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Learning to drive, car tax and insurance

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  • 27-01-2017 12:22pm
    #1
    Lorelli!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,360 ✭✭✭


    Hi,

    Not sure if this is the correct place for my query or not but if anyone had a similar experience, I'd appreciate some advice.

    My OH bought me a car in July. It was taxed until November but has been off road and I didn't realise the tax was up. So it is in tax arrears from Dec and I also have to pay the next 3 months. It will be off road in this time and after while i am still learning to drive so i then have to declare it off road in March.

    That was my error anyway for not looking into it sooner however I spoke to the motor tax office and the lady said that I need insurance in order to pay the tax.

    My OH was looking at insurance a while ago and he said that the insurance companies were declining because I did not have my licence. So how can I pay the tax and then declare it off road if I cannot be insured without my license?


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    #2
    andreac
    Registered Users Posts: 8,000 ✭✭✭andreac


    Was it insured up until now? If so, who was insured to drive it? That person can declare it off the road if it was insured.

    If there was no insurance on it, then why doesn't your OH insure it in his name until you get your licence?

    You cannot drive it anyway until that is done. You haven't been driving it already were you?


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    #3
    Alanstrainor
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 23,157 Mod ✭✭✭✭Alanstrainor


    Do you have a learner permit? You can't get insured without a learner permit.

    As for the tax arrears there is a loop-hole to not have to pay them. If your change the ownership of the car to your OH, and then they change it back. You will then be arrears free. However you will also now have 2 more owners on the car, so you may not want to do this is the car is still valuable.


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    #4
    Lorelli!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,360 ✭✭✭Lorelli!


    andreac wrote: »
    Was it insured up until now? If so, who was insured to drive it? That person can declare it off the road if it was insured.

    If there was no insurance on it, then why doesn't your OH insure it in his name until you get your licence?

    You cannot drive it anyway until that is done. You haven't been driving it already were you?

    No of course not, I can't drive yet. It has not been driven since we bought it.

    The previous owner was insured on it. He can't declare it off road now because you can only declare it off road while it is taxed.

    If my oh takes out insurance on it, would this qualify for me to pay the tax on the car that is in my name?


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    #5
    Lorelli!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,360 ✭✭✭Lorelli!


    Alanstrainor wrote: »
    Do you have a learner permit? You can't get insured without a learner permit.

    As for the tax arrears there is a loop-hole to not have to pay them. If your change the ownership of the car to your OH, and then they change it back. You will then be arrears free. However you will also now have 2 more owners on the car, so you may not want to do this is the car is still valuable.

    Thanks Alanstrainor. Yes I have a learner permit since August so I'd say my OH might have been looking for quotes before that and that's why the insurance declined so I'll look into that again.

    No it's just an 02 micra. The arrears plus 3 months tax only comes to 75 euro so it's not too bad but it would be preferable not to have to pay insurance for a car I'm not going to be driving for some time. So if I change it to my OH name that will remove the arrears and I won't have to tax it for Jan, Feb and March?


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    #6
    andreac
    Registered Users Posts: 8,000 ✭✭✭andreac


    Your OH would have to put the car in his name to Insure it in his name also, therefore he can tax it from then and wouldn't be liable for the arrears.

    If you aren't going to be driving it for a while id hold off changing it in to his name until you are ready to drive it.
    It would probable work out cheaper getting insured as a named driver so it might be better to get it in his name and tax and insure it then.


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    #7
    challengemaster
    Registered Users Posts: 16,930 ✭✭✭✭challengemaster


    If you're not going to be insuring it yet, I wouldn't bother sorting out the tax/off the road declaration either because transferring ownership gets rid of all the arrears. Just swap the ownership when you want to drive it.
    andreac wrote: »
    Your OH would have to put the car in his name to Insure it in his name also
    Unless they're married, in which case it doesn't matter. Both people in a marriage have insurable interest in assets (in this case the vehicle) so it doesn't matter who's name its in, both can take out insurance.


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    #8
    Alanstrainor
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 23,157 Mod ✭✭✭✭Alanstrainor


    +1. If you have no intention to actually use it then you can do nothing for the time being.


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    #9
    andreac
    Registered Users Posts: 8,000 ✭✭✭andreac


    challengemaster wrote: »
    If you're not going to be insuring it yet, I wouldn't bother sorting out the tax/off the road declaration either because transferring ownership gets rid of all the arrears. Just swap the ownership when you want to drive it.


    Unless they're married, in which case it doesn't matter. Both people in a marriage have insurable interest in assets (in this case the vehicle) so it doesn't matter who's name its in, both can take out insurance.

    So, to take out a policy on a car, does the vehicle not have to be in the name of the person taking out the policy? I didn't know that.


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    #10
    Lorelli!
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,360 ✭✭✭Lorelli!


    challengemaster wrote: »
    If you're not going to be insuring it yet, I wouldn't bother sorting out the tax/off the road declaration either because transferring ownership gets rid of all the arrears. Just swap the ownership when you want to drive it.

    Ok so if I leave it and do nothing and swap ownership in say, a years time when/if I pass my test, the arrears will be about 250 by then. They will not bill my oh for those arrears but will they still apply to me or just disappear?
    challengemaster wrote: »
    Unless they're married, in which case it doesn't matter. Both people in a marriage have insurable interest in assets (in this case the vehicle) so it doesn't matter who's name its in, both can take out insurance.

    We are married so I guess he can get insured himself without changing ownership if we need to do that.


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    #11
    challengemaster
    Registered Users Posts: 16,930 ✭✭✭✭challengemaster


    andreac wrote: »
    So, to take out a policy on a car, does the vehicle not have to be in the name of the person taking out the policy? I didn't know that.

    It does, unless you're talking about spouses. The key thing when it comes to insurance policies is insurable interest - which means you must actually be able to claim that you've suffered a loss to be able to claim. Otherwise you could just insure everyone elses property and make money at no actual loss to yourself.

    However when it comes to marriages/spouses, it doesn't matter who's name the vehicle is in because both parties of the marriage essentially have shared interest in assets. So the vehicle can be in either persons name and actually be insured by the other person.


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    #12
    andreac
    Registered Users Posts: 8,000 ✭✭✭andreac


    challengemaster wrote: »
    It does, unless you're talking about spouses. The key thing when it comes to insurance policies is insurable interest - which means you must actually be able to claim that you've suffered a loss to be able to claim. Otherwise you could just insure everyone elses property and make money at no actual loss to yourself.

    However when it comes to marriages/spouses, it doesn't matter who's name the vehicle is in because both parties of the marriage essentially have shared interest in assets. So the vehicle can be in either persons name and actually be insured by the other person.

    That's good to know. Im married and thought we had to have the car and van in the name of the person who is the main policy holder. Hoping to change both this year so it's good to know the vehicle doesn't have to be in the name of the main policy holder.


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