Domestic or commuting?

chrisw

Hi,
I'm retired with no other jobs so my car insurance automatically excludes commuting.

My wife still works and usually takes the bus. If I run her in to work and pick her up maybe 2 or 3 times a week, is that classed classed as commuting or domestic duties? Otherwise how do I reconcile retired with commuting?
Thanks.

MattMattMattUK

chrisw said:

Hi,
I'm retired with no other jobs so my car insurance automatically excludes commuting.

My wife still works and usually takes the bus. If I run her in to work and pick her up maybe 2 or 3 times a week, is that classed classed as commuting or domestic duties? Otherwise how do I reconcile retired with commuting?
Thanks.

I would suggest that would be classed as communing. Have you looked either way though as I suspect it makes little if any difference to the insurance premium?

TELLIT01

Contact the insurer.  I had a slightly different situation, in that I had retired but my wife, the named second driver, was still working.  I called the insurer and explained the situation.  Commuting was put back on the policy at no charge.

DullGreyGuy

Price difference is small; just in case she wants to drive herself to work one day I'd probably just include commuting anyway... to be honest the difference between business and commuting tends to be nothing and so may even include business in case she ever has to go to a different site

tripled

The purpose of the trip is for your wife's commute to work, and happens on a fairly regular basis. I would add commuting to the policy. It doesn't matter that you're retired, it's the purpose of the journeys that is important in terms of the class of cover needed.

Mustbeananswer??

chrisw said:

Hi,
I'm retired with no other jobs so my car insurance automatically excludes commuting.

My wife still works and usually takes the bus. If I run her in to work and pick her up maybe 2 or 3 times a week, is that classed classed as commuting or domestic duties? Otherwise how do I reconcile retired with commuting?
Thanks.

chrisw said:

Hi,
I'm retired with no other jobs so my car insurance automatically excludes commuting.

My wife still works and usually takes the bus. If I run her in to work and pick her up maybe 2 or 3 times a week, is that classed classed as commuting or domestic duties? Otherwise how do I reconcile retired with commuting?
Thanks.

Chris is saying he is excluded from commuting insurance as he is retired .....which theoretically means that his insurance does not cover him for taking his wife to work.The Insurance Business has gone crazy....when does it all end.There must be thousands of Pensioners ferrying their working Partners to work without commuting Insurance blissfully unaware they are uninsured.Beam me up Scotty !!!!!

Jaybee_16

When I get car insurance quotes each year, although retired the question asks if I carry out any work, including voluntary work. When I answer 'no' the option for commuting cover disappears.

The only option would be to contact the insurer direct to add commuting.

daveyjp

Jaybee_16 said:

When I get car insurance quotes each year, although retired the question asks if I carry out any work, including voluntary work. When I answer 'no' the option for commuting cover disappears.

The only option would be to contact the insurer direct to add commuting.

Indeed because it is your circumstances which matter.  If you aren't working you can't possibly commute.

If giving someone a lift to their place of work was also considered commuting the question would be asked.  As it isn't its not a material consideration.

A retired person can therefore freely give lifts to anyone to a place of work and it won't be commuting.

Aretnap

Mustbeananswer?? said:

chrisw said:

Hi,
I'm retired with no other jobs so my car insurance automatically excludes commuting.

My wife still works and usually takes the bus. If I run her in to work and pick her up maybe 2 or 3 times a week, is that classed classed as commuting or domestic duties? Otherwise how do I reconcile retired with commuting?
Thanks.

chrisw said:

Hi,
I'm retired with no other jobs so my car insurance automatically excludes commuting.

My wife still works and usually takes the bus. If I run her in to work and pick her up maybe 2 or 3 times a week, is that classed classed as commuting or domestic duties? Otherwise how do I reconcile retired with commuting?
Thanks.

Chris is saying he is excluded from commuting insurance as he is retired .....which theoretically means that his insurance does not cover him for taking his wife to work.The Insurance Business has gone crazy....when does it all end.There must be thousands of Pensioners ferrying their working Partners to work without commuting Insurance blissfully unaware they are uninsured.Beam me up Scotty !!!!!

Depends how the policy is worded. Many will define commuting along the lines of "driving to your own place of work or study". Which means that it isn't required for driving someone else to their place of work - that would come under social use (doing a favour for a friend/relative/spouse).

Mustbeananswer??

daveyjp said:

Jaybee_16 said:

When I get car insurance quotes each year, although retired the question asks if I carry out any work, including voluntary work. When I answer 'no' the option for commuting cover disappears.

The only option would be to contact the insurer direct to add commuting.

Indeed because it is your circumstances which matter.  If you aren't working you can't possibly commute.

If giving someone a lift to their place of work was also considered commuting the question would be asked.  As it isn't its not a material consideration.

A retired person can therefore freely give lifts to anyone to a place of work and it won't be commuting.

Nailed it Thanks.Should put the OPs mind at rest ??   

BarelySentientAI

daveyjp said:

Jaybee_16 said:

When I get car insurance quotes each year, although retired the question asks if I carry out any work, including voluntary work. When I answer 'no' the option for commuting cover disappears.

The only option would be to contact the insurer direct to add commuting.

Indeed because it is your circumstances which matter.  If you aren't working you can't possibly commute.

If giving someone a lift to their place of work was also considered commuting the question would be asked.  As it isn't its not a material consideration.

A retired person can therefore freely give lifts to anyone to a place of work and it won't be commuting.

An extremely bullish answer from little evidence.  What options appear or disappear on comparison websites bears little relevance to policy wording.  Many things aren't asked on the websites but are still relevant to coverage.

If there was an incident whilst giving someone a lift to work, a reasonable answer to the question "was the vehicle being used for commuting at the time?" would be yes.  A reasonable interpretation of that, therefore, would be that commuting coverage is necessary.