Car insurance when driving clients as part of job

InsideInsurance

RTA wouldnt make any reference to that level of detail, it simply stipulates you must have valid insurance. Its insurance that defines what its valid for and not.

I consider taxi, motor trader, couriers, goods vehicle, insurance with a company as a PH etc to be a proper business insurance, ie what isnt covered by the 3 business use classes that private motor insurers allow you to add on

InsideInsurance

Quentin wrote: »

What a reference library they must have at inside's insurance emporium!

Its normally just called Google

elsien

My class 1 business cover covered me for driving clients around. It wasn't as large a part of the job as the OP, but it covered driving people to visit relatives, to appointments, and for social activities. However it wasn't an integral part of the job and I didn't have to do it every day , so that may make a difference. Op, check with a broker.

rs65

InsideInsurance wrote: »

RTA wouldnt make any reference to that level of detail, it simply stipulates you must have valid insurance. Its insurance that defines what its valid for and not.

I consider taxi, motor trader, couriers, goods vehicle, insurance with a company as a PH etc to be a proper business insurance, ie what isnt covered by the 3 business use classes that private motor insurers allow you to add on

My god.

The law defines how motor insurance operates. Insurance responds to statute.

A quick google suggest that vehicles used for hire and reward must be licensed for same - per Public Passenger Vehicle Act. Such as hackney carriage, private hire car or PSV. Are you also saying they need the vehicle licenced?

rs65

noelphobic wrote: »

I was pleasantly surprised to find that it would only cost an extra £12 per year.

OP, two things to do.

Ask your insurer if your insurance would be valid whilst carrying clients.

Ask your prospective employer what cover you would need to prove to them.

noelphobic

Thanks for all the replies. I'll send the application in and then if/when i get an interview I will seek clarification on what their policy is.

It's an 18 month contract and I see it as a stepping stone. I'm trying to make a complete career change but, despite having a relevant and recent degree and doing lots of voluntary work I'm struggling to get a foot in the door.

I don't especially want to do a lot of driving and I would have a 30 mile round trip to the hospital for a 3 hour shift so there wouldn't be much money in it at all. However, as a means to an and I think I need to seriously consider it.

InsideInsurance

rs65 wrote: »

My god.

The law defines how motor insurance operates. Insurance responds to statute.

:rotfl:

Not to that level of detail at all.

Show me in Law where Driving Other Cars is defined? Or commuting -v- business travel? Or Class 1 -v- Class 3? Or minimum age limit for drivers on a Any Driver policy?

These are all insurer created things, the RTA says you must have VALID insurance and defines some minimum criteria that the insurance must meet. It is up to the insurer to define the rules of the validity of the insurance.

An insurer could, if they wanted, create a policy that allows anyone in the world with a valid license to drive a car for whatever purpose they wanted. Generally this would be exceptionally high risk and thus a very high premium. Insurers therefore apply conditions that reduce the validity to named drivers, specific types of driving, limit geographic territories etc in exchange for lower premiums and driving outside of those limits mean you dont have VALID insurance.

Of cause there is the RTA Insurer issue which may mean an insurer has to pay even if the insurance is invalid but they then have a right of recovery from the driver and/ or the policyholder (depending on the circumstances)

David_InsDef

The job role the OP is describing does not fit perfectly into any of the standard insurance classes of use, but it absolutely is Hire or Reward and would require a policy that a) doesn't have a Hire or Reward exclusion in the first place or b) has the exclusion removed.

There's nothing wrong with the link flagged by InsideInsurance as it gives the OP perfectly valid guidance around many of the categories in which his potential employment could sit. Ditto the advice to go to a Broker as there isn't a direct insurer out there that would entertain listening to his enquiry let alone writing the risk.

noelphobic

Would this actually count as 'hire and reward', given the fact that the clients who are being driven home from hospital don't pay for the service?

Quentin

You do for providing it (get rewarded)


You need to get a definitive answer to this from your insurer. If they are happy to cover you then get them to confirm this in writing and do the same if you change company at renewal.