Insurance for an extended Test Drive

jerryg

I have just been on to my insurance AA and I wanted to take a BMW i3 on an extended test drive but now unfortunately AA insurance will not insure me. Has anyone found this to be the case with themselves? What can I do?

KCross

I have never seen a case where an insurance company refuses a temporary transfer.
Unless you have only got 3rd party insurance and are temporarily transferring to a €40k car or a car with much higher power etc!

What reason did they give for refusal?

slicedpanman

I had also asked our insurance co about this (Allianz, I think it was then) when we wanted to take our new Leaf for a weeks test drive (before we bought it). The call was all going well until I mentioned that the car, to be insured, was from a dealer - then I got a pretty instant; "No, sorry we don't do that"

KCross

I've transferred insurance temporarily a few times and I dont remember them wanting to know anything other than make/model/reg/value of the "new" car.

What did you do when they said they wouldnt do it?

stesaurus

Seems ridiculous if they can't. What happens if you have a repair job or a service that will take a few hours? They can't insure a loaner car???

Maybe they didn't have the car listed on their system yet or did they actually tell you they wouldn't do it?
BMW insist on fully comprehensive insurance for a trial so can't imagine it's down to tpft policy

jinkybhoy

s.welstead wrote: »

Seems ridiculous if they can't. What happens if you have a repair job or a service that will take a few hours? They can't insure a loaner car???

Maybe they didn't have the car listed on their system yet or did they actually tell you they wouldn't do it?
BMW insist on fully comprehensive insurance for a trial so can't imagine it's down to tpft policy

It's the fact the OP mentioned it was a test drive - if they had said my car is in for a service and garage are giving me this car - It would have been done. Insurance companies for some reason don't like their policies being used for test drives. The garage should have its own insurance to cover this activity.

stesaurus

jinkybhoy wrote: »

It's the fact the OP mentioned it was a test drive - if they had said my car is in for a service and garage are giving me this car - It would have been done. Insurance companies for some reason don't like their policies being used for test drives. The garage should have its own insurance to cover this activity.

That could be it alright. Fair enough for a typical test drive that it's the dealer but if taking the car overnight or longer then it should be your insurance.
OP call back and tell them it's a loaner car while getting repairs. Might even end up being free to transfer for that.

k123456

saying its it's a loaner car while getting repairs , might invalidate the insurance if there is an accident

slicedpanman

KCross wrote: »

I've transferred insurance temporarily a few times and I dont remember them wanting to know anything other than make/model/reg/value of the "new" car.

What did you do when they said they wouldnt do it?

jinkybhoy wrote: »

It's the fact the OP mentioned it was a test drive - if they had said my car is in for a service and garage are giving me this car - It would have been done. Insurance companies for some reason don't like their policies being used for test drives. The garage should have its own insurance to cover this activity.

now that you say it... it was as soon as I said "test drive" - I got the no, you wouldn't be covered.

So, what we did in the end - was get it fully insured anyway in our names and paid the dealer the deposit for the car - and took it on a weeks test drive... and took the risk on the test drive. If we didn't like the car we would return it and cancel the insurance while still in the cooling off 30 days.

In the end we loved the car so cancelling was not an issue - but I've no idea where we would have stood if we had had an accident while doing the weeks test drive; it was still the dealers car as we'd only paid a deposit

jinkybhoy

slicedpanman wrote: »

now that you say it... it was as soon as I said "test drive" - I got the no, you wouldn't be covered.

So, what we did in the end - was get it fully insured anyway in our names and paid the dealer the deposit for the car - and took it on a weeks test drive... and took the risk on the test drive. If we didn't like the car we would return it and cancel the insurance while still in the cooling off 30 days.

In the end we loved the car so cancelling was not an issue - but I've no idea where we would have stood if we had had an accident while doing the weeks test drive; it was still the dealers car as we'd only paid a deposit

If there was an accident you could have had a bit of trouble. The vehicle would have to have been registered in your name if you are insuring it in your name as a permanent change - Insurable Interest needs to apply.

Though I don't know how a lease deal works - Does the ownership if you are leasing a car remain in the name of the garage leasing the car to the client or does it get changed into insured's name?

BoatMad

It's getting more and more difficult to cover test drives. I've been refused under one insurance and another allowed it.

Just say you're getting a garage substitute as yours is remaining at the dealer , all true.

jerryg

Many thanks for all your replies,I will try through my wife's insurance tomorrow.I am really disappointed but I may just continue to save and maybe in the new year I will have a good depsit for a Bev.
Jerry