Insurance Question

oligopoly

Hi MSE. I have a question I'm hoping you can help me with.

Up until very recently, I owned a BMW and my wife a Mini - both insured fully-comp.

I've just bought a Peugeot and the BMW will become my wife's. I have updated our insurance policies so that the Peugeot is my main car and the BMW is my wife's. We haven't yet updated the V5C but will do this very soon. We're both named on each other's policies...

The Mini is parked on our drive and we're in the process of selling it, with it listed on Autotrader and ebay.

My wife's insurers explained that if one of us needed to drive it - to valet it/add petrol etc then we would be covered 3rd party...

1. Is the above true and we're not breaking any laws? As it stands, the Mini is uninsured. Should we technically be declaring it SORN? Or is it ok for a car to be uninsured in this manner?

2. If and when someone wants to view and test-drive the Mini, is it their insurance policy that comes into play?

3. I understand that if we transfer ownership this weekend we would lose the bulk of this month's cost. Could be wait until the end of the month so that we get the maximum tax refunded or is this illegal?

Thanks in advance.

forgotmyname

The car is uninsured so you MUST SORN it and keep it off the road.

It must be taxed and insured otherwise it must be SORNd and not used on the road. If you check the terms on the policy you may find it excludes vehicles not currently insured. Not all policies do though.

But it should not be on the road either way. If not SORNd expect a bill from the DVLA for failing to keep it insured or SORNd.

AndyMc.....

oligopoly wrote: »

Hi MSE. I have a question I'm hoping you can help me with.

Up until very recently, I owned a BMW and my wife a Mini - both insured fully-comp.

I've just bought a Peugeot and the BMW will become my wife's. I have updated our insurance policies so that the Peugeot is my main car and the BMW is my wife's. We haven't yet updated the V5C but will do this very soon. We're both named on each other's policies...

The Mini is parked on our drive and we're in the process of selling it, with it listed on Autotrader and ebay.

My wife's insurers explained that if one of us needed to drive it - to valet it/add petrol etc then we would be covered 3rd party...

1. Is the above true and we're not breaking any laws? As it stands, the Mini is uninsured. Should we technically be declaring it SORN? Or is it ok for a car to be uninsured in this manner?

2. If and when someone wants to view and test-drive the Mini, is it their insurance policy that comes into play?

3. I understand that if we transfer ownership this weekend we would lose the bulk of this month's cost. Could be wait until the end of the month so that we get the maximum tax refunded or is this illegal?

Thanks in advance.

If it's got no insurance then it must be sorn.

Without tax it shouldn't be on the road for test drives or to get petrol.

Some insurances will require the car to have its own insurance and the owner cannot drive it on their third party. A spouse/partner may also be excluded from doing so too.

oligopoly

forgotmyname wrote: »

The car is uninsured so you MUST SORN it and keep it off the road.

OK thank you. Makes it tricky to sell a car after buying a new one then doesn't it. No-one will want to buy without test-driving; what do most people do? Take out temporary insurance so prospective buyers can legally test-drive?

molerat

Unless the car is specifically insured it needs to be SORNed and as such can not be "used" on the road, it can not be test driven. Your insurance may allow you to drive it but that does not affect the continuous insurance requirements unless they will keep it "on cover" with MID. You need to pose that question to your insurer.

AndyMc.....

oligopoly wrote: »

OK thank you. Makes it tricky to sell a car after buying a new one then doesn't it. No-one will want to buy without test-driving; what do most people do? Take out temporary insurance so prospective buyers can legally test-drive?

Won't they cover two cars?

oligopoly

AndyMc..... wrote: »

Without tax it shouldn't be on the road for test drives or to get petrol

It is taxed - just not insured as a main car, although we understood we were both insured to drive it 3rd party. Hope that makes sense.

So what to do now in order to sell it?

1. Declare SORN
2. Take out a month's insurance or something

??

oligopoly

molerat wrote: »

You need to pose that question to your insurer.

I thought I had. Sheila's Wheels told me I could drive it to 'fill it up with petrol' etc... Maybe I need to check with them then...

oligopoly

AndyMc..... wrote: »

Won't they cover two cars?

Worth a call to Sheila's Wheels (my wife's insurer) to pose the question. A month's cover would be ideal...

Car_54

There's no need to change the V5C for the BMW - that's simply unecessarily adding another "previous keeper" - when you come to sell it, the fewer the better.

The Mini needs either to be SORNed or insured to comply with the continuous insurance regs. If you want it to be test-driven, SORN is not an option.

The buyer's insurance may cover him for driving the car, but it won't cover you for keeping it.

Finally, check any buyer's insurance carefully. If he isn't covered, he and you (or your wife) are both committing an offence.

AndyMc.....

oligopoly wrote: »

It is taxed - just not insured as a main car, although we understood we were both insured to drive it 3rd party. Hope that makes sense.

So what to do now in order to sell it?

1. Declare SORN
2. Take out a month's insurance or something

??

If it's taxed it needs insurance.

You've been misinformed about driving it third party.