NCT / insurance conundrum

jrar

OK, have looked at other threads and forums but not sure I can see a clear response that addresses my particular situation

I have a car which was due for its annual NCT before end of Aug. 2017 but which I let lapse because I bought a newer around Aug. 22nd with the original intention to trade-in the old car, but this didn't happen.  The car is still taxed but obviously I've now switched my insurance to the newer car.   I now want to take the old car for NCT before the tax expires at the end of this month, and according to the website, I can get a slot in my local NCT test centre pretty much any day this week, so all good in that regard.

So to take it to the test centre, I obviously need to be insured - currently I have comprehensive cover on the newer car and am a named driver on my wife's policy.  Equally, she has her own comp. cover on her car and is a named driver on my policy.

What are my options here ?   Could my wife drive my old car to the NCT test centre using her own insurance (open drive) given that she does not own my old car (but she WAS a named driver on the policy for that car when I had one), or do I need to call my insurer and ask them to "transfer" cover for a few hours to allow me to get to and from the NCT test centre ?   I'm aware that most insurers won't cover a car without NCT, but without cover, I cannot get it to the NCT centre to acquire a cert (or fail, in which case, that's the end of the story).  How have other forum members got around this problem if and when they or someone they know had such a dilemma ?

dr.fuzzenstein

I'd say your best bet is to temporarily transfer the insurance over, open drove or driving of other cars may not include cars that are currently not insured.

diceyreilly

Most insurance companies will not do a temp transfer to a car that you own so that's out.

The only thing you can do it get a friend/son/daughter/brother/sister/parent ect who has driving other cars on their policy to bring it to the NCT for you..

vandriver

You could tow it.

Your spouse is possibly a grey area as I'm not sure the 3rd party extension applies to spouses but anyone else can drive the uninsured car once they have a 3rd party extension on their own insurance.

I've driven friends uninsured cars to the NCT on a few occasions in these situations as I was covered under my own insurance 3rd party.

Cheensbo

As said OP, the spouse ownership kinda messes it up for you, but -

Suppose your brother or someone (anyone bar your spouse) buys it off you - you would then not have any insurable interest and would be free to drive it covered by your own driving other cars clause.

It would be an extra name on the book, but would leave you in a handier position if you cant find anyone else to drive it.

Isambard

vandriver wrote: »

You could tow it.

towed on it's wheels, it needs to be road legal.

Borderfox

Get a mechanic to bring it up for you on his work policy?

vandriver

Isambard wrote: »

towed on it's wheels, it needs to be road legal.

I meant on a trailer .I wasn't clear.I apologize.
Let's move on.

TheShow

off topic question, if you both have fully comp, why are you both named drivers on each others policies? does that not add to the cost of the policy? Sounds like you are paying for a benefit that you don't need.


The car in question is owned by yourself according to the log book? if so, then i cant see why your wife could not drive it to the text centre as she should be covered to drive other cars that she does not own on a 3rd party FT basis.

Stoolbend

TheShow wrote: »

off topic question, if you both have fully comp, why are you both named drivers on each others policies? does that not add to the cost of the policy? Sounds like you are paying for a benefit that you don't need.


The car in question is owned by yourself according to the log book? if so, then i cant see why your wife could not drive it to the text centre as she should be covered to drive other cars that she does not own on a 3rd party FT basis.

I'm pretty sure a spouse has to be named to drive the car as they have an insurable interest in it.

Del2005

TheShow wrote: »

off topic question, if you both have fully comp, why are you both named drivers on each others policies? does that not add to the cost of the policy? Sounds like you are paying for a benefit that you don't need.


The car in question is owned by yourself according to the log book? if so, then i cant see why your wife could not drive it to the text centre as she should be covered to drive other cars that she does not own on a 3rd party FT basis.

Insurance is cheaper with a spouse or partner on the policy. Similarly if a married couple only has a single car either can insure its as married couples have joint ownership of property, it's a way for both to maintain their NCD by swapping annually, so the OPs wife can't use the driving other cars policy.

grogi

TheShow wrote: »

off topic question, if you both have fully comp, why are you both named drivers on each others policies? does that not add to the cost of the policy? Sounds like you are paying for a benefit that you don't need.

Apart from the reasons mentioned before, a 'driving other cars' covers only TPL. In case damage the the vehicle is done, it would not be covered, as the car policy won't cover damage done by unnamed driver.