car insurance renewal - unable to drive for a while so should I renew?

dreaming

My insurance is due for renewal mid-September but I am unable to drive for a while as I am waiting for an eye operation. I also have an unrelated health condition which I have notified DVLA  and insurers about but this is controlled by medication and I have not been advised that I cannot drive. I SORNed the car a few weeks ago when tax was due but wondered if cancelling the insurance, then starting again when I can (hopefully) drive again, will have a significant impact on the premium? I have 10+ years NCD at the moment - will having a "gap" affect the price?  I don't actually know when I am likely to have the operation although hopefully it  could be in the next month or so, and I believe the advice is to allow 6 weeks for recovery before driving (it's similar to cataracts but not exactly the same), so potentially I may not drive for some months (or at all if unsuccessful) so it seems pointless insuring the car for that period but if it would significantly increase the cost then it may be better to continue with the renewal. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

RobM99

I'd suggest - talk with the insurance company first.

Nearlyold

When I've cancelled an insurance policy in the past the insurer said they'd "hold" my level of NCD for x number of years so that I'd get the same NCD on any new policy commenced within x number of years. Your insurer may or may not do this.

dreaming

RobM99 said:

I'd suggest - talk with the insurance company first.

I have been trying to get through to them for a couple of days but their online system just keeps timing out and hanging on the phone for ages is pretty soul destroying. The last person I spoke to said they would get someone to call me back but hasn't happened so far. I do hop around insurance companies each year to get the best price and not sure if this works against me. My gut feeling is to cancel and put the money away then start again when the operation is done but some family members think I should keep the insurance up and so I just wanted some more objective thoughts to help me decide.

Grey_Critic

If it is due mid September it is not worthwhile cancelling as the car is not on the road and they may apply a cancellation charge anyway.

You NCD is normally recognised upto two years so a break from driving should not be a problem. You could of course simply email to say that you have taken the car off the road and declared it SORN for a period.

macman

Bear in mind that without insurance your car is not covered for fire, theft, or accidental damage etc. The only thing you don't need if off the road is 3rd party cover.

Rodders53

No insurance = no cover if the car is stolen or catches fire. 
Can you afford that potential loss?

dreaming

Grey_Critic said:

If it is due mid September it is not worthwhile cancelling as the car is not on the road and they may apply a cancellation charge anyway.

You NCD is normally recognised upto two years so a break from driving should not be a problem. You could of course simply email to say that you have taken the car off the road and declared it SORN for a period.

Rodders53 said:

No insurance = no cover if the car is stolen or catches fire. 
Can you afford that potential loss?

macman said:

Bear in mind that without insurance your car is not covered for fire, theft, or accidental damage etc. The only thing you don't need if off the road is 3rd party cover.

Thanks everyone. I probably worded worded my OP wrongly, Grey Critic, as I was just talking about whether or not to go ahead with the renewal, not cancelling the existing policy. I didn't cancel the policy when I stopped driving as I knew it was only a couple of months till renewal and I pay upfront anyway.
Rodders53 and macman - the car is parked up on my drive and because of the eye problem I am here pretty much 24/7 so not really worried about theft. Besides, it is quite an old car (2005 but fairly low mileage) and only a 1400cc so not particularly attractive to thieves, and it isn't really worth much if it got damaged. I actually did toy with the idea of giving up driving completely when the fuel went up so much but living alone I do value the independence it gives me (and which I am really missing at the moment). I could afford to buy a little runaround later on if anything did happen.
My family's point of view is that I am "giving in to age" (I'm 66 and am not giving in to anything) when I talk about not renewing right now, and being pessimistic about the outcome of the operation. I'm not pessimistic about the operation at all as it has a high success rate although the potential risks (as with any operation) were clearly explained to me by the eye doctor. It is just a money saving option to me as I hate the thought of paying for something I'm not using at the moment but certainly intend to start driving again when I am able. Obviously it isn't money saving if having a break would cost me more later on, but it seems like it shouldn't so I will try to get through to the insurance company again tomorrow.

Bigphil1474

My dad took a break from driving a few years ago after a heart bypass. He just let his existing policy end, then didn't get a new policy. He was off the road 6 months, and just took another policy with the same company when he was back on the road and it didn't affect his NCB. He had an old car that sat on his drive so he wasn't fussed about it being covered, although he forgot to SORN it so he was paying road tax for no reason.

ontheroad1970

You have to SORN the vehicle if not insuring it.  

dreaming

ontheroad1970 said:

You have to SORN the vehicle if not insuring it.  

Yes - aleady SORNed when tax was due few weeks ago but let the insurance run till September as already paid. Have decided not to renew and hopefully get new policy post-op - whenever that happens.