Insurance on Car

kwikkchick

hey there,

just need a bit of advice, leaving the country at the end of the month..... parents are minding my car while im away, it wont be driven (poss just around the house to warm it up every now & again!) but just wondering do i need to keep it insured?

the insurance company said to cancel the policy if its not going to be on the road but was wondering would it be an idea to keep it insured in case of theft, accidental damage etc.??

thanks in advance

bazz26

I suppose it really depends on where the car is kept. If kept on a drive say in a housing estate in an urban area then the risk of it being stolen or damaged would be higher than having it locked up in a shed on a farm or someplace isolated. The value of the car would also come into the equation. I would not like to leave a valuable car uninsured.

If it were me and I had the money I would keep the insurance on it for peace of mind in the know that if something happens to it at least I am not out of pocket. I would enquire maybe from insurance companies too to see if they give discounts for limited mileage driving, could reduce the premium a bit further.

I wouldnt bother keeping it insured. Its a waste of money really. Im sure you can keep it some where it cant be bumped into and even if it got a small dent would u really be claiming on your insurance? I think not. As for being stolen, just remove the battery and it wont go far!

bazz26

Gael Clumsy Coin wrote: »

I wouldnt bother keeping it insured. Its a waste of money really. Im sure you can keep it some where it cant be bumped into and even if it got a small dent would u really be claiming on your insurance? I think not. As for being stolen, just remove the battery and it wont go far!

And what happens if some scumbag who tries to take it decides to vandalise it or set it on fire instead?

At the end of the day it depends where the op lives. If the car is on a drive or around the house the chances of some scumbag messing with it is very slim even more so if he lives in the country. I live in the country and I almost always leave the keys in the car at night and I dont think my dad ever takes the keys out of his car at home either.

peanuthead

How long will the OP be away from home for? If its only a few months what I would suggest is to keep the policy going, but freeze it. So what happens is that you are still paying your premiums while you are away, but the amount paid while away is deducted from the remaining premiums you have left when you come home. This doesnt mean you are insured while away, it just saves you the hassle of having to call around to re-insure your policy, so if you give the date that youre home to them the policy is automatically re-activated that day.

About actually having it insured while you are away.... is there nowhere you could store the car at all? How much are your premiums? If you are not paying that much, and have nowhere relatively safe to leave the car then I would keep it insured. Especially if its going to be sitting up a while in the same spot.

What are you doing for tax? If you plan not to tax it, be careful to tell the gardai that the car has been in a garage, as in OFF THE ROAD. You still have to pay tax, even if your car is parked up outside your house and not moving for months, because it is still using the road!! Most of the time, gardai dont hassle you about this at all, they barely even read the forms theyre stamping, but just so ya know!!

Muzzy

If it were me, i would just suspend the policy as opposed to actually cancelling it.

When the policy is suspended, no cover is in place so the car cannot be driven but Fire and Thieft cover still applies. Your Company will refund, (depending on who you are with) 80% of the money during the suspended term(approx, again depends on who you are with)when you call back to reactivate the policy.

It very common and it and it means that you still get to keep earning your NCB.

Your parents should be able to drive the car using DOC, Driving of Other cars on their own insurance.

I would however call your parents company to check out the DOC cover before they go near the car; again different companies have different T&C's when it comes to DOC. e.g Some companies only require that the car if registered in another persons name, some other companies would exclude cover if the car registered at the same address as the driver who will use DOC

Esel

peanuthead wrote: »

What are you doing for tax? If you plan not to tax it, be careful to tell the gardai that the car has been in a garage, as in OFF THE ROAD. You still have to pay tax, even if your car is parked up outside your house and not moving for months, because it is still using the road!! Most of the time, gardai dont hassle you about this at all, they barely even read the forms theyre stamping, but just so ya know!!

All the Garda is doing is witnessing your signature, they do not check the form.

ShayK1

I'd also suggest the Freezing option rather than cancelling.

If you cancel it I'm pretty sure your No Claims Bonus is gone.

peanuthead

Muzzy wrote: »

If it were me, i would just suspend the policy as opposed to actually cancelling it.

Yes, this is what I was saying in my earlier post, Muzzy just said it a bit better!!

esel wrote: »

All the Garda is doing is witnessing your signature, they do not check the form.

Oh right I didnt know that I thought they were supposed to at least check the system to see if the car reg had been pulled during the no tax period. It would make sense for them to have to do that,