Test Driving and Insurance Cover

ShineyShiney · 11-06-2025 11:49AM #1

Hi Guys, I am looking for some advice please. My brother was buying a car, he has open drive and other car driving cover on his insurance policy. He had test driven and viewed a car from a private seller and wanted to buy it but wanted his mechanic to look at it first. He agreed the sale in principle with the seller, paid a deposit and drove the car to his mechanic. Along the way, 15mins, he was stopped by a Guard. He produced his licence and told the guard he had just bought the car and hadn't transferred his insurance but that he had cover on his policy to drive other vehicles. The Guard said he was uninsured as he now owned the vehicle and that he should lift the car but that if he transferred his insurance there and then and proved it that he wouldn't lift the car. So he transferred his insurance. The guard said he would get a summons for driving with no insurance.

He then kind of paniced, and returned to the seller, with his insurance now in place and completed the sale and the log book not really because he wanted it but because he had now transferred his insurance ( I know not exactly logical thinking).

My understanding on this is that if my brother owned the car then he is no longer under cover of his "drive other cars" on his insurance and is driving without insurance. If he didn't own the car then he was under the cover of his policy. Does this sound correct?

Any idea how he might best manage this situation with either the Guard in question or his insurance company?

Eggs For Dinner · 12-06-2025 08:15AM

He told the Guard that he owned the vehicle. You are correct that the driving of other cars extension excludes cars that you own. His insurance company won't (can't) backdate the cover.

coylemj · 12-06-2025 02:18PM

OP, if your brother had only paid a deposit then he didn't yet legally own the car. He made a big mistake telling the Garda that he owned the car. What the Garda told him was correct, given what he had been told.

When your brother gets the summons, he might give serious consideration to engaging a solicitor for the court case. Because it will have to be carefully explained to the judge that what your brother told the Garda on the day was incorrect and that he was in fact insured under his driving other cars cover as he did not yet own the car. A solicitor would be best placed to calmly lay out the facts to the judge and hopefully get a dismissal.

Paying a deposit proves that you are a serious punter and not a tyre kicker, it does not effect even a part transfer of ownership.

J_R · 12-06-2025 03:47PM

Paying a deposit does not transfer ownership, so when stopped by the Guard your brother was mistaken, he was insured.

ShineyShiney · 13-06-2025 09:22AM

Thank you for the replies. He will engage a solicitor and try to have the circumstances explained in court.

Test Driving and Insurance Cover

Comments