Difficult insurance question

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Sat 5 Apr 2008 23:20
Difficult insurance question - Brain
OK, this is a little odd, but I have my legitimate reasons:

1. Can you insure a car owned by someone else. If so does the "someone else" need to give authorisation?

2. Can 2 drivers be insured for the same vehicle, each having their own independent policy

Thanks, this is related to a separation / divorce situation.
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Sat 5 Apr 2008 23:48
Difficult insurance question - jbif
This is known in legal parlance as insuring the same risk.

"The right of an insurer who has paid a claim to seek contribution from other insurers of the same risk on the same interest in the same property is clearly established: see MacGillivray on Insurance Law, 9th ed, (1997), p 573, para 23-1; Arnould, Law of Marine Insurance and Average, 16th ed (1981), vol 1, p 283, para 407."

You will find that insurance companies will ask you whether you (or in some cases your spouse/partner) are the owner or registered keeper. They will then want o know who the main driver is. Some of them usually insist that the main driver is the policy holder is the owner / registered-keeper.

Read "Some legal principles of insurance" and see whether you qualify:

www.lexico.co.uk/insurance/ins_understanding_insur...t
The main legal principles of insurance are:
· Insurable interest
· Utmost good faith
· Proximate cause
· Indemnity
· Subrogation
· Contribution




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Sun 6 Apr 2008 00:26
Difficult insurance question - rtj70
Not wanting to pry but whilst the separation happens will it not be cheaper if one remains as named driver on the policy? At some point the car might need to be sold.

But you cannot insure the car twice with two policies. If you got temp/short-term cover then that is only usually 3rd party I would think.
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Sun 6 Apr 2008 07:34
Difficult insurance question - Cliff Pope
Insuring the car and insuring the driver are surely different things? I can be insured to drive other cars not my own, or I can insure a car in my name and choose to include, or exclude, other drivers.
If someone else has insured their car, but you are not a named driver, you can nonetheless be covered under your own policy to drive that car. That is not having two insurances on the same car - it is two policies covering different aspects, ie the car, and the driver.
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Sun 6 Apr 2008 10:50
Difficult insurance question - ifithelps
Best bet, as ever with insurance, is to check first and be totally upfront with the company.

Can't think the divorce/separation situation is that unusual, so there ought to be a fairly straighforward way of dealing with it.

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Sun 6 Apr 2008 10:57
Difficult insurance question - adverse camber
edit: In reply to Cliff

But also different risks.

The Drive other vehicles cover provided on a comprehensive policy usually has two key clauses - 1: third party risk only on the other vehicle, and 2: The other vehicle must be insured in its own right by someone else.

While in theory the cover of the vehicle and the driver are different things the reality is that policies which cover any driver at full risk on a given vehicle or any vehicle at full risk for a given driver are not commonly available and will be very expensive.

Edited by adverse camber on 06/04/2008 at 10:58

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