combined car and van insurance ?

chopper2

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For full information on getting the right policy cover, and more, see the main website's Cheap Van Insurance guide.

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Hello all,
I was trying to sell my car with no luck, so I decided to start using it again.
I have a transit van which I have insured third party,and presumed that if I upgraded to fully comp then I would be insured to drive any vehicle,
including my car.
Upon ringing my insurance company(Budget), I was told that if I fully comped the van it would allow me to drive another van but not the car, I was told my only option was to insure the car seperatly, this means that my no claims bonus wouldnt be of use as it only applies to the one policy.
Is this true, it seems nuts that I cant have a combined policy.
Any advice welcome
over and out
nick

dacouch

Insurers do not tend to offer combined policies for Vans and Cars.

I doubt what Budget have told you is correct about if you are comprehensive you can drive another van, this would be highly unusual. A Van insurance normally only covers that particular van unless you have say a fleet policy.

If you speak to a proper local broker eg not Swintons or Budget they should be able to find you an Insurer who will "mirror" the no claims bonus you have on your van onto a car policy or at least arrange a substantial introductory discount (Both assuming you don't have claims or a certain convictions).

dogbot

The risks presented by commercial vehicles and private cars are extreamly different and have always been dealt with by separate policies and usualy departments of insurers.

Also, Budget is a broker not an insurer.

Your own car needs to be insured in it's own right. If not, you would not be able to tax the vehicle. Also, there is an extreamly high chance of it being seized by the police when parked on public property and a high chance of you being stopped by them a great deal since no policy is covering it it isn't on the MID and so ANPR cameras will flag the vehicle.

If you use both vehicles for commercial purposes you should be able to get one commercial policy that covers several vehicles - often up to about 5.

If the car is just used for non business use then setting up its own policy will be much easier and probably cheeper. Most local brokers and some insurers will offer introductory NCD/discounts to take account of NCD built up on another vehicle. This may not apply to NCD built up on a commercial vehicle though.

dogbot

Worth making the comment that "driving other cars" is very much on it's way out as far as the market is concerned. The claims experience tends to be quite poor for it and there is a great deal of pressure from the Police on insurers to get rid of it alltogether.

ZootHornRollo

dogbot wrote: »

Worth making the comment that "driving other cars" is very much on it's way out as far as the market is concerned. The claims experience tends to be quite poor for it and there is a great deal of pressure from the Police on insurers to get rid of it alltogether.

apologies for resurrecting an old thread - i was searching for info regarding a combined car and van policy.

surely if the drive other cars element is removed from policies that will kill the private sale of vehicles?

raskazz

ZootHornRollo wrote: »

apologies for resurrecting an old thread - i was searching for info regarding a combined car and van policy.

surely if the drive other cars element is removed from policies that will kill the private sale of vehicles?

Many private car insurers have intimated that they will delete the driving other cars benefit but very few actually have the guts to do it (apart from the 'value' type policies where cover is stripped right down to the basics), as policyholders do see it as a useful feature.

pitkin2020

ZootHornRollo wrote: »

apologies for resurrecting an old thread - i was searching for info regarding a combined car and van policy.

surely if the drive other cars element is removed from policies that will kill the private sale of vehicles?

Not really as you can either purchase temp cover if your desperate to drive it or you will just have to let the owner drive it with you as a passenger, not ideal I know as some people will want to feel the car for themselves.

There is a little misconception that people think that because they are fully comp they can drive other cars and be insured, but the other car also has to be insured by the keeper/driver. If its not insured than nor are you driving it.

raskazz

pitkin2020 wrote: »

but the other car also has to be insured by the keeper/driver. If its not insured than nor are you driving it.

Do you have any evidence for this?

Radsteral

no evidence needed, pitkin is right!
I for years have tried to explain to my mates, but none believed..
few days ago polie stoped one of these and he was producing his insurance etc but police dismised him in a second- the nisan he was driving was not insured by noone

Radsteral

but... in old times, i would pick my oldest friend with 5 or more no claim bonus, .. give him a drink, he would insure my car for probably 500 quid less than if i did myself, ... as i was insured to my other car, i could drive this other one on third party ..
its a bit like a round the bend but if the car is worth 1000 quid and you get a quote for 1500, then my way is worth it

raskazz

Radsteral wrote: »

no evidence needed, pitkin is right!

Er, no he isn't. I think I ought to let you know before we discuss this further that I am a motor insurance underwriter.

Some, if not most, policies do not mention the insurance status of the 'other' car in the 'driving other cars' section of the policy. Hence where a person uses the 'driving other cars' benefit to drive a vehicle which is not insured in its own right, then (assuming all other conditions are complied with):

1) There is no way for the insurer to avoid a third party liability on grounds of the 'other' car not being insured, thus

2) No offence under s.143 of the Road Traffic Act has been commited by the driver of the car.

Of course the situation is modified if the car is left on a road or other public place without insurance.

Radsteral wrote: »

I for years have tried to explain to my mates, but none believed..
few days ago polie stoped one of these and he was producing his insurance etc but police dismised him in a second- the nisan he was driving was not insured by noone

In that case either:

1) He left it on a road or in a public place and thus it was uninsured, or

2) Your friend did not actually have driving other cars cover, or

3) He did have it but for some reason it was inoperative due to some breach of policy condition, or

4) He is in the process of being convicted of an offence which he did not actually commit.