Driving without business use insurance

[newcat12345]

Husband who rarely uses my car was stopped driving home from a meeting today. I only have social, domestic and commuting insurance as don't need it for work purposes and this was a total oversight.

Even though I rectified the situation straight away with the insurer, DH has been slapped with 6 points and a £300 fine . To my mind a ticking off would've sufficed but that's neither here nor there.

My real concern is that I now have to go back to the insurer to tell them about the points. Is there a risk they will revoke the policy or are they likely to view it as an oversight? Petrified

Sorry that was to @purpleme12

This explains how the wrong insurance is like no insurance in the eyes of the law.
www.keithmichaels.co.uk/convicted-driver-car-insurance/helpful-information/driving-without-insurance

But op said he was a named driver on her policy so he wasn't without insurance. The police are not bothered if the insurance has sdp on it and should have business. The insurance will be.
Be will have got points and a fine for something else

But op said he was a named driver on her policy so he wasn't without insurance.

Yes he was. Because he was on 'business' whiteout adequate cover.

The police are not bothered if the insurance has sdp on it and should have business.

Of course they are. It's driving without insurance. That's why they gave him a penalty 🤦🏻‍♀️

Blimey feel sorry for OP
Mind you I just checked my insurance as I work freelance and I wasn’t covered, I’ve now changed my policy to business for an extra £42 a year.

Perhaps I was misinformed then sorry

Yep -big cautionary tale people!

Does this mean that you aren't covered if you nip out to the shop for scones during working hours for work?

Insurance man told me that because I was going to different places to work I’d need business, if I was only going to one address or the station I’d be covered, I don’t use my car once I get there but that didn’t seem to make any difference.

Feel sick they'll refuse to insure DH any longer

minesasausagesupper - no, that would be your pleasure (in the SDP)

The police don't give you 6 points for not having business cover! How would they even know? He says he's driving home from a meeting. Conversation over.

There must be more to it. What police officer would spend ages poring over your insurance details other than to check your name and the car reg?

I don't have my insurance details with me. And even if I did, you might have phoned your insurer and asked to put on the business cover and not have the updated schedule yet.

When I updated mine for business use (my employer did check) it didn't cost me any extra.

Feel sick they'll refuse to insure DH any longer

Why would they refuse? His insurance will rise ridiculously, but if the present company refuses to insure him you just go elsewhere. Can't see any reason why they wouldn't unless they don't do business insurance, in which case you just find a place that does.

Not just me then...

The police don't give you 6 points for not having business cover!

No; but if you are using your car for business purposes without business insurance you are effectively uninsured.

Yes they do! He was going back to the office at 2pm and work equipment clearly visible.

Not just me then...

No, it seems not. Lost of people don't understand.

Ok so bit more reassured (even if we do have to pay a ridiculous premium).
So cross - total misunderstanding

Not covered for your car on his insurance?

No. He is named on the OP car, but not for business use. He was using it for business use, therefore not covered.

Sorry what do you mean Missing?

Got an important exam tomorrow as well... can't focus

But we did he get the points for? And the fine? The police don't give points and a fine for having sdp on insurance rather than commuting. He must have been doing something wrong

The lack of understanding of how insurance works here (not just this post) is mind boggling.
If you only have SDP then it certainly doesn't cover business use. So driving to a meeting (not at your usual place of work) isn't covered because that's business use. So he was driving without valid insurance, and as OP found out the penalty that is a fine and points. The IN10 will sit on his licence for 3 years. Be grateful he wasn't involved in an accident or it could have been much worse.

A friend of mine had a similar situation where her husband was caught without the proper insurance - again a complete oversight, not at all intentional. He got the same penalty as OP. The police were actually apologetic but nonetheless driving without insurance is a serious offence and they don't let it go.

In answer to the OP... when my friend phoned the insurer to add the correct use and explained the oversight (and that husband now had an IN10 on his licence) the insurer refused to extend the cover because of the conviction, adding insult to injury . Sorry OP it's a risk - but you won't know for sure until you talk to the insurer.

It cost me £0 the first time I added business use to my policy. Now I add it as standard due to being freelance and it makes no difference to the policy price.

OP what do you mean by "work equipment"?

Work equipment can be anything from a laptop to plant equipment. The former would only get your husband done due to you not having communting on your policy and your husband admitting he was doing wrong, while with the latter they would definitely do a proper check.

Of course this thread is really showing what a nonsense ANPR cameras are, since we insist on the driver being insured along with the car.

OPs DH could have sailed past hundreds of cameras and all would have shown the car as insured. Yet he gets stops by the police and is instantly not insured.