Found out insurance details wrong after an accident-what should I do?

cf12345

Recently had a scrape with another car. I took my insurance through a comparison site which I think is why there is an error, and the documents were all online so I didn't check at the time. It says my driving licence was passed at 01/month/year. Instead of the actual date (20th/month/year).

Now I'm not sure what to do. I was likely at fault (did not admit), and so there might be a claim against my policy. Will the insurer check my licence details and then void? Should I tell them this mistake now even though the accident already happened. I also reported the accident to the insurer already.

I'm just full of anxiety now as I'm sure this could lead me in lots of trouble but should I just quiet and hope it is ok.

Mainly I want to know if I ring the insurer now to tell this detail change will they void my entire policy or just update/charge me a fee.... Please help.

cubegame

Is the error a consequence of getting a quote on a comparison site which only allowed you to enter month of passing your test?

I don't personally see a problem but perhaps worth mentioning to your insurance company.

cf12345

Yes exactly. And my licence date is only on my Broker document, not the underwriter certificate. Very concerning that comparison sites don't fill out correctly. I wonder if other people are affected like this too.

Joe_Horner

How important it is probably depends quite a lot on what "month" and "year" are.

If "month" is the month you took the insurance out in and "year" is 2017, for example, that makes a difference between holding the licence for "1 year" or less than 1 year" which is likely to be quite a big jump in their risk tables. Similarly, if it was 2015 then it could make the difference between 2 years and 3 years.

On the other hand, if "year" is 2000 then the difference between holding it for 17 or 18 years will be negligible.

cf12345

I've had my licence for more than 7 years, but yes good point. I will just wait and see if the other party decides to claim and take it from there. I notified of the accident for information only, as the whole excess, waiting, no claims etc is not worth the hassle it'll take me to cover up the scratches on my vehicle.

I just get so anxious around insurance companies since my last claim many years ago they wrote my car off "not economical to repair" and I really got screwed after young driver compulsory excesses. And I hear horror stories of them avoiding to pay out or voiding policies.

Joe_Horner

cf12345 wrote: »

I've had my licence for more than 7 years,

They'd be hard pressed justifying avoiding a claim for the sake of 19 days over 7 years. Over the past few years the financial ombudsman's really clamped down on their ability to nit-pick over things that make no material difference like that.

cf12345

Do they even ask for this type of evidence during a claim by third party? I know one insurance once wanted a photocopy of my driving licence and proof of mileage on my bike whilst taking it out. But I've not been through a claim in many years so just wondering what to expect. Since they have access to so many databases shouldn't they be able to verify with DVLA all my driving licence information at point of taking out the policy?

takman

cf12345 wrote: »

Recently had a scrape with another car. I took my insurance through a comparison site which I think is why there is an error, and the documents were all online so I didn't check at the time. It says my driving licence was passed at 01/month/year. Instead of the actual date (20th/month/year).

Now I'm not sure what to do. I was likely at fault (did not admit), and so there might be a claim against my policy. Will the insurer check my licence details and then void? Should I tell them this mistake now even though the accident already happened. I also reported the accident to the insurer already.

I'm just full of anxiety now as I'm sure this could lead me in lots of trouble but should I just quiet and hope it is ok.

Mainly I want to know if I ring the insurer now to tell this detail change will they void my entire policy or just update/charge me a fee.... Please help.

Obviously you must realise this isn't a valid reason to not check your documents, if anything it makes them much more convienent to check.

cf12345 wrote: »

I've had my licence for more than 7 years, but yes good point. I will just wait and see if the other party decides to claim and take it from there. I notified of the accident for information only, as the whole excess, waiting, no claims etc is not worth the hassle it'll take me to cover up the scratches on my vehicle.

I just get so anxious around insurance companies since my last claim many years ago they wrote my car off "not economical to repair" and I really got screwed after young driver compulsory excesses. And I hear horror stories of them avoiding to pay out or voiding policies.

If you had read the policy documents then you would have known this before you took out the policy.
Surely if your anxious about insurance issues you would spend more time checking everything was correct?.

cf12345

Well the certificate of motor insurance doesn't mention my date of licence anywhere on it. It's only one a second document. There is about 10 pdf's online. I understand it is a bad reason but also completing on mobile and opening full size pdf's on mobile is not great. Obviously in future I am going to nitpick these. I might just ring up instead of using the auto comparison site. I went on moneysupermarket and it does only ask for the month of licence not the date when getting quotes.

Bigphil1474

OP, maybe you entered your license on the comparison website as month/year, and they auto-completed it as 1st of the month. Could be you've done nothing wrong, more likely an admin thing. Also, there is no requirement to provide your license details so it shouldn't be a reason to invalidate the claim. Best bet is to wait and see if they claim and if not, ring your insurers to advise them that you've spotted an error. Chances are they'll not be bothered IMO.

RealGem

I have worked in Car Insurance Customer Support. I'm certain it won't make a difference, especially as you say, it only let you input the month, not the date.



It certainly won't make a difference to the premium, which is what they're concerned about (eg: people lying about their jobs or address, which would make a difference to their premium).