Do carers have business use car insurance?

Lucy_Lastic

Can anyone tell me if a carer who takes clients out in their own (the carers) car would need to have business use on their car insurance policy?

Can anyone who works for a care agency tell me if this is checked when you accept a job offer? Do the agency pay the extra it will cost you?

How much extra would anyone expect to pay to add business use onto their car insurance policy?

lisyloo

Can anyone tell me if a carer who takes clients out in their own (the carers) car would need to have business use on their car insurance policy?

I would expect the answer to be yes as it's not social, domestic, pleasure or commuting. However you can check your policy, or with your broker or insurer.

Increasingly companies do check as they theorectically would have some liability for "letting" you drive clients around uninsured.
Does it matter if they check? Why would you knowingly want to drive uninsured?

Do the agency pay the extra it will cost you?

You would need to check the arrangements with individual employers/agencies for their arrangements.
I work in IT and it's normally the case that we get a rate e.g. 40p per mile, to cover everything.

How much extra would anyone expect to pay to add business use onto their car insurance policy?

I would expect to pay a very small amount, but it will depend on your insurer and possibly your risk profile too

Southend1

Adding business use on to my insurance cost me an extra £15-20 a year. It's not worth the risk of having your car towed for no insurance for the sake of £20!

art_for_arts_sake

I added business cover to my policy for a non-care related profession. If you're taking out disabled clients it could be seen as having a social element if you're doing it in your own time. It's unreasonable of your employer to ask you to do so in working hours without compensating you for your added costs.

Also, if you have an accident of any kind, even if you aren't in the car, you'll be expected to state what your last journey was, so I'd be cautious for this reason alone. Insurance companies need very little excuse not to pay out on claims, so I'd be careful to avoid giving them one.

forgotmyname

You MUST inform the insurance.

FIL gets a carer to help him a couple of times a week, One day her mom started dropping her off not coming in her own car.
Thought its probably in the garage.
After a week or so he asked her where the car was.

It was written off and her insurer refused to payout because she didnt goto one place of work as stated and also carried what they classed as clients/customers.

Similar issue, Employer expected you to do these things and offered zero extra towards it.

Lucy_Lastic

Thank you for your replies. I had hoped to hear from some carers who would have first hand knowledge.

This is just a question, it's not about me and my car, I am not a carer. I am not trying to dodge an extra insurance premium!

I know what SHOULD happen, I just wondered if it actually does.

I would however expect the care agency to check that their employees (those that are expected to drive) do have the correct insurance and of course a clean license.

lisyloo

I would however expect the care agency to check that their employees (those that are expected to drive) do have the correct insurance and of course a clean license.

Companies are generally becoming more risk averse about this due to the requirement to do risk assesments however legally the state of the tyres, roadworthiness, licence and insurance are ALL the responsibility of the DRIVER.

Lucy_Lastic

So, if you go for a driving job - lorry driver, courier, taxi driver etc, the company who intends to employ you will not check that you have a license to drive? :eek:

lisyloo

So, if you go for a driving job

I would expect them to do so if you went for a DRIVING job.
If driving is the actual job then of course they will check your qualifications.

Being a carer is not a driving job, although it's one activity that takes place.
I did not say that they won't check you.

We cannot tell you whether individual companies will chcek or not.
Some probably do, some probably don't.
I don't understand why you are so interested. Are you forgetful? or is there some other reason?

I don't think anyone here can tell you about every caring agency in the UK.
Some probably do, some probably don't.
They probably should to be on the safe side, but I expect there are some companies that are very good and have tight procedures and probably a few less good agencies who don't have procedures or always follow them.

The point I was trying to make was that if you get into a car without a licence or with bald tyres or without a seat belt then YOU as the driver are responsible.
You cannot expect an agency to follow you around checking your tyres and that you put your seatbelt on each time.
As a driver you have very clear responsibilites and cannot off load these onto another organsation.
If they did get sued for not checking it would in addition to the driver being prosecuted not instead of.

So I am struggling to see what different this makes to you because the checks are only there to protect the agency from being sued, they make no difference to the driver at all (unless they don't have the insurance/licence).

Lucy_Lastic

I'm not asking about the driver's responsibilities. I am a driver, I know what my responsibilites are.

I use a care agency (if you need to know why I am asking the question).

My query is only about business use on a carers insurance policy.

I only want to know if anyone who is in this profession (which I take it you are not) has been asked to add it to their policy.

Just one or two agencies, not every agency in the UK, not probably this or that, just an answer from someone who knows - from experience.

Am I forgetful? What's that got to do with anything?

forgotmyname

The companies that employ the carers obviously dont bother checking or care what insurance the carers have.

When carers have asked for extra money to cover them they dont get anywhere.

This is what she said to my FIL. Now she has lost her car.
Luckily she didnt get done for no insurance.

As mentioned the company wont care because its down to the driver to make sure they have the right cover etc.

If you had a company car with bald tyres, Its still the drivers fault for using the vehicle. The fact you either used it or get the sack is not a defence.