[Fin Clearview]

A motorbiker decided he wanted to see how much damage his Triumph could make to our Golf on sunday at a roundabout, totally his fault but tried blaming me as you'd expect from a biker, car is unroadworthy as wing mirror hanging off never mind the untold damage to wing, both front and back doors and scuffed an alloy. Exchanged details and i contacted my insurer Swinton. Reported the claim and didn't call me back so i called them the next day. I asked them whats going on and they said I'm not covered with them to drive any other car/van as i have a commercial policy which doesn't include other cars which is called 'DOC'. They said this is common on commercial policies so for however many years and them knowing i have the use of our family car they tell me this after an accident! Luckily for me i am a named driver on the golf so the mrs' insurance are covering the claim which I'm so relived about but does everyone know about this?

[Stoots]

well i wouldnt just assume i was covered for other vehicles. my van insurance is for my van and my car insurance is for my car. im fully comp on both but it doesnt include driving other vehicles, wheras my gf is fully comp and can drive any vehicle third party.

should have checked not just guessed mate, lucky you were covered with mrs or could be in serious trouble

[Fin Clearview]

I've been driving 25 years and always thought that it wouldn't make any difference if you had a commercial policy. If you take out a car policy you are always covered to drive another vehicle under owners consent.

[timglaze]

Not all fully comp policies mean you can drive other vehicles third party. Most insurers are doing away with it now, just check the small print to double check.

[Walter Mitty]

A motorbiker decided he wanted to see how much damage his Triumph could make to our Golf on sunday at a roundabout, totally his fault but tried blaming me as you'd expect from a biker, car is unroadworthy as wing mirror hanging off never mind the untold damage to wing, both front and back doors and scuffed an alloy. Exchanged details and i contacted my insurer Swinton. Reported the claim and didn't call me back so i called them the next day. I asked them whats going on and they said I'm not covered with them to drive any other car/van as i have a commercial policy which doesn't include other cars which is called 'DOC'. They said this is common on commercial policies so for however many years and them knowing i have the use of our family car they tell me this after an accident! Luckily for me i am a named driver on the golf so the mrs' insurance are covering the claim which I'm so relived about but does everyone know about this?

I am aware of this but only because I took the trouble to ask when I first got a commercial policy.  It's not the sort of question you would normally ask though and I only did so because of something I read on the internet.
I did drive someone else's vehicle illegally too before discovering this.

[Mike #1]

You used to be able to drive other vehicles but not now A-Plan always tell me every year when checking details for the renewal .

You need to switch if they don't bother informing you and you had to phone them back to find out Swinton sound great

[Matt.]

My van insurance states that it don't cover me to drive any vehicle, completely different set up on my car which does allow me to drive 3rd party on any other vehicles

[Smudger]

Van insurance is only commercial vehicles I can jump into any of our vans but not the household car, I was informed of this when insuring my first van.

I find it odd that I used to be able to drive any car  3rd party when I had one. But now a van it's a no no.

I think it ties in with the insurance thread about using it for business use.

Darran

[Ian101]

yes .... A plan told me this when I took van policy out with them ............ plus its on the certificate of insurance and other paperwork.

[dazmond]

well i wouldnt just assume i was covered for other vehicles. my van insurance is for my van and my car insurance is for my car. im fully comp on both but it doesnt include driving other vehicles, wheras my gf is fully comp and can drive any vehicle third party.

should have checked not just guessed mate, lucky you were covered with mrs or could be in serious trouble

Ditto.

Always read the small print.my missus had to pay a bit extra for me to be able to  drive her car legally.

[Shane sharples]

Iv got 2 policies , one for me/Mrs for the car and a separate one for me/Mrs on the van

[Smurf]

Also If say you jump in your missus car that you are a named driver then go and do a quote and you are unlucky to be involved in an rct then if they happen to find out you will not be insured if you don't have it covered for business use too. 

[Fin Clearview]

Spoken to 3 different insurers today including A Plan and all confirmed DOC is not available on any Commercial policy and is extremely rare if any others do.

[EandM]

I've not found ANY Commercial Policy that would left you drive another car - that would be like gaining a Pilots Licence and assuming you were covered to fly a Helicopter ! I have a Classic Policy for my Capri that only covers me to drive the one car with limited mileage - a standard car policy that lets me drive any other CAR, (not vehicle), that's not mine with 3rd Party only cover and a Commercial Policy from Flux that covers myself only to drive my truck. The last one doesn't even cover me to drive another van or truck and I've not yet found a Commercial Policy that does. Assumption is a very, very risky thing to do with any insurance as had you not been a named driver you'd be looking at Court, an instant 6 points and a fine depending on your level of culpability - good save matey !

[Rob.Hall]

It's the same for a camper van.
Cannot drive anyone's c/van unless you insure yourself or get on owners policy..

[Ian101]

slightly off topic but read this on why you should cancel insurance if you sell vehicle

http://www.whitedalton.co.uk/motorbike-blog/2013/10/i-sold-my-bike-but-didnt-cancel-my-insurance/

[Smurf]

Plonker springs too mind as he should have canceld his insurance policy at the time  he sold that bike.
Now he is in deep poop for sure.

[dave f]

makes a change for a motorcyclist to hit a car its nearly always the other way round ive been a biker more years than I care to remember the amount of a holes that are on the road is a joke. ps hope the biker is ok.

[Fin Clearview]

makes a change for a motorcyclist to hit a car its nearly always the other way round ive been a biker more years than I care to remember the amount of a holes that are on the road is a joke. ps hope the biker is ok.

The biker isn't OKAY he's a f****** liar and can't ride properly. I've been riding lambretta's for 20 years.

[Walter Mitty]

slightly off topic but read this on why you should cancel insurance if you sell vehicle

http://www.whitedalton.co.uk/motorbike-blog/2013/10/i-sold-my-bike-but-didnt-cancel-my-insurance/

I'm horrified.
Recently I bought a new van.  However, I needed to keep my old one on the road while the garage were assessing it (I wanted to sell it as a runner but ended up having to sell it to a salvage company that puts them into auctions).  Anyway, I had the old vehicle as a temporary additional vehicle for a month added on to my new policy.  It still has three days left on it.
I phoned Alexander Swan to cancel the temporary additional vehicle after selling it.  'No problem,' they said, 'we'll just let it lapse.'
So I could end up in a similar situation because the insurer is sloppy.  I may end up looking elsewhere.  I'm phoning them again tomorrow to insist that that part of the policy is cancelled.
Thanks for posting this.  I do have assets and a similar situation would cost me my home.