Car was impounded due to having no car insurance.

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Hankey89
Hankey89 Posts: 17 Forumite
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in Insurance & life assurance
I was driving my partners car today when I was pulled over by the police. He escorted me to his car and told me I have no insurance. I stated I did have insurance, he then pointed to a computer screen just showing my partners name, and not mine.

He then proceeded to ask for my keys, advised the car would be impounded and I would get a letter with a 300 pound fine and 6 points, and sent me on my 3 mile walk home.

I eventually got home, got in my own car and drove to my partners work to take her to the police station with all her documents so she could find out where her cars being held. On arrival the police stated that I was infact insured on her car.

They did state that an old insurance company of my partners still seemed to have a policy in place... we rang them up and they confirmed their must have been a glitch on the system, so in effect my partner had two policy running at once.

However in my mind, and the insurance companies this doesn't negate me being insured on her car, and it isn't illegal to have two policies. The police over the phone are suggesting its the insurers fault, and that they won't pay the impound cost.

I am picking up the car tomorrow morning and looking at a charge of 200 pounds.

Any thoughts on who is liable?

Comments

  • dacouch
    dacouch Posts: 21,637 Forumite
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    Make an "Official Complaint" to the Insurer who made the mistake, they are likely to pay the impound costs and you will probably get £50 compensation on top of any other reasonable costs you have incurred.

    Tip, in future download a copy of your Insurance Certificate, if you show this to the police and they impound the car after seeing a certificate that shows you are covered. Then they have automatically acted against the law and the police are liable
  • agrinnall
    agrinnall Posts: 23,344 Forumite
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    Hankey89 wrote: »
    ...so in effect my partner had two policy running at once.


    Had she actually paid to renew the old policy as well as buy a new one? If not then I doubt if the old one was actually still running, if she did then she needs to look at cancelling one of them and getting a refund.


    The actual problem sounds to me like a glitch at MIB, although that could be either an error by them or by the original insurer.
  • kingstreet
    kingstreet Posts: 38,770 Forumite
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    Do you by any chance have 'driving other vehicles' cover on your own insurance?

    If so, that might have been a way of heading off the seizure before it happened.
    I am a mortgage broker. You should note that this site doesn't check my status as a Mortgage Adviser, so you need to take my word for it. This signature is here as I follow MSE's Mortgage Adviser Code of Conduct. Any posts on here are for information and discussion purposes only and shouldn't be seen as financial advice. Please do not send PMs asking for one-to-one-advice, or representation.
  • wongataa
    wongataa Posts: 2,628 Forumite
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    kingstreet wrote: »
    Do you by any chance have 'driving other vehicles' cover on your own insurance?
    That doesn't always allow driving your partner's/family member's car. Mine doesn't.
  • glentoran99
    glentoran99 Posts: 5,821 Forumite
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    wongataa wrote: »
    That doesn't always allow driving your partner's/family member's car. Mine doesn't.



    Really, does it actually say you cant? Interested in how they word this
  • elsien
    elsien Posts: 32,758 Forumite
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    kingstreet wrote: »
    Do you by any chance have 'driving other vehicles' cover on your own insurance?

    If so, that might have been a way of heading off the seizure before it happened.

    Mine would only cover me for that in an emergency, not for day to day use.
    All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.

    Pedant alert - it's could have, not could of.
  • sevenhills
    sevenhills Posts: 5,887 Forumite
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    Hankey89 wrote: »
    They did state that an old insurance company of my partners still seemed to have a policy in place... we rang them up and they confirmed their must have been a glitch on the system, so in effect my partner had two policy running at once.


    Are you saying that you are insured on the second policy, in which case the police should never have inpounded the car.
    The Police are at fault.
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