Driving to Mot testing station without insurance

mikey72

TrickyWicky wrote: »

Just thought I'd back this up with my own experience as I have had this happen to me. I had my car written off a while back and used another car belonging to someone else. The insurers after a week of using it then informed me that my insurance was invalid because the other car must have it's own insurance cover on it. Not being a push over, I delved into the policy and asked them to point out where it said this. They gave me the page number and I read it to them over the phone - it said NOTHING about the other persons car having other insurance. Several hours, call centre ops and managers later we finally established that they had infact WRONGFULLY told me that the other persons car I was using needed its own insurance and that I was correct in my understanding and use of the DOC part of the policy.

Please people, if your insurers ever try to pull this trick on you (especially if the police are involved) check your policy with a fine tooth comb as the insurers are not always right and don't always know their own terms and conditions properly but jump to the easiest answer / conclusion so that they can get you off the phone. Had I not questioned it I could of been in serious trouble but because I did question it and examine it in detail, I saved my own back from a rod they had constructed for me.

Bottom line: Don't trust insurers.

What they don't tell you however is that when you get out of that car, it's no longer insured. It's YOU who are insured not the vehicle when using DOC cover. If driving a car thats not got its own cover in place the moment you step out of it the car becomes illegal if its on public land.

Ironically, you probably weren't insured. doc extension is normally only valid for as long as you own the car named on the policy. As it was written off, and you no longer owned it, the doc was most likely voided.

TrickyWicky

mikey72 wrote: »

Ironically, you probably weren't insured. doc extension is normally only valid for as long as you own the car named on the policy. As it was written off, and you no longer owned it, the doc was most likely voided.

It was valid - I've been through all of this with the insurers already and they have confirmed that I WAS insured at the time despite their best efforts so I fail to see why you suddenly think you know better? As stated I went through my policy with a fine tooth comb and confirmed everything with them so I know for a fact I was insured.

Besides at the time of the driving of the other car, the write-off hadn't actually been written off but was awaiting inspection.

mikey72

TrickyWicky wrote: »

It was valid - I've been through all of this with the insurers already and they have confirmed that I WAS insured at the time despite their best efforts so I fail to see why you suddenly think you know better? As stated I went through my policy with a fine tooth comb and confirmed everything with them so I know for a fact I was insured.

Besides at the time of the driving of the other car, the write-off hadn't actually been written off but was awaiting inspection.

If you change your story, no wonder they got confused. It either was written off, and no longer owned by you, or it wasn't, and was still owned by you. I suggest you check the scenario in your first post, not the different one in the second. Of course you were insured if what was in your second post was the actual reality.

TrickyWicky

I never even owned the car so ownership wasn't an issue - the insurers were unable to take it.

While I did say the car was written off, I never said it was before I started using the other car - this was years ago so of course I am going to say it was written off. Doesn't mean I'm going to give you an accurate day by day timeline of events just a general description of what happened.

mikey72

I don't know if we agree, or disgree anymore, but as a pointer to others who use doc, as I do, whether the other car needs insurance or not varies, but usually the policyholder must still have the named car on the insurance, otherwise doc becomes invalid.

TrickyWicky

mikey72 wrote: »

I don't know if we agree, or disgree anymore

Nope me neither lol (especially as I just noticed I also referred to it as my car - in spirit it is but technically it's not ).

Good advice btw.