NCT and Insurance

Gus Ivey

Hello, hoping someone has advice for me.

My insurance runs from December to December. every year. I tried to renew my policy but was refused because no NCT. My NCT expired January of this year. I have booked NCT, appointment is due for early January.

It got me thinking. Was I even insured at all through 2022? Obviously December 2021 I would have had insurance AND Valid NCT. But after that from January onwards when my NCT expired, was I covered?

Should I be well within my rights to complain / seek compensation? I probably should know about the rules etc., but at the same time my Insurer should do their due diligence also and should not be giving policies out where NCT may expire during this policy?

Wildly Boaring

Your NCT expired in January and you want compensation from your insurer because your insurance wouldn't have covered you when you let your NCT expire?

Sono

compensation 😂😂

kirk.

You're lucky you didnt have a cancellation

I presume that's all you have now is a refusal and can get other quotes ?

Some do and some don't require nct,.some only say car must be roadworthy

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119989869#Comment_119989869

Some do and some don't require nct,.some only say car must be roadworthy

They all require the vehicle to be roadworthy even if you have a valid NCT. Without a valid NCT the car isn't road legal, how can something which can't legally be on the road be road worthy?

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990012#Comment_119990012

Roadworthy in this sense means physically safe.

A brand new car with no tax displayed would not be legally on the road, but would obviously be roadworthy.

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990018#Comment_119990018

If something can't legally be on the road it's be definition not roadworthy.

You can drive without tax for 10 days after purchasing a vehicle. There's only a few exemptions that allow you to drive a vehicle which requires an NCT if it doesn't have one.

Allinall

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119990037#Comment_119990037

Did you miss the first line in my post?

You will still have full insurance cover if your car is on the road with no tax displayed, or with a number plate missing, both of which would fail an NCT, but not make the car unroadworthy for insurance purposes.

"Roadworthy" can have different meanings.

kirk.

It's in the terms of the policy

My policy doesn't require an nct to be covered by insurance just that the car is roadworthy

Other policies require nct or you're not covered

coylemj

Not having a valid NCT means your car is not roadlegal, it does not definitively mean that it is not roadworthy. By the same token, having a valid NCT does not mean that your car is roadworthy, you could have a bald tyre or a leak in a brake line, either of which could have developed since you passed the NCT.

If your car is under 10 years old, a valid NCT simply means that it passed a test in the previous two years. Does passing that test mean that it is roadworthy for every day of the following two years? Of course not. So can we please stop conflating 'roadworthy' with having a valid NCT.

Your insurance doesn't stop at the stroke of midnight when your NCT (or, for that matter, your driving licence) expires. Your insurance cannot deny a third party claim because your NCT or driving licence had expired though they could be within their rights to refuse to pay for damage to your car if you had fully comp.

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119992254#Comment_119992254

They can't refuse a 3rd party claim, but they can and do take people to court to reclaim money paid out if the operator wasn't correctly insured.

coylemj

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119999087#Comment_119999087

What exactly do you mean by 'if the operator wasn't correctly insured'? Are you saying that they pursued someone for the amount of a third party claim because his NCT was expired? Or because there was a defect which rendered it unsafe to drive?

You said in post #7 ...

If something can't legally be on the road it's be definition not roadworthy.

That is not what most people would consider to be the definition of 'roadworthy'.

And if you study any policy document, you wlll see that the insurance companies see the question of being 'roadworthy' and having a valid NCT as two separate requirements. Because they stick an 'and' between the two of them...

Aviva:

You must ensure the car is kept in a roadworthy condition, which includes ensuring that the tread depth on your car tyres are within the legal limits and if required that your car has a current and valid National Car Test (NCT) certificate.

Allianz: You must take all reasonable care to:

2. Maintain Your Car in a roadworthy condition, ensure that lights, mirrors and braking systems are working correctly and, where necessary, has a valid NCT certificate.

Liberty: You or any insured person must:

make sure the vehicle is kept in a roadworthy condition and, if necessary, has a valid NCT certificate.