How does fleet insurance work?

[hungryhippo90]

My DH - who has form for not sorting things out properly decided that he would- instead of renewing car insurance get his work place go cover our car insurance on their fleet policy.
They haven't taken our number plate details, or copies of our driving licences. We don't even know who provides their insurance,
My husband is 100% sure it's all OK. I'm imagining that I'm going to get pulled over and be unable to provide any kind of proof I'm insured.
Is this how it works, and am i being dopey in not knowing this?
Who's being U?
Fwiw, he says that the bonus he receives has been effectively changed to "car hire payments" and it's covered as a hire car apparently.

I just imagine the police asking for proof of insurance and it'll be a bit like he said, she said. And would mean a phone call to my husband, then from my husband, to either one of the directors/office in Ireland...which I can't see the police waiting around for.

If I am being U, please understand, I have anxiety regarding leaving the house, and driving makes things just about manageable, and I'm mainly concerned that I will end up stranded.

Thanks all.

[Sugarlightly]

Just get DH to ask whoever is in charge of the fleet insurance for a copy of the insurance agreement. It'll give you info on what's covered, who can drive it etc.

[19lottie82]

Is there not a website where you can enter a cars reg number and it will tell you if the car is insured or not?

I certainly wouldn't be taking your husbands word that the car is insured without any documentation!

[ArthurShelbysTash]

//www.askmid.com

[malxkb]

Sounds like rubbish to me. Does your husband hire cars to other businesses? No, thought not. The bonus payment/car hire cost is simply remuneration which should be taxed at source in the usual way.

This sounds like an unsophisticated and naïve tax dodge which has probably left you without car insurance.

[BarbaraofSeville]

Our work insurance covers all our lease cars for business use by assigned users and personal use by user and spouse. It also covers any car we hire for business use. We do not list registration numbers, but the hire cars will be covered by the hire company as well for when they are driving them. All users are provided with a copy of the insurance certificate, but whether the details are on the online ANPR/DVLA system, I'm not sure.

It does not cover private cars for business or private use (we can use our own cars for work business under certain circumstances, but we have to have business insurance on our own policies).

I would be quite surprised if a fleet insurance covered a private car including private use of that car (is it just his, or do you have a car as well) unless he is a company director? or it is a very small company, or one that provides lots of perks?

Does sound a bit dodgy to me - could he have misunderstood? But certainly if you are covered by the work insurance, they should supply a copy of the insurance certifcate for you to show the police if necessary.

[BarbaraofSeville]

Forgot to say that we have to supply copies of driving licences including spouses and as well as being concerned about inconveience of being stopped by police, I would be more worried if you have an accident and are found at fault - if you don't have valid insurance can they go after your other assets instead to pay the claim - eg house?

[Idratherbeaunicorn]

It depends on the type of fleet policy your DHs work have.
normally, on a small fleet policy, all vehicles have to be listed on the policy, along with the drivers (If it isn't listed as any driver etc) - on a large fleet policy, the vehicles are not listed on the policy, but your DHs work have to ensure that your vehicle registration is added to the MID (motor insurance database) - that way, if you were ever pulled over, the police could do a check on the MID and see that you were insured under the works's policy.
I would check what sort of policy they have, and who they are insured with - if you're ever in an accident, you'll need to know! (Or just insure it yourself!)

[LurkingHusband]

I would strongly suggest you go to ownvehicle.askmid.com/

and put in your reg number. If it comes up as uninsured, then you shouldn't drive as this is the same database police ANPR cameras use, and you will show up as uninsured. If the police do stop you, and you can't prove you are insured, they will seize the car, and you will have to pay to get it back.

[LurkingHusband]

ArthurShelbysTash

X-post - didn't catch your succinct post

[hungryhippo90]

Thanks ladies, I just checked that register, and of course, as I'd expected- no insurance, I called my husband, who just says, no, no I explained it all to you. You are fine. So I said, what about the certificate of insurance? Why didn't they take our drivers licences to make copies? The company is big enough to have fleet and hire insurance etc, but I just doubt more than ever that it's insured.
Cars on the driveway until I can figure out how to get insurance cheapish!

[BarbaraofSeville]

Thanks for the update - sounds like a right mess. So you have a car each - sounds very unusual that a company would provide private car insurance for employees and their spouses - that's a hell of a benefit that sounds a bit too good to be true.

Unless your DH can provide something in writing from his company explaining the deal and an insurance certificate, I would assume that the cars are uninsured and not drive them until you can get insurance, which you could do online, today if you wanted to.

Moneysavingexpert is always helpful in getting the best deal on just about anything.

[LurkingHusband]

You are not fine. Now you have checked you have reason to believe you are not insured which makes things worse if you were stopped.

[Tulipblank]

My work's fleet insurance covers any private car purchased by an employee under the vehicle scheme ( we can choose to get a company car or money to buy our own car). That insurance covers us for business and personal use by the employer and nominated drivers. Your dh might be in the same position?

[Tulipblank]

PS I just download a copy of the fleet insurance every year, print it off and keep it in my car. It doesn't make reference to my car.

[BarbaraofSeville]

Your work insurance wouldn't cover your DH/DPs car for his use though would it Tulip?

And it probably only covers one vehicle for him, or else he could have several cars registered to him and let you and any adult DCs drive them as their own on the company insurance - there must be a limit, which is likely to be just the car that he uses for work.

[hungryhippo90]

No it's not both of our cars covered by this insurance.
The conversation was had that they would cover the insurance, from my understanding it doesn't cost them anything more (think big construction company who regularly insure vans, and hire vehicles of the higher ups from Ireland etc and I think the plants they have on long term hire. Which is where the understanding of it becoming a hired car comes from....they are very good, one of the directors was called by my husband, who said he had this issue, asked if it could temporarily go on the insurance, and I heard him say yes, he was really lovely about it)

It wasn't discussed that the vehicle was for him to drive either, but it's not going anywhere until I've either got proof that I'm insured from the director, with a print out of the insurance or I've obtained it myself.

[hungryhippo90]

Tulipblank, it is possible. But a small possibility! Would work out amazing if this was the case. I would need proof that it was actually insured.

I've no idea how I haven't been pulled over...

Not impressed with myself having broken the law.

[LurkingHusband]

PS I just download a copy of the fleet insurance every year, print it off and keep it in my car.

If the police can't verify it with your insurer, they can still seize your car if the MID shows you as uninsured.

[PersianCatLady]

This sounds like an unsophisticated and naïve tax dodge which has probably left you without car insurance
I totally agree also when I lived with my parents my Dad had a car from work that was covered under fleet insurance and once I needed to produce the certificate.

It was all fine but the car (brand new at the time) was only covered Third Party Only, when he queried this the company said that with all their cars it was cheaper to pay for repairs and new cars than it was to in sure fully comprehensive.

I am not sure if this is a common thing or not but I would be really cautious to check whether your car is covered as adequately as you would like.