Car insurance for university holidays only?

mrs_scrooge

My daughter is about to go away to uni and will leave her car at home. She'd like to be able to drive it when she's at home at Xmas and Easter but it seems a waste to insure it for the whole year. Does anyone know what the options are?

She is the only driver of the car and she will have 2 years NCD at renewal in December (hopefully!). Will she lose her NCD?

Thanks

custardy

you can use day insure for daily cover or some insurers will do monthly cover.
in real terms weigh up the costs with the upkeep of the car.
yearly MOT,mainteence and road tax plus depreciation of the car.
not considered selling? could even organise a hire car when she's home if need be from the sale money of the car
IIRC you get 4 or 5 years to retain NCD.check with the insurer to make sure though

PasturesNew

You could investigate if Norwich Union are doing their "pay per mile" insurance.... although from memory you need a box fitting and pay different rates depending on the time of day/night you use the car.

They are a good/reputable company and it would be pricey to take out individual cover. Also the car would be insured (theft etc) while she wasn't using it.

I think this policy was created ... I remember all the discussions about it.

*googles it*
1] http://www.fool.co.uk/news/your-money/insurance/2006/10/05/pay-as-you-drive-car-insurance.aspx

2] http://www.whatcar.co.uk/news-article.aspx?NA=213060

Seems to exist!

mrs_scrooge

Thank you both.

The insurance costs more than the car is worth (N Reg Fiesta, paid just under £500 this year with Tesco insurance) and whilst the car is still going we were going to hang onto it in case she needs it in her second year when she's off campus. I think I should do the number crunching though and also check out the NU option.

custardy

also have you considered insuring it yourself and adding your daughter?
i know its bordering on fronting but really its not good for a car to sit for months at a time.
so if you were insured you could take the car out fro a drive 1 day a week or so and it would be known working fro your daughter coming home

JoeA81

I sold my car just before going to uni, and cancelled my insurance and at the time I had one years NCD.

Direct line told me that if I let my insuranse 'lapse' in this way then my NCD would last for two years before I lost it. Luckily I bought a new car for my work placement year two years later, so kept my 1 years NCD, and built up another.