Insurance and Test Driving

Trotter

When someone is selling a car privately, what is the situation regarding insurance when they are test driving the car?

My other half is selling hers and we were wondering whether we should be changing the insurance to open insurance for a few weeks?

Whats the usual thing to do?

Marcus.Aurelius

Private sales mean you must be insured to drive other cars before you can test-drive. Another idea would be to get the seller to bring you for a spin, down your road of choice.

Most buyers have the driving other cars extension on their policies, which allow them to drive your car (3rd party cover) with your permission.

seamus

Depends on the insurance policy. You'll need to check your documents. I'm with Tesco/Hibernian, covered to drive any other vehicle regardless of the insurance status of the other vehicle (that is, provided the vehicle doesn't belong to me).

Afair, it also covers anyone else over 25, and with a full licence, to drive my vehicle (assuming they're not my fictional spouse). I have to doublecheck that one though.

cormie

Your wives car will have to be under an insurance policy for people to drive without doing a temp transfer if their policy allows driving of other cars.

If your wives car isn't insured, then the potential buyer will have to ring up their ins. company and do a temporary transfer to that car for the hour or whatever it may be that they will be driving it.

cormie

seamus wrote:

Depends on the insurance policy. You'll need to check your documents. I'm with Tesco/Hibernian, covered to drive any other vehicle regardless of the insurance status of the other vehicle (that is, provided the vehicle doesn't belong to me).

I don't think that's right, or it wasn't when I was with Tesco anyway I went to look at IrishRovers Fiesta which wasn't insured and had to do a temp transfer from my old Micra to the Fiesta for an hour or so, you can arrange it so you're covered on the Fiesta for say 6-7pm and it lapses at 6:59:59.

If I wanted to drive any other car that was under some insurance policy, all I needed was the owners permission.

I'm pretty sure that's the way it is, but open to correction:)

seamus

cormie wrote:

I don't think that's right, or it wasn't when I was with Tesco anyway I went to look at IrishRovers Fiesta which wasn't insured and had to do a temp transfer from my old Micra to the Fiesta for an hour or so, you can arrange it so you're covered on the Fiesta for say 6-7pm and it lapses at 6:59:59.

I read the policy documents cover to cover, and it said nothing about needing another policy on the vehicle. So until I'm officially told otherwise, that's the way I'm working.

Trotter

My GF's car is insured alright, but as far as I know, only the two of us are on the policy.

cormie

Trotter wrote:

My GF's car is insured alright, but as far as I know, only the two of us are on the policy.

Well in your case then, as long as the buyer has insurance that allows them to drive other cars with the owners permission, then that's all they need. Obviously if the buyer has no policy (1st time driver for example) you'd just have to drive it for them and drop it to their house if they buy and they wont be able to drive it until they have their own policy or are named on another persons.

Not 100% sure about the situation if the car isn't insured under anyones policy, but I'd put my money on what I said earlier. Maybe just a euro or two though:p