Insurance & Test driving a privatly bought used car

llanwrst2

Hi

I am the policy holder on our 2 cars that we are going to sell (cant afford 2 and dont need 2 and both old and passed it - 2001). How do we ensure both are insured when a prospective buyer wants to test drive them?

This question arose because I discovered both insurers (Aviva & Direct line) will not insure my hubby (named driver) to test drive a car we are thinking of buying.

What do you do? Both tell me it costs £15 to £18 to add a driver for one day!:(

Thanks

sassy_one

They need to bring third party ideally, or fully comp that will allow and cover them to drive another car that is currently insured

dacouch

sassy-one wrote: »

They need to bring third party ideally, or fully comp that will allow and cover them to drive another car that is currently insured

If your referring to the driving other cars cover on a policy it is pretty rare for the Insurer to insist that the car you are driving under the extension has it's own insurance.

OP Many people selling a car will get demonstrate the car by driving the car themselves with the potential buyer in the passenger seat.

Alternatives are they take out temporary cover through a company such as dayinsure (Probably costs upwards of £20), add them to your own insurance which is expensive as you have discovered or they might be covered for third party only (No cover for damage to your vehicle) under their own policy (Obviously it's best to check they have this)

Quentin

sassy-one wrote: »

They need to bring third party ideally, or fully comp that will allow and cover them to drive another car that is currently insured

More nonsense!

Why would it be ideal for a stranger to turn up with third party insurance covering them to drive your car?

(For sassy's benefit - third party cover means that any damage done to the car for sale by the stranger wouldn't be covered by insurance)

taz121

Quentin wrote: »

(For sassy's benefit - third party cover means that any damage done to the car for sale by the stranger wouldn't be covered by insurance)

Just to elaborate on that, what IS covered is damage to another vehicle or property. Many people risk this day to day selling cars where the prospective buyer is covered third party, obviously this is not ideal if he/she bumps your car. As another has said by all means drive the car with the other party in the passenger seat

Quentin

Further on this - if you are prepared to let stranger-buyers take a test drive using their DOC third party extension, then you ought to get photo id, sight of their policy as well as their certificate (to see if there are any conditions imposed on the DOC extension), and "ideally" phone and check the policy is still live (as possession of a genuine certificate is not proof the insurance cover hasn't been cancelled since the certificate was issued)

missile

Whatever you do it is a risk. Aside from risking damage to your car, you would be responsible and could be prosecuted for allowing an uninsured driver to test your car.

I have done it before but would not do it again.

newbie007_2

missile wrote: »

Whatever you do it is a risk. Aside from risking damage to your car, you would be responsible and could be prosecuted for allowing an uninsured driver to test your car.

I have done it before but would not do it again.

I always understand it as, upto the other party to ensure they are insured to drive other vehicles not the other way around.

I dont see anything wrong in what sassy said (for once )

I find it strange if you guys let the owner demonstrate the car and not test driving it yourself if you're checking the car out.

Quentin

newbie007 wrote: »

I dont see anything wrong in what sassy said (for once )

This is what Sassy said:

sassy wrote:

They need to bring third party ideally,

What is "ideal" about that? If the customer crashes your car into a wall and write it off, then the wall would be paid for - but not the vendor's pride and joy!

Ideally they should bring temporary comprehensive cover!

Hammyman

newbie007 wrote: »

I always understand it as, upto the other party to ensure they are insured to drive other vehicles not the other way around.

Well you're wrong. It is up to you as the registered keeper to ensure that all drivers are insured. That means you need to see proof of the person wanting to test drive the car having cover. If the test driver was stopped by the Police and found to be uninsured, you would also be charged with allowing your car to be used by an uninsured driver. The penalties are the same as they are for the uninsured driver - 6 points plus fine.

Many many people have been done with this and there's been plenty of examples on Road Wars programmes.

bigjl

dacouch said "If your referring to the driving other cars cover on a policy it is pretty rare for the Insurer to insist that the car you are driving under the extension has it's own insurance."

i think you should check with your insurer or a copper on that, it is normally a stipulation that the other car must not be owned by you, and this will normally be on the certificate, but if you look into the schedule of insurance and the full T&C you will find that it is a standard policy for all insurance policies that I know, otherwise all 17 yr olds would have a mini metro on a classic car policy and drive a Nissan Skyline registered in their mates name.
The last time you could have insurance and drive any vehicle was the Norwich Union "rider policy" back in the late eighties and early ninties, obviously this policy only applied to motorbikes.
I knew loads of blokes that had a policy for a bike that would ride pretty much any bike.
The only other policy that allows you to drive any car would be a motor trade policy, but even they have stipulations such as needing to carry the insurance certificate all the time, due to MIB issues, and a set time that the car can be in your possession before you have to tell the insurance company about the car, so that they can put it on the MIB.
Remember that ignorance is no defence in law and the oldbill will have the car off you and charge you with no insurance, they will even phone your insurers at the side of the road to confirm coverage.

Oops, replied before reading the whole thread, much of what I have said is mentioned by Hammeyman.