Courtesy cars and insurance

[scowlsandgrowls]

if you get a courtesy car from a dealer are you covered on the dealer's insurance or are you expected to have the car insured under your own insurance :confused: - I assume the former as you may not know the car you are given before the car is picked up?

[stumpy1]

It varies from dealer to dealer. Some will cover you on their insuance, with a high excess, or waive it for 20 quid. Some expect you to insure it and give you the reg details beforehand.

[MarkyMarkD]

I expect that in fact all courtesy cars are insured by their owners for any driver, but probably with a high excess to minimise the cost of the dealer policy.

So, the dealers often require you to insure it yourself so that they don't have to argue with you about their excess etc. and so that it's a claim on your policy, not theirs.

I recently had the wife's car serviced and the dealer required us to insure the courtesy car, but didn't check the documentation. Therefore I would have thought that they'd be guilty of aiding and abetting a "driving without insurance" offence if you were fibbing about having insured the car.

As they only tell you the registration details for the courtesy car at the last minute, there is little way you could get a cover note in time unless your insurer is super-efficient, so I can see why they don't check that you really aren't insured.

[Schern]

Yeah, but the insurer could get the car on cover. That way if you get stopped for speeding etc, the documents would be on the way to you so you could produce them within 7 days.

It vary's as said from dealer to dealer. Dealers usually have a £500+ XS on courtesy cars, and more or less insist that you insure it on your own cover, probably to protect their own insurance price as much as anything if you have an accident.

[snez1990]

My insurer Liverpool Victoria insures the courtesy car if your car is in for service or repair automatically.

I nearly had a heart attack when I rang them to check and they told me I'm ok.

[Gillywibble]

I always insist the dealer insures it. For one thing, I would have no insurable interest in the vehicle so therefore cannot insure it under my own policy.

[LJ_Matt]

Well I recently had a car on loan from my local skoda dealer while they checked out a fault on the rear wiper and they never said a word about insurance to me! (I'm covered third party on other vehicles as per standard policies anyway.)

And I got them to change the first car they offered me as I felt the brakes were faulty - drove off up the road and braked at the first junction to find not a lot happened, when I went back and complained the manager agreed that they weren't the best but reckoned they were fine as I was comparing them to a vrs :eek: .

So if they were insuring individuals on a specifice car then they didn't seem to bothered in giving me another set of keys there and then.

My guess is they have cover for any driver given permission (a company I used to work for had this, I still occasionally drive their cars as a mate still works there and I'm covered if he gives permission).

Matt

[Goochie]

I've often wondered how dealers insure their demo cars - I often thrash them pretty close to the limit based on the fact that its not my car and I've not signed anything about an excess etc.

So what if I were to write off an RX8 PZ, M3 or an RS4 (just examples ) ??

[LJ_Matt]

So what if I were to write off an RX8 PZ, M3 or an RS4 (just examples ) ??

If you've had those models as loan cars you're one lucky get :eek: .

I had to make do with a flipping fabia 1.2 - not really what I paid 10 grand for somehow...............

[Goochie]

If you've had those models as loan cars you're one lucky get :eek: .

I had to make do with a flipping fabia 1.2 - not really what I paid 10 grand for somehow...............

Its called "blagging it"

Not courtesy cars but demo cars the dealers use to sell you a car.

[LJ_Matt]

Ah, yes I realised after posting that you were probably referring to test drive cars rather than what you get when yours in in for repair .

If I get another 1.2 I will probably say something next time as I don't really feel it's a fair replacement (albeit temporary) for a high performance vehicle - a 1.6 or 1.8 would be fine but 1.2 is just taking the p*** IMHO!

[Goochie]

But remember the dealer is under no obligation to loan a car to you. So it's their choice.

And what have they got to gain from letting a "performance car" be used by anyone, 6 days a week ?

[Evil Miyagi]

My policy mentions something about being insured on a vehicle that is lent to me by a garage while my car is off the road.

I think its the same on everybodies...

Damo

(The above is with regards to courtesy cars and not demo cars)

[ScoobyChris]

If you were to, say, clip and dent an alloy whilst on a test drive, the dealer will foot the bill. At least so my friend tells me (not that he had any intention of buying the car anyway!)

I'm guessing the same is true of a write off or even the test driver's kicking out the salesman and nicking the car!

Last two dealers I've used have insured cars under their policy for free....

Chris