Selling car with no insurance

adocholiday

Hi all,

I'm picking up a new car on Saturday and unfortunately I haven't been able to offload my old car yet. The dealer won't take it off me because it's a 02 2.0l petrol and he said that it would be more hassle than it's worth.

Anyway point is I'm transferring my insurance to the new car on Saturday and leaving the other car up for sale. What's the situation if someone wants to take the car out for a test drive? I'm not going to put myself at any risk here so want to ensure that I'm 100% covered in a worst case scenario.

On a side note if anyone is looking for an 02 BMW 318ci m-sport...

Cee-Jay-Cee

The buyer needs their own insurance to test drive a car regardless of whether you have insurance on it or not. Your insurance (unless its an open drive policy) will not cover people looking to test drive your car so ensure anyone coming to look at the car has their own policy that covers them to drive other cars.

uck51js9zml2yt

As said, potential buyers would need their own insurance. You should seek to look at their policy to ensure they are covered.
You don't want someone driving off and crashing your car and you having no comeback for damage.

NickNickleby

My own insurance permits me to drive other cars, provided those cars are actually insured by their owner.

Years ago, we had two cars, and the insurance lapsed on one of them (my wife's), Naively I thought I was insured to drive that car under my own insurance. Fortunately I had no accidents , nor was I ever stopped. I happened to mention it in work and someone went bananas telling me I was driving uninsured. I checked with the insurance company, (I think the wording on the policy was too 'wordy or something) and sure enough that's the case.

Nick, or should that be Lucky Nick.

mgbgt1978

That would be the 'rarer' of the driving other cars policy extension.
Most insurers who give this extension do not require the other car to be insured by another person.
Op, as already mentioned just ask to see any potential buyer's proof of insurance. Even if you still had the car insured it wouldn't cover them anyway....unless you have an 'open-driving' clause.

Silvera

NickNickleby wrote: »

My own insurance permits me to drive other cars, provided those cars are actually insured by their owner.

Years ago, we had two cars, and the insurance lapsed on one of them (my wife's), Naively I thought I was insured to drive that car under my own insurance. Fortunately I had no accidents , nor was I ever stopped. I happened to mention it in work and someone went bananas telling me I was driving uninsured. I checked with the insurance company, (I think the wording on the policy was too 'wordy or something) and sure enough that's the case.

Nick, or should that be Lucky Nick.

As the car was owned by your wife it would be deemed as joint / your property, therefore you would not be insured under the 'driving other cars' extension (i.e. such cover is only applicable to cars not owned by you / your wife / partner).

jca

Silvera wrote: »

As the car was owned by your wife it would be deemed as joint / your property, therefore you would not be insured under the 'driving other cars' extension (i.e. such cover is only applicable to cars not owned by you / your wife / partner).

Rubbish, nowhere on my policy document does it say anything regarding my wife etc. My wife's car is in her name and not hired to me under a hire purchase agreement, therefore i am covered to drive it under my driving other cars extension. I checked with 123.ie. I'm covered to drive my sons car too.

mgbgt1978

Some Insurers do not cover you when driving a spouse's car under the DOC extension (it is specifically mentioned in the policy docs)....some do.
It all depends on who you are insured with.

Silvera

jca wrote: »

Rubbish, nowhere on my policy document does it say anything regarding my wife etc. My wife's car is in her name and not hired to me under a hire purchase agreement, therefore i am covered to drive it under my driving other cars extension. I checked with 123.ie. I'm covered to drive my sons car too.

All DOC terms specific 'provided you do not own the vehicle'. Wifes car = joint property. Try making a claim - while you were driving your wifes car - and see how far you get.

Afaik most policies cover your spouse anyway so no need to use DOC.

GM228

Silvera wrote: »

All DOC terms specific 'provided you do not own the vehicle'. Wifes car = joint property. Try making a claim - while you were driving your wifes car - and see how far you get.

A very common misunderstanding, marriage does not mean joint ownership of property. There is no doctrine of matremonail property in Irish law.

Marriage simply gives an interest in property or in this case an insurable interest, but not joint ownership.

If you made a claim and the insurance company tried to say you were driving your own property they would not have a leg to stand on as the ownership of the vehicle is as per the VLC, marriage does not change that.