business car insurance

lavender_girl

Hi,

I am currently with Dial Direct car insurance. My husband has recently started a new job and now needs to use our car as part of his work as a community worker, so occasionally may need to take clients to appointments etc...We were able to make changes, but when paperwork came through info was wrong. The changes were credited to me instead of my husband, so rang back to to alter etc...they are now saying that there is a problem because we can't have it for a dual purpose - that it must be both of us or not at all and because I don't have a job that will involve me using the car for business, they can't change it...

All we wanted was extra cover for husband for work and for me to continue to use it occasionally for social etc...
Is this usual - can anyone advise how I can continue, or do I need to change insurance all together. We need to change asap, but thankfully his job are understanding, so of course won't be taking clients until we have it sorted...

Any help would be much appreciated...

Thanks

Alfrescodave

What I think the insurance company are saying is that the documentation has to relate to the "highest risk" category i.e. someone using the car for business which is your husband - even though you dont need it for that purpose. I don't see that this is a problem.

A further question is who is the main driver ? - if your husband wasn't named as such and now is with this additional work requirement, then the insurance needs to be updated

lisyloo

I think you might have misunderstood and they can change it but it will have to be changed for both of you (and paid for accordingly).

If it really can't be done then tell the business it can't be done and tell them to provide a car rather than to try to borrow yours.
I doubt very much that it's in your husbands contract that he is obliges to use his own personal equipment for work. After all he might not have had a car and might have just walked in.

lavender_girl

Hi Alfrescodave and Lisyloo,

Thanks for your help - I appreciate it!
On the policy my husband is the main driver and im the named driver, even though I own the car... My husband is a family support worker run as part of a governmental agency.. (So its your car or nothing) ..He has to drive as he has to go to the families homes and courts etc...but also he will sometimes need to take clients in the car too as part of it. Im not expecting it to be free at all, its just that for some reason they can't have it as one person using for business and the other not and as I don't have a job it seems to be me ,thats the issue. I don't use the car that much, its mainly for emergencies /occasional..
Anyway - sorry if I sound stupid, its just it would be much easier if I had a job..that seems to be reason they cant sort it out..

Thanks again

lisyloo

My husband is a family support worker run as part of a governmental agency.. (So its your car or nothing)

Out of interest what do people who don't have a car do? or do they not employ people without a car?

So are they saying they won't change it to business cover for both of you?

If they really can't change it then you have 2 options:

1) Cancel the insurance and get another policy which does allow it (most would allow it). There may be an admin fee for cancellation and you might lose part of a year in no claims because of this.
2) You other option is to tell the employer that the car cannot be used for work because you can't get it insured.

If it was in the contract that you need to provide a car (or understood that you would) then you should to be honest have checked this out.
As you haven't checked it out then you either have to decide whether to accept the cost yourselves or tell the employer it's not your problem.

How do they compensate you for using your own car?
If it's subsidised e.g. 40p per mile, then I suggest you put it down to experience and do 1) i.e. don't hack off your employer but change the policy and take the admin fees and loss of partial no claims on the chin esepcially if it's subsidised.

I'm not lecturing (well trying not to anyway) but in future it would be a good idea to check out any requirements of the job before accepting.

lavender_girl

Hi - Yes we did do all above, but they were not particularly organised, as its a new job for the county. There were changes to job pretty much every other week and had to wait three months before he started the job after getting it...so really we did everything we could, we got landed with it at the last minute, which was pretty stressful as my husband has been out of work for a while after being made redundant... we asked at job interview and were told one thing then it all changed the day he started...So we have been honest and try to to cover all options -
I am quite flexible and try to do everything I/we can its just I wandered if anyone else had been in a similar position of 2 people using the car for different ways...

So thats where Im coming from -

Anyway thanks, for your help

lisyloo

If they didn't tell you that you had to use the car for work or it isn't in the contract then it's unreasonable of them to expect you to provide transport for their use.

Presumable however regardless of the rights and wrongs he wants to keep this job, especially after being out of work.

Most insurers would be fine about insuring both of you.

You haven't said whether the employer subsidises use of the private car by paying a good rate e.g. 40p per mile.

If they pay a good rate then I don't see a problem with cancelling the insurance and getting a new policy.
There will be some fees but the "profit" from the mileage will cover it and that's a lot better than hacking off the new employer. The "profit" from this kind of rate is designed to cover these costs.

You really need to investigate what the charges are for cancelling the policy and find out how much you will be out of pocket.
Then consider how much he wants or needs the job.

I can't judge on the facts you've provided but my feeling is that you are better off taking the (probably small) costs on the chin and keeping the emplyoer happy.

I am pretty certain that most insurers would NOT have a problem with you paying for insurance that you would not be using. Seems like your are being very difficult about it.

lavender_girl

Well thanks - you have missunderstood me, I just wanted some advice on how to explain to insurers - theres no probs with employers at all, just trying to work out the best solution thats all...Im not asking for extra money or anything like that, I just was trying to work out how best to help my husband get the insurance he needed.. your comments have been quite hurtful, I appreciate your help, and cant understand why you would see me being difficult , dishonest etc.. I just needed some friendly advice from people in similar positon of one driver using the car for work during work hours and for me for social - it does sound daft I know, but just trying to find a way around it..thats all :0)

Hope you have a good evening and thanks for your advice.

brazilianwax

Whose name is the car insured in?

If it's yours, I can see why the insurers may not be able to add business use for your husband. Certainly on the system it wouldn't allow business use to be added to a policy where the 1st person wasn't working (as a safety net I suppose).

You say your husband is the main driver. So the car should be in his name anyway. As you are married, this isn't a problem because there is a legal bond between you, and you should be able to transfer your NCB to your husband. That way you go on the policy as an occasional named driver - which would be the right way around.

If Dial Direct's system is set up in this way, then I don't see how they would be able to insure you as you want.

lavender_girl

Hi Brazillianwax :0)

Thank you for your reply.

We have already transfered my NCB to my husband and have his name on our insurance certificate as the main driver as you kindly suggest. This wasnt a problem with Dial Direct as they suggested it.

My husband has conferred with several of his new collegues about there insurance but none of them have had the same problem, with similar use as ours. Do you think its possible that we were just unlucky and didnt have an advisor who understood what we were asking...? Thank you so much for reply.

brazilianwax

I think it's possible. As lisyloo said, it's not like the insurer will care if you pay for cover you don't need!

It might be worth another phonecall - the next adviser might understand what you mean!!!

Good luck!