Don’t Assume Fully Comprehensive Insurance Automatically Covers You
For many of us who’ve been driving for a while, we’ve taken it for granted that our fully comprehensive insurance policy will cover us for occasionally driving our partners, friends or family members car. However, it’s important to carefully check our policies before taking to the road in a car that’s not our own as many insurers don’t automatically include driving other cars automatically in a fully comprehensive insurance policy.
In times gone by, taking out a fully comprehensive insurance policy allowed the policy holder to drive other cars on a third party basis so long as they had the owners permission. This is especially handy in case your car breaks down and you need to borrow one for a few days while your own is repaired. Unfortunately, it’s increasingly the case that insurers aren’t including this in fully comprehensive policies as standard. In many cases they won’t do so unless asked (and may charge extra), in some cases they may refuse it all together, with some drivers more likely than others to find themselves unable to drive other cars on their fully comp’ policy. As with any driving insurance, whether it’s for your own car or for rental vehicles, it’s important to be clear about what is covered and what is not.
Who might be excluded from driving other cars on their fully comprehensive policy?
Insurance companies consider some people higher risk than others based on a whole range of factors they take into account. Some seem fair enough, others less so. But the proce you pay and whether you can get insured at all depend on a number of metrics. Whether you’re allowed to add 3rd party cover to drive other cars depends on some of these factors.
Anyone under 25 years old is highly unlikely to be allowed to drive other cars even of they ask for it. The job you do can also see you being refused this option (those in the motor industry for instance).
Check the fine print on your fully comprehensive policy before you drive
With the above being the case, it’s important for those of us who are insured on such a fully comprehensive policy and might need to use someone else’s car, to check the details on the policy. If we assume we can drive other cars and end up being pulled over while driving one, we may find ourselves inadvertently uninsured and the car we’ve been kindly loaned could be seized by the Police.
It’s natural to assume that the ability to drive other cars on your policy will allow you to drive any other car, but some insurers will specifically exclude driving cars belonging to your partner or other family members. Also, hire cars are often also excluded, so once again, check the fine print.
Uninsured driving carries a whole range of fairly severe penalties, including up to 8 points on your license, a heavy fine and a sharp increase in the price of your next insurance policy. You’re also likely to be less popular with whomever you borrowed the car from.
Insurance when renting a vehicle from Priory
At Priory, we provide insurance as part of the vehicle rental process, there are additional, optional, waivers and covers you’re also able to take out. For full terms and conditions check out our Frequently Asked Questions page and if you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information.