Uninsured vehicle - insured driver?

ReX

My car was damaged while parked.

I have the CCTV footage of the incident but the registration number of the other car was not visible in the video. I have recognised the driver and car - they are local, so I managed to write down the registration number.

My insurance has concluded that this car is uninsured.

I have reported the crime but the Police told me that they can't do anything about it: even if the car is uninsured it might be the case that the driver has a comprehensive insurance that covers when he drives uninsured vehicles. Is it really possible?

I am not concerned about the car damage (it is minor and my insurance will pay), but more about the fact that there is a car driving locally without insurance and the driver was not even held accountable for the damage caused.

Quentin

ReX wrote: »

I am not concerned about the car damage (it is minor and my insurance will pay), but more about the fact that there is a car driving locally without insurance and the driver was not even held accountable for the damage caused.

Whenever you are not happy with your insurance company the route to go down is a complaint in line with their complaints procedure

Then if you are not happy with the reply or they ignore you for 8 weeks you can escalate to the FOS for their adjudication at no cost to you

Bear in mind that your policy will include you allowing to deal with claims as they think fit, and you will have agreed to this when taking out the policy

You can still pursue the driver yourself to reimburse you for your uninsured losses over this incident

ReX

Apologies, I think my post was unclear.

I am not concerned about the route that my insurance has taken, as they confirmed me that my non claim bonus / discount won't be affected (the CCTV confirms that my car was parked) and the entire cost of the repair will be covered by the "uninsured driver promise".

I am worried by the fact that a reported crime is not leading to any action: a car without insurance is driving in my area and the Police is now aware about it. But before escalating it further I would like to understand if it is true that an uninsured car can be legally driven if the driver has a comprehensive insurance (that apparently covers any car he drives). I have never heard of such thing.

Joe_Horner

Yes, it's perfectly possible for a driver to be insured when the car isn't.

It's becoming less common but used to be the norm for "driving other cars" cover. Up until last year my normal comprehensive policy worked like that and only changed to "if the other vehicle is insured" on the last but one renewal.

There are also trade policies and (now very expensive) "personal" policies which cover the policy holder for driving anything in connection with their business (trade) or on a whim (personal).

Ultimately, pretty much any insurance is possible if you pay enough.

missile

The driver could be charged with failing to report. Complain to your Chief Constable and local councillor.

alfie1950

Even though your NCB hasn't been affected you will now have to answer yes to the question 'have you ever any accidents or incidents ' and as such it will probably increase future premiums.

shaun_from_Africa

ReX wrote: »

I would like to understand if it is true that an uninsured car can be legally driven if the driver has a comprehensive insurance (that apparently covers any car he drives). I have never heard of such thing.

Am I entitled to driving other cars (DOC) cover?

Driving other cars (DOC) cover applies to vehicle policyholders only. They need to be 25 or over (at inception or renewal of the policy) and have comprehensive cover.

We will then provide cover for the vehicle policyholders who meet the above criteria to drive any other cars, third party only, that are not owned by or registered to them and with the permission of the owner - short term cover is excluded.

https://www.aviva.co.uk/frequently-asked-questions/faq/answer/3113/

facade

You could try snitching to the DVLA, either the car is SORN, in which case it shouldn't be on the road, and the DVLA can send the keeper an enormous fine through the post, or it is uninsured whilst taxed, which falls foul of the "Continuous insurance" law (again, the DVLA send out an enormous fine to the keeper through the post).


It could be "in trade" in which case to be driven it would be identified on a trade policy, or have trade plates.

Car_54

facade wrote: »

You could try snitching to the DVLA, either the car is SORN, in which case it shouldn't be on the road, and the DVLA can send the keeper an enormous fine through the post, or it is uninsured whilst taxed, which falls foul of the "Continuous insurance" law (again, the DVLA send out an enormous fine to the keeper through the post).


It could be "in trade" in which case to be driven it would be identified on a trade policy, or have trade plates.

What have trade plates to do with insurance?

Norman_Castle

The police have decided the time and effort involved in perusing this is not justifiable especially as the damage was minor and you are ok about your insurer covering the cost. Its annoying but police time is limited.

onomatopoeia99

ReX wrote: »

I have reported the crime but the Police told me that they can't do anything about it: even if the car is uninsured it might be the case that the driver has a comprehensive insurance that covers when he drives uninsured vehicles. Is it really possible?

My insurance gives me third party cover driving cars not owned by me and does not require such vehicles to be insured in their own right, so the online checks you can do of insurance by registration number would show the vehicle as uninsured.

The insurer is Direct Line in my case, but other insurers do still offer this as well.

There is the possibility of a road tax / SORN offence even if the driver has insurance due to CIE rules.