Car Insurance - making regular amendments

Danyúl_II

I shall explain my situation.

I have my own car, but it is registered under my Mother's name.

Therefore when we insure it, it is insured under her name, with me as a named driver.

Direct Line insure the car, and a few months back we paid to have it insured just fire and theft as I don't use the car during term time (I am a student) - so when it is the holidays we ring up and ask to amend the policy and have it insured 3rd party, fire and theft for however long I am home for.

This always causes a huge to-do down the phone, they always seem to misquote us, and after about 20 minutes or negotiating with us they offer us a months cover for about £30.

So tonight we rang and asked again to insure me. They initially said they can't insure for just a month, and quotes 85 pounds to cover me 3rd party, fire and theft until June. So I paid using debit card, put my Mother back on the phone only to find out this £85 doesn't actually allow me to drive (!!) and that it is merely allowing my Mother to drive 3rd party - they then said it'd cost over £140 to add my name to the policy again, so we refuse and they stopped the money being debited from my account.

What a waste of time.

So my question is, is there an insurance company that would be more suitable for me? For example, three or four times a year we wish to ring up and change the policy from simple fire and theft to 3rd party fire and theft, at the cheapest price possible.

If this is all understood, I would be grateful for any suggestions!

Thanks!

flang

why not just rent a council garage and dont have it insured at all?
Wheres the car usually parked? and does your mum use the car when your not using it?

Danyúl_II

flang wrote:

why not just rent a council garage and dont have it insured at all?
Wheres the car usually parked? and does your mum use the car when your not using it?

I do rent a council garage.. and the car is always locked away, but you can't be too careful, can you?

I mean, some of these have been robbed before..

She never uses my car!

Bossyboots

flang wrote:

why not just rent a council garage and dont have it insured at all?
Wheres the car usually parked? and does your mum use the car when your not using it?

Don't know about anywhere else but my local authority insists on cars being insured against fire if they are parked in one of their rented garages.

iceicebaby

If the car is insured in your mothers name but she does not use the car, this is called "fronting" and is actually insurance fraud.

You need to get the car insured in your name if you own the car and you are the only user.

brazilianwax

iceicebaby wrote:

If the car is insured in your mothers name but she does not use the car, this is called "fronting" and is actually insurance fraud.

You need to get the car insured in your name if you own the car and you are the only user.

Ice is right. Sort out new insurance but do it in YOUR name with your mother as named driver.

At the moment your 'policy' is worthless - if you had an accident the insurers would be able to deny a payout on the basis that you LIED.

Get proper insurance.

Claire

Danyúl_II

brazilianwax wrote:

Ice is right. Sort out new insurance but do it in YOUR name with your mother as named driver.

At the moment your 'policy' is worthless - if you had an accident the insurers would be able to deny a payout on the basis that you LIED.

Get proper insurance.

Claire

Then why do Direct Line take money off me when we explain to them over and over that she doesn't use the car?

I lied? - Whenever we speak to them we say, very slowly, that she doesn't use the car, and that I would like to be insured on it for x amount of time..

You've confused me..

Danyúl_II

iceicebaby wrote:

If the car is insured in your mothers name but she does not use the car, this is called "fronting" and is actually insurance fraud.

You need to get the car insured in your name if you own the car and you are the only user.

Does the fact that I paid for the car automatically mean that I own it?

It's never been registered in my name..

Why have the insurance companies accepted my money for 4 years when they have known she has never driven the car?

iceicebaby

Hiya

I dont know why your insurance company have never picked up on this if you have indeed told them that your Mother does not use the car. You would have to ask them this.

If the car is only solely used by you and not by your mother it has to be insured in your name, otherwise this is called "fronting" which is insurance fraud. I have lost count of the number of insurance claims that have been refused and policies voided due to policies being in the parents name when the car is actually used by their son/daughter.

It is irrelevant really who the car is registered too. The main or only driver of the car is to insure it in their name and declare that the car is registered to X person and not themselves.

You should be insuring the car in your name as you have said that you are the only driver, and when they ask you during the quote stage who the car is registered to, you then say who the car is registered to.

ArchieB_2

All of what ICE says is spot on and it seems you have fallen foul of poorly trained call centre staff (not all call centre staff are poorly informed by the way).

If you still want to chop the policy about mid-term then you will be stung with a fee each time so have you compared the annual cost of comp cover vs the annual cost of TPFT? You may find the difference isn't worth the fees (or hastle).

Danyúl_II

I don't understand this.

She is registered owner of the car.

She is policy holder, which means she is allowed to drive the car.

I am merely a named driver on the policy.

Strange!