(another) Insurance question....

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Tue 10 Dec 2002 13:39
(another) Insurance question.... - LHM
Would someone please explain why it should be of any concern to an insurer just how many cars an insured has 'access' to?

I can drive my wife's car as a named driver - so what? I have a 'classic' (well it's a classic to me!) separately insured which I can also drive - so what?

How does that alter the fact that 99% of the time I will be driving the car for which I'm applying for insurance???
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Tue 10 Dec 2002 13:48
(another) Insurance question.... - Mark (RLBS)
Simple.

40yr old man goes to insure a car. In the household is a 17 yr old who just passed their test. The car to be insured is a 10 year old mini.

Do you have another car ?
Yes, a BMW 7 series company car. Wife has a new BMW 3 series, also a company car.

Oh right, so the mini would be the son's and we'll rate it as such.

That will at least treble the premium, it will lower the introductory discounts, and raise the excesses.

At least once a week we get instances in here of people insuring cars in their parent's name.

It is also a common way of getting around claims history, conviction history, age, illness etc.


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Tue 10 Dec 2002 13:55
(another) Insurance question.... - LHM
Hi Mark,

I think I understand.....I think?

So tell me - if I answer 'none' or '8' to the question "does the insured have access to any other vehicles?", will it affect my premium?
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Tue 10 Dec 2002 14:08
(another) Insurance question.... - Mark (RLBS)
Sorry, I should have been clearer.

What typically happens is that if the drivers have access to other vehicles the insurance may well be rated on the highest risk driver. This is typically the youngest, but may be the one with convictions or disabilities.

So, unless you intend to allow someone to drive who is a higher risk than yourself, then it should make no difference at all however many cars you have access to.

The whole thing is there to avoid someone insuring a car in their own name to conceal the fact that a driver who is a "worse" risk is in reality the main, or at least frequent, user of the car.

By the way, the one other reason this question is asked is to clarify business use. For example, if you had your occupation down as courier and then declared no access to other vehicles they would worry about the use the car was being put to.

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Tue 10 Dec 2002 14:38
(another) Insurance question.... - LHM

... the light bulb has just pinged on!

Thanks for your help, Mark!!
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Tue 10 Dec 2002 17:29
(another) Insurance question.... - DavidHM
Does it work the other way round, e.g., if you are the 17 year old driver of the Mini, and you have access to Mummy's 3 Series, would you at least get a small discount?
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