SteveRST Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 ... on my trusty old Vauxhall Cavalier! Cancelled insurance on it as of today too. So, the Westy is now my daily driver! Hooray! Now don't let me down little car! I only have a 15 minute drive to work and I can easily cycle if the car is not working. Anyone else running their Westy as their only car? Cheers, steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilwillis Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Not as my only car, but I do use mine for the commute. It's just 4 miles through lightish urban traffic, and always fun even if the weather is lousy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisbin Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Just a thought, but make sure you are covered by your insurance for commuting..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
salty_monk Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 and that it's not insured as a "second car".... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilwillis Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 Mine IS the second car, and as far as insurance is concerned, it's covered for limited mileage, and is not to be used on business. I don't breach those rules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oioi Posted July 7, 2004 Share Posted July 7, 2004 i used mine as an only car for 6 months without too much hassle and a lot of fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveRST Posted July 7, 2004 Author Share Posted July 7, 2004 Yup, I will double check the insurance tonight. Good thinking! But as I had kinda expected to go down this route I am pretty sure I have it insured as main car and inc. commuting. I do have 5k miles limit, so I'd better watch that though. steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC_772 Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 Class 1 business cover is usually free if you ask - I always make sure I have it just in case I have to pop out of the office for paperclips or pizza... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7SE Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 as far as insurance is concerned, it's covered for limited mileage, and is not to be used on business. I don't breach those rules. If your insurer asked you whether you used car for commuting when you got a quote and you answered 'no'; then they would have grounds for not paying any damage claim if you had an accident on the way to and from work. This is irrespective of anything that it might say on the certificate with regard to third party cover. In my recent experience, the specialist (kit ) car insurers do tend to charge a little more if the use the car is for commuting or class 1 business use. I would be interested to have a discussion with their underwriters as to why they do this, as such use tends to be a surrogate method of judging usage; and, of course, on a limited mileage policy this isn't really justifiable. But I don't suppose that they would be particularly interested in discussing it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilwillis Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 I did check, and there was no declaration regarding commuting in the application form. I did declare it would be garaged, and as it happens, even at work it is kept in a secure, private, multi storey car park, so i have all ends covered. As a matter of interest, how can any insurance company exclude any form of private mileage? Business milage, yes, because there may be additional risks involved depending on the nature of your business, but I'd be very highly surprised if an insurance company would win any court case resulting from non-payment due to the car being used to commute to and from the workplace. Any brokers out there know the ins and outs of that one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Podmore Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 I'm insured by HHH and they told me I was covered for 'occasional' commuting journeys. How they would know whether I used the car for commuting occasionally I do not know Edit - Most insurance policies for cars state use for commuting to a fixed place of work or similar as a use that is covered. For some reason they always seem to exclude racing p.s. Neil, spotted you in Moreton in the Marsh last Sunday just before lunch (well the wife actually spotted you first....) and recognised you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilwillis Posted July 8, 2004 Share Posted July 8, 2004 Yes, that was me. Sedsy and I thought we'd take the scenic route back from the Meet the Neighbours barbeque. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7SE Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 As a matter of interest, how can any insurance company exclude any form of private mileage? Business milage, yes, because there may be additional risks involved depending on the nature of your business, but I'd be very highly surprised if an insurance company would win any court case resulting from non-payment due to the car being used to commute to and from the workplace. There is a thing called 'non-disclosure of a material fact' which is fundamental to contracts of insurance and places a burden on you, the proposer, to tell the underwriter everything that is relevant about the risk - because you know all about it and the insurer knows nothing. If you are in breach of this, then the insurer can avoid its obligations under the policy. There's more, but it gets very tedious, very quickly [trust me I used to be a motor insurance underwriter ] Essentially, if they ask you a question about something, and you answer it untruthfully, then you are at their mercy with regard to getting your claim paid. Particularly so if it is something that they would have charged you more for. So, IF you were asked if you used the car for commuting AND you said no, the insurer is not going to pay up a claim for an accident on the way to work - 'cos you said that you wouldn't be driving it to work. If they never asked you, it can be assumed that they don't consider to be a 'material fact'. Commuting is a slightly enhanced risk as you are generally driving with lots of other cars in close proximity. Your particular commute don't enter into it, insurance pricing is a very generalised thing. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilwillis Posted July 9, 2004 Share Posted July 9, 2004 Fair point. Luckily, they didn't ask, so I had nothing to declare anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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