Comprehensive Insurance (Admiral) - Not covered when car is SORN?!

MikeWilliams99

Hi,

I SORN'ed my car last month as it's a summer car and I've just rang Admiral to renew my policy as I still want cover for it incase it gets nicked and they've told me I'm not covered and can't renew because my car is SORN?! I've just rang Swinton and they won't insure me either.

My first point is does anyone know if this is right?! if it is I think there must be thousands of people on a comprehensive policy with a SORN like me thinking they are OK! Does anyone know where I can get just theft cover for my car (which is worth about £12k).

Thanks Mike

scheming_gypsy

Laid up insurance is what you'll want if it's just a summer car.

MikeWilliams99

Thanks for the information on laid up insurance.

I have just put 'laid up insurance' into Google and Adrian Flux has come up but they only do classic cars for when its laid up. My car is 3 only years old?

Surely there must be some Insurance company that will insure me? I'm still really angry that Admiral won't insure me either (or if I had a claim they wouldn't pay me). Its only by chance I mentioned it was a SORN and as soon as I mentioned it they didn't want to know - I'm worried that a lot of people are in the same boat as me.

It looks like if I can't get cover I've got to sell it or take a risk

sabretoothtigger

Try house insurance if its in a garage then you can ask for it as contents, specified spares.

You are unusual because depreciation over 6 months on a new car could mean its worth thousands less. Not saying you are wrong, if you keep it over ten years I guess its no difference.

Keep trying classic car insurance maybe they help or know a specialist. Cookie cutters dont like it, the other thing might be to not do sorn of course

stugib

MikeWilliams99 wrote: »

My first point is does anyone know if this is right?! if it is I think there must be thousands of people on a comprehensive policy with a SORN like me thinking they are OK! Does anyone know where I can get just theft cover for my car (which is worth about £12k).

Am I missing something? Why doesn't TPFT meet your needs?

vaio

I've never seen a proposal that asks if the vehicle is SORN.

The rule is "honestly answer the questions they ask and don't volunteer anything extra" as it just confuses them and invariably causes you grief or £££

rs65

vaio wrote: »

I've never seen a proposal that asks if the vehicle is SORN.

The only thing I can think of is answering zero to the estimated mileage question. That might rule out some insurers.

The OP's is a summer car so the estimated mileage would just be what they expect to cover in the whole year.

An insurer refusing to take a comprehensive premium for a car that is Sorn'd doesn't make sense, but as we know sense doesn't always come into it.

MikeWilliams99

Thanks for all your help with this but I have spoken to a friend of a friend who works in insurance and he tells me that if you have a Car on a SORN declaration (you don't have tax), so your car doesn't show on the tax database - fine. but if you have Comprehensive (or any road insurance cover) at the same time as a SORN you show on the Insurance database. This means you are breaking the law or committing an offence (his words) by basically not showing on both databases. You have to appear on both or on the tax database as sorn.
Clear as mud!


So this is why the Insurance companies won't let me do a comprehensive policy as I would be getting road insurance even though I'm not using it on the road.


He said I need special cover for it and has given me some companies to call tomorrow but if I can't get it I will have to tax it (which is a waste of money right now - £225 to be exact) and insure it on a comprehensive policy for £546 with admiral.



So if I can't sort it i will have to fork out nearly £800 for a car I'm not going to use for ages!


Madness - sounds to me like a proper insurance company scam to get me to pay for something I don't need

rs65

I think your friend of a friend is wrong. If a car is not SORN, it has to be insured. You don't have to have comprehensive cover by law. Your obligation is to comply with tax, Sorn and insurance regulations - not to show on a database. Having comp cover on a Sorn car is not committing an offence.

Have you tried a comparison site and does it ask you of the car is SORN?

The law changed recently about personal insurances. You no longer have to declare what you think is relevant. The insurer has to ask questions they want to know and your obligation is to answer correctly.

As Vaio said, I have never seen a proposal that asks if the car is SORN.

rs65

In fact, you have to insure a car to get a tax disc so your friend of a friend cannot be right.

MikeWilliams99

Thanks Rs65. The comments you made helped me when I spoke to a new company that do SORN cars.

They would not really comment on other companys policies but said that if you have tax and want to keep the tax you should insure comprehensive, third party fire and theft or third party only even if you don't intend using it on the road. If you SORN it you can choose to get Fire & Theft only cover for it but its not compulsory.

I took a Fire & Theft only policy out with them this morning for £124.00 for 6 months (which I'm really happy with really as I have my car covered and I dont have to fork out £800 now to tax and insure it). I explained I had SORN it and want just theft cover and they said its fine and I've just checked my policy (which is with Enterprise Insurance) and its all OK.

This is still a minefield but thanks everyone for your help. I've got myself sorted now but people need to be careful with this. Its a nightmare and if you get it wrong I think its a great way for Insurance companys to wriggle out of playing a claim if you have a SORN car on a normal policy. Check it with your company just to be sure.

Thanks
Mike