I think Insurance companies should make this clear as not everyone knows this. I wasn't sure until I spoke to a Traffic sergeant and he explained the rules to me.

If this was the case I guess we would only have 1 insurance policy, and save a fortune.

True about it being uninsured when you get out, however to drive it on TPO it does not have to be insured under its own policy, guarenteed. Read your policy details if you dont believe me, or ring your insurance company cos i'm 100% sure i can drive any car on my insurance TPO regardless of it having its own insurance.

[Thrasher]

AFAIK that loophole was closed in the UK thanks to certain people taking a massive advantage of it....

[Yoshi]

AFAIK that loophole was closed in the UK thanks to certain people taking a massive advantage of it....

I'm not so sure about that.  Any limitations with insurance have to be shown with your insurance documentation and the stuff i have here hasnt been changed.

Boggert, you made the point i said earlier about the vehicle being uninsured if the test drive person got out of the vehicle, but for example, if a person went from private driveway to private driveway on their third party insurance as part of their comprehensive policy then they would be legal??

[craigderby]

My friend runs an insurance brokers, and I've just asked him about it.
When you policy states you have third party cover to drive another vehicle the other vehicle must already have insurance cover on it.  If you were pulled you can potentially be done for no insurance, and the owner of the vehicle can be done for allowing you to drive it knowing you don't have cover.  
If you need cover for just a few days there are plenty of companies offering cover on a dailly basis.  I used one for taking my Landy for an MOT, it was about £12 for a days cover.

[L90OOK]

As explained above, the vehicle you are driving whilst covered by your own policy under 3rd party risks does NOT have to be insured.

YES IT DOES    ](*,)

[Yoshi]

As explained above, the vehicle you are driving whilst covered by your own policy under 3rd party risks does NOT have to be insured.

YES IT DOES    ](*,)

Keep banging your head against the wall and you will find that the vehicle does not have to be insured.  If you drove from a private driveway to a private driveway on your policy as a third party insurance then the vehicle is insured as it is in the possession of a party who is insured.

[BigSi]

If you need cover for just a few days there are plenty of companies offering cover on a dailly basis.  I used one for taking my Landy for an MOT, it was about £12 for a days cover.

Not if the vehicle is modified. Did try, but could not find any to insure the vehicle (only wanted a few months).        

[Yoshi]

Try peter best, they did cover for a few days at a time.

[L90OOK]

I spoke to NFU about this.  They said the 3rd party vehicle has to be insured by it's owner.  Regardless of route taken.  This form of insurance was brought in to be used in emergency situations...not for test driving vehicles  :roll:
Maybe your insurance is different but that's what mine stated to me this afternoon.
If we could drive any vehicle on one policy why don't we?? ...because we can't!!  
Anyhoo...I know what I can & can't do & am happy with that...drive uninsured at your own risk & remember they will not hesitate to crush the unisured cars driving on the road today.

[TDi90]

im with jaimie on this one. and im with NFU.
R

[Yoshi]

Well its also NFU who say what you said isnt the case.  As thats who the insurance is with.

Look through your documents, does it say that as a restriction on the ability to drive other vehicles?  As the documents you recieve are whats legally binding.

[Buddha]

You'd think that something as important as "to be covered by your own insurance whilst driving another persons vehicle with their permission, their vehicle must, itself, be insured.." would be included on the ABI's fact page.

I know that doesn't conclusively re-inforce the point I (and others) made above, but it's a start!

OK, so it's true that the original idea of third party cover for other people's vehicles was emergency use only, and it's true that it's been exploited by 21 year olds insuring a mini 1000 fully comp, registering 'their' chav chariot in their Dad's name but driving all the time themselves, and it's true that Norwich Union have stopped offering Drive Other Cars (DOC) cover - but MY insurer still offers it.

Please also consider that driving uninsured is an absolute offence, as such not being aware that you were uninsured is no defence. So DOC is of no use if the prudent driver has to insist on verifying a vehicle is insured before driving it. Might as well get added as a named driver & pay a small fee etc. Not always practical in an emergency.