can i drive my girlfriends car ???????

[jaimed]

my girlfriend has a toyota previa i have insurance 4 my escort can i drive her car and be covered with my insurance. the cars are both insured 4 3rd party fire n theft.

[Loosehead]

Only if it says on your insurance certificate words to the effect:
" May drive another car not owned or hired to the policy holder, with the owners permisssion, third party only"

If it does not you cannot.

There are no defaults, for example it's a common myth that if you are fuly comp you can drive other cars NOT TRUE unless it has the sentence above.

[jaimed]

hi it says that may also drive 3rd party a private motor car not belonging to him or hired in which no insurance is afforded 2 him, also says - providing the person driving holds a licence or has held 1 and is not disqualified from holding obtaining such licence??? its confusin

[Loosehead]

That means you can if your girlfriend gives permission.

3ight8ball is takling rubbish. The type of cover is irrelevant as long as you have the phrase of the form you mentioned.

[jaimed]

does it make any difference that my girlfriend is also insured 4 my car. sorry forgot to mention it??

[Loosehead]

No, makes no difference.

[Loosehead]

Where does it say you have to be fully comp legally?

The fact that jaimed has the clause I referred to on the certificate for TPFAF surely shows that the type of cover is irrelevant.

Stop digging!

[gouldc]

I think everyone is missing the point that you can only use the driving other cars extension of your policy if it is an emergency, not just because the car is available.

If you wish to use another vehicle, get added as a named driver - the police are clamping down on this (and rightly so), so if you're caught driving her vehicle and it's not a life or death situation, you're likely:

a) to be prosecuted for no insurance
b) have the vehicle seized
c) your girlfriend could be prosecuted fro allowing you to drive without insurance

And don;t forget that driving another vehicle under this part of your policy (assuming you have it) reduces cover for that vehicle to third party only, so you are only covered for any other party's damage i nthe event of an accident, and you wouldn't be covered for any fire or theft claims.

[johnny37]

Ive always thought it is 'in an emergency' but not quite sure what this means. If the gf was over the drink/drive limit would that be an emergency?

[johnny37]

I'll check my policy but 'in an emergency does make sense, otherwise there is nothing to stop you driving a 200mph Maclaren F1 (or similar) not owned by you.

[gouldc]

Exactly Johnny - we see quite a lot of this (because people think we're thick).

They insure a crappy little car, then we have calls from the police to say they've been stopped driving BMW X5's, Porsches, etc using this part of their policy.

This is why they're clamping down as well as people are blatantly flouting the law. Whilst the car is technically insured whilst being driven, when no-one is in the car, it isn't, so we have lots of uninsured cars being left on the road.

[Loosehead]

Complete and utter rubbish gouldc, it means what it says. Just try defining an "emergency" that's why they do not use such subjective terms. It's a very common clause on the certificate, if it's there you can drive if it ain't you can't simple, "emeregency" doesnt come into it. No legal document would ever use such an ambiguous term,no decent company lawyer would let go out like that.

Jesus have you seen some of the things the public deem to be emergencies? 999 calls because they're locked out etc etc.

Just show me the evidence and I'll eat my hat!

[Loosehead]

yes johnny you could drive a flash motor owned by someone else, but only with Third party cover and the car must also be insured by the owners. Would your mate trust you with their pride and joy with no theft cover? mmm. It's not a practical insurance avoidance technique when it is thought through.

Ok you buy a Ferrarri for 200k and to avoid paying insurance you get a mate to insure it and pay his insurance.... oh bu66ger.

Think about it and you gould it don't work the insuers ain't stupid. Tell you what post any "avoidance" scenario you like and I'll tell you the associated snags.

[Paul22118]

Loosehead is absolutly spot on correct. No ifs or buts.
Fully comp only, emergency only..........rubbish.

If it allows you to drive another's vehicle with their authority and you are licensed so to do - you may.
That will nearly always be third party cover only.