Car Insurance Minefield??

FarmerGilesUK

Good afternoon everyone.

I've been trying to do something that I thought would be simple, but it appears not

Basically, I'm buying a vehicle which I am going to give my daughter on her 17th birthday, so she can practice for her driving test and have to drive once she's passed her test.

As her 17th birthday isn't until March, I thought it'd be a good idea to insure it in my name so that I could drive it until March, mainly so that it wasn't sitting around unused, and then add her as a named driver to the policy on her birthday (OK, realise there would be an "admin" fee to do this).

However this appears non-trivial and opened various cans of worms with the insurers.

1. Registered keeper?
2. Vehicle "hers" not "mine" etc etc.

Appears I have two options

(a) Take out an annual policy in my name, cancel it in March and live with the fact that the "admin fees" will eat up pretty much the annual fee balance/refund.

(b) Just leave the car sitting on our land off the road, unused, SORN'd & uninsured and take out a policy for her as a provisional licence holder in March, possibly with me as a named driver.

Any other ideas?

Regards

Jon

teddysmum

It won't come to any harm, if stored, provided that no dampness is allowed to build up and the engine is run now and then.


Do you actually need to buy the car now ?

Smartsaver7

Don't see why you need to buy the car now it's only November , also if she is going to have to drive it shouldn't she have some say it what the vehicle is, it doesn't seem to be a surprise present , why not wait until she is 17 or take her a week before and let her choose a vehicle she feels comfortable with.

Unless it is in a secured pound a risk having it uninsured sitting off road.

No idea what the cost is for a 17yr old provisional driver , but most I know have their kids on their policy so can give them some practice in their car until passed the test.

FarmerGilesUK

To answer those questions:

1. Because someone we know was selling it and its an exceptional car, very low mileage, very good nick and far cheaper than examples on Autotrader etc.

2. Its also a car we know she likes and will be cheap to insure.

3. Yes, its in a secure area, nowhere near the roads.

Insurance for a provisional licence holder in their own car doesn't seem expensive so I'd far rather she insured her own vehicle than be a driver on mine. Its after they pass their test that it all goes stupid. No wonder really that there are so many uninsured drivers on our roads.

Smartsaver7

FarmerGilesUK wrote: »

To answer those questions:

nsurance for a provisional licence holder in their own car doesn't seem expensive so I'd far rather she insured her own vehicle than be a driver on mine. Its after they pass their test that it all goes stupid. No wonder really that there are so many uninsured drivers on our roads.

Not wrong I passed my test when 17 and lived on a council estate in London , I couldn't afford to get a car of my own until 19 due to the silly insurance premiums.

I would probably buy it and insure and register in my name until March so can drive it and keep it ticking over , not sure what the law is as to registering a car in the name of someone under 17, but not a big deal if you can't, it's free to change ownership and most insurance admin fees shouldn't be that much, mine is £10 a change.

FarmerGilesUK

According to DVLA no issue being a registered keeper as long as you're over 16, although they say they have no means to check anyway !!!

Smartsaver7

You could always have her as the registered keeper from now then , if she lives with you any docs like tax reminders would go to your address.For insurance purposes I don't know if the registered keeper has to be the same as the policy holder or at least one of the insured drivers , may depend on company, but if being kept off road uninsured not an issue.

FarmerGilesUK

IME some insurers get jippy about the proposer not being the registered keeper but not all of them.

I think I have 2 choices:

1. Register and insure it in my name and then cancel the insurance when she's ready to drive it (I'll be a named driver on her policy) and re-register it in her name. One more driver won't make any difference to a car that old.

2. Register it in her name immediately and leave it until March-May time then insure it also in her name.

Option 1 may be more convenient as we need to get it to a garage to have a few jobs doing and although I might use "temporary insurance", its very expensive, so might be best to have a policy running on it. Depends what the various insurers charge to cancel.

Saga btw was ridiculous at £50 to cancel the policy before its end. F'ing thieves