Car insurance required if driving service users to appointments?

shazzablue

The main point of my insurance that's checked is the business inclusion,this does not cost me any extra on my insurance(admiral).my employer also has a pool car which employees can use and a co worker with no business insurance can take clients out in this!...confusing!

Andy_L

Nebulous2 wrote: »

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.

That would be the case regardless of what level of cover you have.

Buellguy

shazzablue wrote: »

The main point of my insurance that's checked is the business inclusion,this does not cost me any extra on my insurance(admiral).my employer also has a pool car which employees can use and a co worker with no business insurance can take clients out in this!...confusing!

As you are driving other people round you might want to check with your insurer whether you need class 1, 2 or 3 business cover


http://www.admiral.com/car-insurance/motoring-advice/car-insurance-buyers-guide/which-class-of-use.php

Aretnap

Nebulous2 wrote: »

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.

If your employer was liable for your accident they'd be liable regardless of your personal insurance situation. If you happen to have insurance of your own which covers the car, it just means that it would be your insurance company, rather than you personally, which could seek to claim from 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.

As above, comprehensive car insurance often provides no cover against personal injury, and when it does it tends to be a derisory amount of cover (say £50K for permanent total disability) which will be completely useless in the case of a seven figure claim.

I suppose your employer might like you to have comprehensive cover so you're not left unable to do your job if you drive your car into a lamppost and can't afford to get it fixed, and you might well want it for the same reason, but that's a different issue (and not a problem if you can afford to fix/replace your car).

Aretnap

shazzablue wrote: »

The main point of my insurance that's checked is the business inclusion,this does not cost me any extra on my insurance(admiral).my employer also has a pool car which employees can use and a co worker with no business insurance can take clients out in this!...confusing!

The pool car will be covered by its own policy which provides an appropriate level of cover for employees while they're using it, so employees don't need business insurance of their own (or indeed any insurance of their own) in order to drive it.

That policy won't cover employees driving their own personal cars though, so if you're using your own car you have to make sure you have adequate cover through your own policy. (Not sure which class of business use that would be, but if in doubt the best option is to explain the situation to your insurer and ask).

Nebulous2

Okay it looks like I am wrong about the personal injury, but whatever the reason employers still in my experience want comprehensive cover. You'll see in the first post I made that I said to check with them what their requirements are.

I suppose they may well do it 'because they can!' I certainly had it explained to me that comprehensive cover provided more cover for the organisation.

We see people on here getting car allowances and being told their car has to be less than 5 years old. If their employers can do that, then I'm sure social care organisations can ask for comprehensive cover where they are paying mileage.

My main point remains; it is a well-trodden path for insurance companies, and they are usually quite happy for people to carry social care clients in the course of their work, as long as they are told and approve it upfront, with any additional premium being paid.

ChumpusRex

Nebulous2 wrote: »

I suppose they may well do it 'because they can!' I certainly had it explained to me that comprehensive cover provided more cover for the organisation.

TPFT may not cover the employer for their property.
E.g. if your employer offers to loan a wheelchair to a client, and you deliver the wheelchair in your car, but crash during the trip destroying the wheelchair. If you had fully comp, the employer could claim off your insurance for the cost of the wheelchair; this would not be covered by TPFT.

rs65

ChumpusRex wrote: »

TPFT may not cover the employer for their property.
E.g. if your employer offers to loan a wheelchair to a client, and you deliver the wheelchair in your car, but crash during the trip destroying the wheelchair. If you had fully comp, the employer could claim off your insurance for the cost of the wheelchair; this would not be covered by TPFT.

I think you are describing damage to TP property which would be covered under the TP section of TPF&T or Comp in my mind. The employer should really have all risks cover for these or goods in transit.

Aretnap

ChumpusRex wrote: »

TPFT may not cover the employer for their property.
E.g. if your employer offers to loan a wheelchair to a client, and you deliver the wheelchair in your car, but crash during the trip destroying the wheelchair. If you had fully comp, the employer could claim off your insurance for the cost of the wheelchair; this would not be covered by TPFT.

Comprehensive cover doesn't typically cover the car's contents, or if it does it only covers them up to a very limited amount (maybe £100). Damage you cause to someone else's property might be covered under by the third party element of your own insurance, but only if you're liable for it (ie the loss is caused by your own bad driving - not theft or someone else's bad driving). If you're carrying items of more than trivial value and want them to be covered then you need separate insurance - either by insuring the items themselves, or by taking out goods in transit insurance which is a separate type of cover over and above a normal comprehensive policy.