Insurance enlightenment

[cath's mg]

Well I had an enlightening phone call from my soon to be Insurance Brokers today.

I have been driving for a living for almost 9 years now. I've always had Fully Comprehensive Insurance for my own private vehicles, which I assumed allowed me to drive other insured vehicles with the owners consent, under 3rd party cover.

Well I have been informed today this is not correct. Apparently as I drive for a living and despite having Full Comp Insurance, I am not insured to drive any other vehicle apart from the vehicle covered on the policy or as a named driver on another policy. I asked if I could take out extra cover to allow me to drive other vehicles with the owners consent and have been told no.

This has come as a complete surprise to me as it has never been mentioned by any previous Broker over the last 9 years and have often driven other vehicles with the owners consent.

Has anyone else come across this with their Insurance?

Gary

[Geoff.F]

This is not new.
There a number of TV Police Programmes where Drivers are stopped and are amazed that Insurance Companies have removed this cover from their policies. Arrested, Car Towed Away.
It will not be Headlined but in the Small Print in the accompanying paperwork and also on the Cover Note.
I have two Policies with the same Insurers. The MGF does not Permit Driving other cars whilst the !.8 Astra does. Strangely as my Wife is a Named Driver on my Policies, the Astra also allows her to drive other cars.
Geoff F

[Steve White]

Your not the first person to be caught out by this. You have been lucky though, for some they first time they discover they dont have cover is when they are being fined and given points by the police for driving without insurance.
A lot of people seem to think that drive other cars cover is automatically given on fully comp policies, but the reality is (and always has been) that the cover provided differs between policies.
It also surprises me how few people read the small print when taking out insurance to see what cover they are getting (or not), not all insurance is equal. Dont assume anything, check.
Unfortunately most people's primary concern with insurance these days is cost, when it should be the level of cover being given.

FWIW I have two policies arrange by the same broker, which are underwritten by two different companies. One does have 'drive other cars' cover, the other doesn't.

[cath's mg]

Thanks for the info guy's but the real point of my post is that because of my occupation (a driver), I cannot get a policy to drive someone else's vehicle unless I am a named driver, no matter what price I pay.

It makes me wonder how many people who drive for a living are aware of this.

[Geoff.F]

You should not/cannot use a "Driving other Cars" Clause for Buisness or Financial Reward if that is what you are asking.
Without details, you probably need to investigate a Buisness Policy.
Geoff F.

[Mike H]

An interesting discussion, thanks for highlighting this. - it's made me double check my policies

The policy on the TF makes no mention of being able to drive other vehicles, but the policy for the Audi, which includes business cover as I use it for travelling for work, allows 'the insured whilst driving any private motor car not their property or hired to them', and the use and exclusions are the same for both the Audi and 'any private motor car.....'. 'The insured' in this case includes myself and OH as named drivers and, similar to Geoff, therefore allows both to drive other cars, and on my policy, for business use. The only specific exclusions are the usual ones, for hiring, speed trials, speed testing or competitions, carriage of passengers for hire or reward etc etc.

Be interested to know what the thinking is behind the issue Gary is experiencing.

[nigelandjo]

Having looked at our policies, it appears that the "driving other cars" is not included on the limited mileage "classic" policies. The policy for the Typhoon TF which is unlimited mileage and business use allows both myself and Jo (as we are both named drivers) to drive other cars, except for cars owned by our employer or under an HP agreement or cars registered at the same address as the policy.

[cath's mg]

You should not/cannot use a "Driving other Cars" Clause for Buisness or Financial Reward if that is what you are asking.
Without details, you probably need to investigate a Buisness Policy.
Geoff F.

Hi Geoff, I am only insuring ZT under Private use. I am a driver for a Wine Merchant's and use a company van for work.

When The Broker run through the Policy details over the telephone they said that I would be covered to drive other vehicles with the owners consent.
The next day I got a telephone call telling me that a mistake had been made, and due to my occupation as a driver I was not and could not get a policy to cover me to drive other vehicles (for private use, not work).

To be totally honest with you over the last 9 years while I have been driving to earn a crust, I have driven other vehicles assuming I was covered under my own policy. Now that I have been told I defiantly am not, I know where I stand and it will not be happening again.

I guess I have been lucky by not having been stopped, and been stupid by not reading all the small print.

I am not criticizing the Brokers who I will be renewing my policy with on the 17th, as they have at least told me I am not covered, but I am surprised that I haven't been told this in the past by any Broker I have used.

[robbie1003]

it all depends on your policy, not all companies are the same. im in motortrade and some companies I have been insured with wont allow me to drive other peoples cars (because they presume I will be driving "customers" cars), it will say in policy if you can or cant, policy I have at the moment (swiftcover) does but previous (Aviva) didn't.

[David Dixon]

I too 'work with cars' (valeting, road testing, moving vehicles to required locations) and I deliberately seek insurance that doesn't extend to covering me in anyway for work related vehicles. At work I do drive very expensive (and occasionally exotic) cars, others not quite so, but regardless of that I don't want my personal car insurance being liable if I were involved in an accident.
My main problem however given the nature of my job, convincing insurers that my employers are not motor trade related (which they are not). Oftentimes when applying for insurance my job title/description limits the on screen options for the nature of the employers business, to the motor trade. This is then both inaccurate and liable to increase my premium.

[talkingcars]

All of the policies for our 4 cars clearly state that the policy holder and spouse can drive any car not belonging to them with the owners permission etc. I made this requirment clear to the brokers when I took out the policies.