Car Insurance: This Right?

[CAM]

OK I bought a new car today (well, 10 plate Kia Cee'd) and I arranged for new insurance to start on the day I pick it up on Thurs. However, I am also part-exchanging the Astra and cancelled my insurance with my existing provider ending on the day after picking up the new vehicle to get a rebate on 10 months of insurance for the old car. Now the existing provider is E-Mailing me warnings that I am open to prosecution for an uninsured car even though it won't be in my possession from Thurs onwards. Is there going to be a problem between me handing the car over and the V5 slips arriving at DVLA's doorstep? :/

[michael2k6]

No as long as you can prove that you sold it on that date. Insuring the car on two separate policies invalidates both policies, so if you actually kept it insured the new owner wouldn't be insured to drive it until you cancelled yours.

So, they probably send that to anyone cancelling in case you're just cancelling because you can't afford the insurance (or need the lump back). It's probably just so that you can't claim you weren't warned.

[jamesreedersmith]

Having two insurance policies does not invalidate them - you can have as many insurance policies on a vehicle as you want/need, otherwise car hire companies would have a nightmare when customers use their own insurance etc and the companies that offer short term insurance would be out of buisiness if they couldnt cover cars with other insurance.

 

Claiming on two policies should an accident occur is the legal part as claiming twice is insurance fraud.

 

However you are in the right to cancel your insurance but as above ensure you document when and who it was sold to and if necessary do a separate signed piece of paper with all the info on and signed by both (do 2 copies so you can each keep one) in addition to the V5.

 

ETA - I worked in vehicle management and insurance in a previous job!

[CAM]

Hehe to make it more confusing the dealer gave me another number to ring for a 7 week free insurance just so he could tax it. They have told me cancel that on Thurs to prevent a clash as my own policy kicks in then for the new car. Along with the policy for my old car I'd have three on the go over two separate cars. Who said insurance was simple?

[Max_Power]

Hehe to make it more confusing the dealer gave me another number to ring for a 7 week free insurance just so he could tax it. They have told me cancel that on Thurs to prevent a clash as my own policy kicks in then for the new car. Along with the policy for my old car I'd have three on the go over two separate cars. Who said insurance was simple?

 

Recently bought a new car and insurance wasnt to much of a pain. Phoned up said want to cancel on date X at X time. No problems there, sent letter off and they confirmed details with their own letter to me and paid me back the money remaining.

Rang new insurance - want to buy from X oclock on X date - fine no problems - new insurance company emailed / faxed (cant remember which) a copy of new certificate to dealer and they went and taxed the car for me.

 

Dropped old car off an hour before policy ran out, did all paper work and had a coffee which was probably another hour, by which time new insurance had kicked in job done drove away in new car on correct insurance.

[twin--turbo]

If you do have to policies in force on the same car, you should in theory tell both insurance companies of a claim but indicate that there is also another policy in force. Then they need to work it ot between each other to split the pay out.

 

I use Multicar insurance so adding and removing cars is not so much of a problem.

 

Rob

[michael2k6]

Having two insurance policies does not invalidate them - you can have as many insurance policies on a vehicle as you want/need, otherwise car hire companies would have a nightmare when customers use their own insurance etc and the companies that offer short term insurance would be out of buisiness if they couldnt cover cars with other insurance.

 

Claiming on two policies should an accident occur is the legal part as claiming twice is insurance fraud.

 

However you are in the right to cancel your insurance but as above ensure you document when and who it was sold to and if necessary do a separate signed piece of paper with all the info on and signed by both (do 2 copies so you can each keep one) in addition to the V5.

 

ETA - I worked in vehicle management and insurance in a previous job!

 

I'll take your word for it then if you used to work in the industry but that's exactly where I've got my info from - I can't have a courtesy car from VX because I invalidate their insurance due to my points. I can insure it on my own policy but my insurance company can't insure me on it if if it's already insured on VX's policy. I've been told this for years.

You'll find when you go to Enterprise, for example, the cars they have are insured as they leave the car park. If you provide your own insurance, they don't insure them for that period. Every courtesy car has always been the same and 2 different insurance companies have told me I can have that car on my policy temporarily as long as it isn't already insured by someone else. I get the whole thing about claiming twice would be ilegal but that goes without saying; I've always been told by the companies they won't insure something on another policy as it invalidates both.

As I say, hire cars are insured for the time they're 'on hire' not the rest of it, the enterprise staff are covered by a separate policy which allows them to drive any car belonging to, which is different as the vehicles aren't named.

 

Make of it what you will, I've had around 40 - 50 hire cars in the last two years, and 7 or 8 courtesy cars over 4 different insurance companies (two private two business), and I'm just repeating the message I've always been told. I can't claim to know what I'm doing though, just repeating parrot fashion

[michael2k6]

Hehe to make it more confusing the dealer gave me another number to ring for a 7 week free insurance just so he could tax it. They have told me cancel that on Thurs to prevent a clash as my own policy kicks in then for the new car. Along with the policy for my old car I'd have three on the go over two separate cars. Who said insurance was simple?

 

Confirming what I said then, and I did the same thing on my latest - 7 day free insurance was cancelled midnight after 5 days and my own kicked in at that point so there was no overlap. I was advised the same, and the 7 day free cover was also so they could tax it