Car insurance required if driving service users to appointments?

modhra_dubh

Hi,


I was just wondering if anyone could advise me on what type of car insurance I would need.


I am a support worker who is just starting a new job which involves occasionally taking the service user to an appointment at another agency i.e. housing office, doctors etc. I have been told I need business class 1 insurance but just want to check this. I am currently third party fire and theft, can I add business class 1 to TPFT and still take a service user in my car or will this need to be comprehensive.


Also, sometimes a relative of the service user wants to come to appointments with us, would these people also be covered by business class 1 insurance?


Thank you for your help.

Nebulous2

You need to tell your insurance company what you are doing and get business use added to your policy. It's very unlikely your employer will accept TPFT, it will need to be comprehensive cover. You should clarify that with your employer.

The person's relative should be covered by that insurance, but again I would make sure your insurance company and your employer both know that the person will be travelling with you.

shazzablue

Hi as nebulous2 advised you will need business insurance,you can not take clients out in car without this,your employer will request a copy of your driving license,insurance and mot,they should also advise on claiming your mileage,hope this helps.

shazzablue

Hi chumpasrex.I work for the local authority as a home support worker and take clients out on a regular basis,i am fully comp and have business insurance.my documents are checked every 6 months.can you advise why you don't think business insurance covers clients to be taken out in my car?.i am genuinely interested.

modhra_dubh

Thank you for your replies,


I am due to renew my insurance next month before I start the new job so I will switch to comprehensive insurance but the query around whether I am expected to drive service users and possible family members under class 1 business insurance is the difficulty then. Do different insurance companies make their own rules on this or is a standard rule?


I will clarify this with the employer but in previous jobs I have had in this type of role I have been expected to drive them when I've been Comprehensive Business Class 1.


The employer asks for a copy of driving licence, mot and class 1 business insurance but I was worried about driving the clients and possible client's family member.


Again thank you.

thenudeone

Nebulous2 wrote: »

It's very unlikely your employer will accept TPFT, it will need to be comprehensive cover. You should clarify that with your employer.

Why should your employer be interested in whether the employee chooses to insure damage to their own vehicle? That's the only difference between TPFT and comprehensive. As far as any other person is concerned, the cover is the same. That's what "Third Party" cover means. (The first two parties are the insurer and the policyholder).

ChumpusRex

shazzablue wrote: »

Hi chumpasrex.I work for the local authority as a home support worker and take clients out on a regular basis,i am fully comp and have business insurance.my documents are checked every 6 months.can you advise why you don't think business insurance covers clients to be taken out in my car?.i am genuinely interested.

It's what an insurer told me. Possibly I was wrongly advised, but I decided it was too much trouble, so I never went ahead.

They said that if I was carrying clients from home to an appointment, someone was paying to have the client transported, then the driving was "for hire or reward" which was not covered.

It might have been this one particular policy, or it might have been a mistake by the insurer. I don't know, I didn't follow it up.

Nebulous2

thenudeone wrote: »

Why should your employer be interested in whether the employee chooses to insure damage to their own vehicle? That's the only difference between TPFT and comprehensive. As far as any other person is concerned, the cover is the same. That's what "Third Party" cover means. (The first two parties are the insurer and the policyholder).

I know what third party means. You're missing something important though.

The employer is interested because any uninsured losses in the course of your work may become their responsibility. If you are driving your car on work time, in the course of their business and you crash it then you could have a claim against your employer.

The car isn't the big issue. It's personal injury to the driver. If you were seriously injured and pursued your employer you could possibly be looking at a seven figure claim against them.

Nebulous2

ChumpusRex wrote: »

It's what an insurer told me. Possibly I was wrongly advised, but I decided it was too much trouble, so I never went ahead.

They said that if I was carrying clients from home to an appointment, someone was paying to have the client transported, then the driving was "for hire or reward" which was not covered.

It might have been this one particular policy, or it might have been a mistake by the insurer. I don't know, I didn't follow it up.

It's rubbish. The important thing is that you fully disclose to your insurer what you are doing and that they accept it. If they believe you are visiting people in their own homes, with only you in the car then they will be quite annoyed if they later discover you are carrying people.

There are thousands and thousands of people out there in social care insured to do that so it is not unknown territory for insurers. I've always found them pretty reasonable. I've known quite a few people not to be charged at all, simply to be sent a new insurance certificate in the post. They may get a loading at renewal though. Young people or people who have recently past their test have always been asked for more money, but that has ranged from £30 or £40 to £200 in my experience.

Quentin

Nebulous2 wrote: »

The car isn't the big issue. It's personal injury to the driver. If you were seriously injured and pursued your employer you could possibly be looking at a seven figure claim against them.

You are mistaken about this

If you are seriously injured whilst driving your comprehensive policy won't compensate you. Read your policy to see what it actually does cover

OnanTheBarbarian

I don't see what difference fully comp makes when it comes to any passengers being conveyed in your vehicle. Any passenger is essentially a third party, so if you crashed the car with work-related passengers in, even if you were TPFT, your insurance would still cover their claims against you (assuming you had declared for business use).