I've got a question about insurance/car ownership...
I own a Focus and my wife has an MX-5. We're trading the MX-5 in for a Mazda6 on Thursday and I will be the registered keeper/owner of the new car and will switch my policy from my Focus to the Mazda6, as I'll be the main driver.
Now, we'll obviously have to switch my wife's policy from the MX-5 to the Focus, as this will become her main car BUT...will I have to make her the registered owner or keeper of the Focus, officially and if so, which one and which one would we have to do through the DVLA ?
ie. can she take out a fully comp policy on a car which doesn't technically belong to her, or is the fact that we're married enough ? We'll both be named drivers on eachother's policies, if that makes any difference.
I don't mind switching ownership to her, but I only want to bother with the hassle if it's absolutely necessary.
Any comments appreciated, especially from anyone in the same boat.
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An example would be a lease car owned by the lease company and used and insured by the lesee and the lease companies name in the log book.
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Why not enquire about insuring both cars on one policy from both the insurers involved?
It could work out cheaper than the present arrangement.
If you look down the left hand side of this page you will see an advertisement about insuring more than one car on a policy - up to six in fact.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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Why not just ask the company involved?
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The cost of swapping ownership is nil, surely? All you have to do is fill in the V5 and send it to DVLA. The only "cost" is that the car will have gained an owner, but that is fairly easily explained to a purchaser.
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In a similar situation my ins co insisted I changed the names over. Contact your ins co is my advice
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Depends on the attitude of the Ins Company you use - to some Husband and wife are deemed to be the same owners.
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To some companies it would make no difference - others want the Insured to be the owner.
Where the drivers are not married there is a significant difference
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I was once told a story by a barber, a doctor always bought Subarus replacing them every two years or so, the old car then passes to the wife of said doctor. Whilst swapping the cars around on their steep drive both cars collide causing £1,500 between the 2 cars. A claim is submitted and refused as the older car is still in the husbands name and the ins co state the husband is benefitting from the accident as all the stone chips on the front of the car will be repaired.
I don't know how this ended up as it only takes 5 mins for a hair cut;-)
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>>Any comments appreciated, especially from anyone in the same boat.
We have a number of cars with no logic as to which name they are registered in. Equally we have a number of separate insurance policies with no logic as to which policy is in which name insuring which car. All cars/policies cover both of us to drive and only us.
With a husband and wife living together driving reasonably equally with similar experience, it is unusual for them to care - if the premium is the same whichever driver it is rated on, then they are ambivalent A few do worry, so you will need to check.
Don't confuse registered keeper with owner. Make sure your insurer understands the issue. If you don't like the answer, escalate it.
On the other hand if there is substantial difference in experience, record or cost, then it will matter. If one of you were significantly older than the other, had had more claims than the other, then it would make a difference.
Personally I wouldn't be naffing around with the Focus policy and would simply shift the M5 to the Maxda6.
M.
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Thanks for all your comments.
I phoned my wife's insurance company (AA) and they are happy to insure her as the main driver of my Focus, provided that the registered keeper (ie. me) is a named driver on the policy.
By the sounds of it, it's up to the insurance company as to the line they take with this - there's no right or wrong answer to my question as it varies from insurer to insurer.
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