Insurance to release vehicle from car pound

bennyowen

Hello,

Please can someone help with the correct insurance for releasing my vehicle from Car Pound.

I purchased a replacement car and used my old car in part exchange. I drove the car from the garage but was caught by the Police on my way home for No Insurance. I thought the insurance on my old car (expires August 2012) covers me on the replacement car. The Police seized the car and took it to the Car Pound at Charlton, London (Bramshot Ave. SE7 7HY). The cost of Car Pound is £150 + daily fee of £20. I also got 6 points on my licence and a fine of £200.

I eventually went home in a Bus and changed my insurance on my old car using the internet to reflect the replacement car. The Car Pound would not accept the amended insurance for releasing my car.

I understand a few insurance companies do insurance for releasing vehicle from car pound. My insurance company (Swiftcover) refused to confirm my insurance cover for the purpose of releasing my vehicle.

Any help please.

vax2002

Swift cover policies are not worth the paper they write on.
Cancel the insurance and buy some from a reputable company.

Premier_2

Don't forget when purchasing insurance to inform the insurer you have a (pending) conviction for driving without insurance.

vax2002

Can you get your policy document in your hand and come back online ?
Just type Thread Bumped or something similar and hit reply

mikey72

bennyowen wrote: »

Hello,

Please can someone help with the correct insurance for releasing my vehicle from Car Pound.

I purchased a replacement car and used my old car in part exchange. I drove the car from the garage but was caught by the Police on my way home for No Insurance. I thought the insurance on my old car (expires August 2012) covers me on the replacement car. The Police seized the car and took it to the Car Pound at Charlton, London (Bramshot Ave. SE7 7HY). The cost of Car Pound is £150 + daily fee of £20. I also got 6 points on my licence and a fine of £200.

I eventually went home in a Bus and changed my insurance on my old car using the internet to reflect the replacement car. The Car Pound would not accept the amended insurance for releasing my car.

I understand a few insurance companies do insurance for releasing vehicle from car pound. My insurance company (Swiftcover) refused to confirm my insurance cover for the purpose of releasing my vehicle.

Any help please.

Why wouldn't they accept the ammended insurance?
What you have done sounds like the correct way, to transfer the insurance from the old car to the new car, and print out a valid policy and schedule showing you are insured to drive the new car.

vax2002 wrote: »

Swift cover policies are not worth the paper they write on.
Cancel the insurance and buy some from a reputable company.

Perfectly valid insurance, and quite an acceptable company to be insured with to comply with the legal requirements in the uk.

spiro

When a car is impounded for no insurance I think one of 2 things can happen based on what I have seen on news etc:
1) You go to the pound with paperwork to prove that the car was actually insured at the time of the offence in which case they release the car.
2) You can not prove the car was insured at the time of the offence in which case they can crush the vehicle.
As the offence occured in London I think the latter is what is going to happen because they are having a purge on uninsured drivers. So the maximum penalty is not just points and a fine it is also loosing you car to the crusher.

Read this and note the last paragraph about distruction. http://www.postonline.co.uk/post/news/2118429/mib-pledges-support-police-uninsured-drivers-sting

Sgt_Pepper_2

spiro wrote: »

When a car is impounded for no insurance I think one of 2 things can happen based on what I have seen on news etc:
1) You go to the pound with paperwork to prove that the car was actually insured at the time of the offence in which case they release the car.
2) You can not prove the car was insured at the time of the offence in which case they can crush the vehicle.
As the offence occured in London I think the latter is what is going to happen because they are having a purge on uninsured drivers. So the maximum penalty is not just points and a fine it is also loosing you car to the crusher.

Read this and note the last paragraph about distruction. http://www.postonline.co.uk/post/news/2118429/mib-pledges-support-police-uninsured-drivers-sting

You forgot the option of obtaining insurance and getting the vehicle back.

Premier_2

spiro wrote: »

When a car is impounded for no insurance I think one of 2 things can happen based on what I have seen on news etc:
1) You go to the pound with paperwork to prove that the car was actually insured at the time of the offence in which case they release the car.
2) You can not prove the car was insured at the time of the offence in which case they can crush the vehicle.
As the offence occured in London I think the latter is what is going to happen because they are having a purge on uninsured drivers. So the maximum penalty is not just points and a fine it is also loosing you car to the crusher.

Read this and note the last paragraph about distruction. http://www.postonline.co.uk/post/news/2118429/mib-pledges-support-police-uninsured-drivers-sting

Can't read that link as its a subscription service, but no, that is incorrect.
The car is not crushed (or sold) for at least 14 days (unless possibly agreement is given at roadside to not recover vehicle). As long as the registered keeper (or, if there's no registered keeper, to the person appearing to be the owner) can prove they are correctly licensed and insured at the time of collection, they can take the vehicle away ... after paying the appropriate fees

Edit: The car can also be released to another authorised driver but (a) the car must be insured at the time of collection and (b) the driver correctly licensed and insured to drive the vehicle away.

greyteam1959

vax2002 wrote: »

Swift cover policies are not worth the paper they write on.
Cancel the insurance and buy some from a reputable company.

And that is the most stupid statement I have heard for a long time............

thenudeone

If you have now bought insurance for the vehicle then the certificate will be suitable to release the car.

Certificates don't cover you to release any other vehicle from seizure, even if the certificate does cover you to drive it under a "Driving other cars" section, because if they did it would be wide open to abuse: you'd only need one person in a group of friends to actually have any insurance and they could get everyone else's cars released by producing his insurance certificate.

So you need a specific policy covering the vehicle by registration mark, before you can get the car out.

Premier_2

mikey72 wrote: »

Why wouldn't they accept the ammended insurance?
What you have done sounds like the correct way, to transfer the insurance from the old car to the new car, and print out a valid policy and schedule showing you are insured to drive the new car...

I see the OP has thanked you for your post, but appears to have opted not to answer what appears to be a perfectly reasonable question.

I wonder why...:think: