Driving Other Vehicles (extension) - query on restrictions

galwaytt

Query on DOV on a motor policy.

The DOV extension usually has a text stating (for example).. "driving of other vehicles not the property of the insured, which are taxed, insured by the owner and driven with the owners consent". Or somesuch. I understand the cover would be 3rd Party Only.

My question is this: has anyone come across a limit or stipulation on that DOV clause where it excludes your spouses vehicle ?

I mean as in specifically excluded DOV of your spouse's vehicle (but no-one else, not your sons/daughters, not a 'partner's etc etc).

Renewal shopping atmo and came across this and thought it most odd.

Eggs For Dinner

Standard clause

Del2005

Spouse's jointly own everything so you could never drive your spouse's car. They are just making it clear to avoid confusion and the so that people can't use the innocent mistake law.

galwaytt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122051548#Comment_122051548

Well, I checked my policies for 2022 and earlier when I last changed company (after nearly a decade with the same one), and then rang that (last) company and explicitly asked and was told they had no such limitation.

If I wasn't married to her, I'd be covered, that's the problem. Which means its a discrimination based solely on marital status. That's gotta be red flag to someone, somewhere.

I'll go through & check my other policies at the weekend and see what they say…

galwaytt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122051568#Comment_122051568

I'd really like to see where that's in law or something. Have you got anything on that, somewhere ? - Google just returns stuff based on death etc.

coylemj

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122051568#Comment_122051568

Spouses have an insurable interest in each other's property but you and your wife do not jointly own her car. If that was the case, she wouldn't be able to sell it without your say-so.

coylemj

In policy documents, this provision is almost always called 'Driving Other Cars' so …..

Under DOC, Zurich have an exclusion for cars owned by your spouse or partner.

• does not belong to you or your spouse/partner

Del2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122052771#Comment_122052771

Why are all insurance companies suddenly adding spouse's and partners to the cars you can't drive using the driving other cars extension since the law on innocent mistake has been implemented?

Eggs For Dinner

It's to stop couples operating 2 cars with only one policy in place. You insured on car A, with your wife as a named driver. She drives that one, while you drive carefully B (hers) under your DOC extension

galwaytt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122053967#Comment_122053967

…yeah, but the text also (usually) says " so long as it is insured, (taxed) by the owner, and driven with their consent".

So that would eliminate that, surely ?

Eggs For Dinner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122056500#Comment_122056500

That has become a more recent addition to the clause. The spousal exclusion was the basis for what's there now

Uncle Pierre

My current policy (with Aviva) has no mention of an exclusion of my wife's car under Driving Other Vehicles. It doesn't even stipulate that the other car itself has to be taxed and insured -

Seems the only way this would exclude my wife's car is if it really is that case that legally, all property is viewed as jointly owned by spouses, as another poster suggests.

But I have to wonder if that's true, and if so….what am I to do with my half of all the dresses in the wardrobe upstairs? And should I be worried about what she might do with with her half of "my" big collection of GAA match programmes, which she regards as nothing more than clutter and rubbish?

Eggs For Dinner

Your insurance policy is a contract and all contract conditions vary from insurer to insurer. Read your certificate in conjunction with the schedule and policy document and you will see what applies

coylemj

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122062347#Comment_122062347

To reinforce what Eggs for Dinner says above, you need to read the policy document. The cert is a simplified description of what is covered, it's principal intended use is to prove to a Garda that you are insured to drive your car (reg. no. xxx) and (if you have DOC) any other car. But there are heaps of restrictions that cannot be shown in the cert.

Among which is this condition under 'Driving Other Cars' in the Aviva policy document …

• a current certificate of insurance has been issued and remains in force on the Private car being driven under the Driving other cars cover provided;

They don't exclude a car owned by your spouse.

GSBellew

Some insurance policy's have this exclusion, some do not, past twenty years we have just been named on each others policy as a second driver to avoid any potential issues, I have her on my classic policy's too even though she has not driven them in years, but if push came to shove and something went wrong I'd prefer there to be no ambiguity over cover.

I always just presumed it was an anti fronting measure, to prevent a couple insuring a more expensive to insure "higher performance car" under the generally lower risk female with a runabout insured by the other but in reality they drive the opposite cars.

dontmindme

Deleted

Marcusm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122051568#Comment_122051568

no they don’t; each person’s property is their own in Irish law unless jointly owners. However, insurers generally exclude applying the driving other vehicles extension to vehicles owned by their spouses for policy reasons.

Marcusm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122053115#Comment_122053115

you cannot say this so broadly. A person would only have an insurance interest in a spouse’s sole property to the extent that they would suffer financial hardship from its loss. A multimillionaire would likely not have an insurable interest in her husband’s Yaris even if it was a GR.