Car insurance for carers
Carers and care workers often rely on their cars to do their jobs helping others. This makes finding the right insurance deal cover essential.
When it comes to car insurance for carers and car workers, things aren't as simple as you'd hope. If you only commute to one place of work, a standard policy that includes commuting will cover you for this. However, if you visit patients or clients in multiple sites, you need Business Class insurance.
There are three levels of Business Class insurance. Beyond that, any care worker who regularly transports patients in their own car will need to take out a commercial policy with public and private hire use similar to taxis.
Business Class 1 (Class A)
What’s covered As well as Social, Domestic and Pleasure use of the car for the named driver and spouse, it allows you to drive between multiple fixed places of work.
What’s not covered Most policies exclude using the vehicle as a tool of trade so you cannot carry patients, deliver any goods or transport documents. Also, any named driver other than the spouse on the policy will not be covered for business mileage.
Business Class 2 (Class B1)
What’s covered A Class 2 policy includes business mileage for named drivers and most insurers will insist named drivers use the vehicle for the same business as the main policy holder.
What’s not covered Different drivers cannot use the car for separate businesses other than the main policy holder’s.
Business Class 3 (Class B2)
What’s covered It covers the main policy holder to visit an unlimited number of destinations that are not fixed for any employment-related travel.
What’s not covered Carrying patients or their relatives in a work capacity.
How can carers get cheaper car insurance?
When you're buying, look for cars in a lower insurance group. It's not just the model either, certain trim levels within a model range may be cheaper to insure, saving you money each year.
Get quotes from specialist insurance providers. There are several offering policies tailored towards carers and care workers. And remember to shop around.
Limit the number of named drivers on the policy or restrict it to just yourself. Always be honest with the insurance company. Failing to provide full information could leave you without cover in the event of a claim. If you have use of a company vehicle for work, tell your insurer this.
What is the 'grey fleet'?
Many care providers rely on their workers to use their own cars and these vehicles are known as ‘grey fleet’. This term describes any car not owned by the employer but used for business travel on their behalf. Many carers and care workers’ cars fall into this category, so they need Business Class insurance.
Some companies that provide care workers will supply a car or van. If they do, make sure you are covered on the policy, but if you use your own car for work purposes you’ll still need Business Class insurance.
Some care workers and carers may be asked to drive a car belonging to a patient or client. This is quite common for some disabled people who need a carer or assistant to use the car. Check the policy covers any driver or you as a named driver before getting behind the wheel.
Younger care workers and carers may need a specialist insurer to get Business Class cover as many mainstream providers don’t offer this to under-25s.
If you use your own car for work purposes, check if you can claim mileage or fuel allowances to help offset the running costs.
