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Does the new 'continuous insurance' mean that my wife can drive her new car whilst her old one is prepared for sale?

The item in the recent issue of the Telegraph on the DoT issuing an uncompromising formal warning to drivers to "get insured ahead of a new crackdown" has provided me with topical food-for-thought. My understanding is that it is the driver who must be insured - not the vehicle. My wife has just purchased a replacement car and had it delivered to our home address. It is presently stored in the garage and is uninsured whilst we dispose of my wife's other car, which is insured. We have left the insurance operational on the old car to help facilitate a demonstration to potential purchasers. If we transferred my wife's insurance from the original car to the replacement car could we still drive the original car on the public highway using either my wife's or my insurance policy that states that the policy holder can drive any car etc. etc?

Asked on 4 June 2011 by TW, via email

Answered by Honest John
The date that ‘Continuous Insurance’ came into effect was 20 June 2011. But basically if a car is registered to you, is not covered by a SORN and does not appear as insured on the motor insurers database (www.askmid.com), you will be given a warning by post, then a £100 fixed penalty, then, if you still fail to insure the car, you will face much greater wrath of the law. See: www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/OwningAVehicle/Motor...6
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