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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think that if you ask to borrow someone's car, you should be willing to meet the cost?

28 replies

TidyDancer · 28/05/2012 20:31

It's not me, it's my sister.

She has kindly agreed to our brother using her car while she is out of the country. It will be for a period of about a month I gather.

As our DB is a younger and more inexperienced driver, it will apparently cost a bit to have him on the insurance. DB has not made any attempts to offer to reimburse DSis for the cost of this, and keeps making comments that seem (at least to me) obvious he is expecting DSis to meet the additional cost. He is acting like he is doing her a favour by taking care of the car while she is away.

IMO he should be paying the additional cost without a second thought. I don't know how much money we are talking about here btw, but it's the principal of it I think.

AIBU?

OP posts:
scuzy · 28/05/2012 20:33

does he work? he should most def pay the difference, or at least not assume and talk to your sister about some kind of arrangement. cheeky sod.

Yogurtmonster · 28/05/2012 20:33

No, he is being very unreasonable. He should be offering to pay.

workshy · 28/05/2012 20:34

YANBU but he is if he thinks he can get a free car

find out how much it would cost to rent a car for a month and point out to him what a huge favour your sister is doing him

if I were her it would be a condition of the loan that he pays the insurance, and also covers any excess payments if he does have an accident

Original poster
TidyDancer · 28/05/2012 20:37

Yes he works. I think he earns just about the same as our DSis as well.

I'm not sure if DSis thinks this is the way most people do these things. I'm not even sure she was going to charge DB, but it's his brazen attitude and the lack of an offer to pay that's bothering her.

OP posts:
scuzy · 28/05/2012 20:38

and i watch enough Judge Judy to know to get something in writing especially should he have an accident.

Sallyingforth · 28/05/2012 21:30

If he bends the car there will not only be the excess to pay but also a loss of NCB as well.
I would say that he can borrow the car but he must arrange his own insurance (you CAN get short-term insurance)

ImperialBlether · 28/05/2012 21:32

Of course he should pay the insurance!

DowagersHump · 28/05/2012 21:36

I agree with Sallyingforth, especially if he doesn't have a car normally and is likely to go a bit 'giddy' with excitement

Original poster
TidyDancer · 28/05/2012 21:45

I'm not sure DSis is concerned that he will do anything to the car anymore than she would, just that obviously insurance is a legal requirement. Therefore who should be meeting that requirement is, IMO, the person driving the car.

Sally, I was under the impression that you can't 'double' insure a car, is that wrong?

OP posts:
OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos · 28/05/2012 21:52

Of course your brother should pay!

HecateTrivia · 28/05/2012 21:54

I thought it was the person who was insured, not the car? Me and my husband are both insured to drive my car.

duckdodgers · 28/05/2012 21:54

Your sister is a mug if she arranges to pay this for him. He either pays or its no car.

Anniegetyourgun · 28/05/2012 21:58

Absolutely, if he's old enough to drive he's old enough to arrange his own insurance. And make sure she sees a copy of the certificate before letting him take charge of the car. (My dad spent three weeks in prison once for lending his car to his brother without checking it was insured. Mind you that was an awful lot of years ago.)

Anniegetyourgun · 28/05/2012 21:58

without checking he was insured to drive it, I meant.

iliketea · 28/05/2012 21:59

Yanbu. I'm sure there is an insurance company which offers short term car insurance for this sort of thing. We looked into it for visitors from abroad - they have a separate insurance for a borrowed car, insuring that driver. It wad cheaper than hiring a car for that length of time.

Unhelpfully, it was a couple of years ago, and I can't remember the name if it, but it would mean that your sisters NCB would be protected as the car would be insured by whoever was driving it.

Either way, your brother should be paying especially if it's expensive to add him.

Original poster
TidyDancer · 28/05/2012 22:00

Wouldn't that only be third party though, Hecate?

I'm not very savvy with this kind of thing....!

OP posts:
HecateTrivia · 28/05/2012 22:08

I did a quick google and it appears you can get fully comprehensive short term car insurance here if I've read it right.

And no, we're fully comp on my car. I think we are anyway. I'll have to ask him now Grin

ImperialBlether · 28/05/2012 22:12

Yes, I've borrowed my ex's car a couple of times and he's paid for fully comp insurance for me. Obviously he's still suffering from the trauma of my driving!

NadiaWadia · 29/05/2012 03:07

God, Annie. that was a bit harsh, wasn't it? Your poor Dad!

doormat · 29/05/2012 04:45

YANBU....hecate and others are right...make sure he has his own insurance to protect your sisters ncb...paid for by himself....and with certificate...or no car

BoysWillGrow · 29/05/2012 04:53

my DP drives my car all the time pays insurance on it, but recently the alternator went on it & he had to pay for it. He didn't like it as it weren't his car, but if ya gonna borrow someone's car you have to keep up the maintance too or tell him to just buy his own.
If he's not going to pay to insure or maintain it, it's just not worth the hassle tbh.

Rosa · 29/05/2012 06:35

He should pay and also pay a contrubution for the running costs, not just petrol but towards, servicing, oil, tax, etc........

inabeautifulplace · 29/05/2012 07:11

Has your sister checked for cheap add-ons to the insurance. Many allow you to block book a few 2 week periods of another named driver for a low cost. Think my dad paid £10 per period. Although obviously I paid him back and got a bottle of something nice to say thanks for the trouble. Your brother is taking advantage.

DaisySteiner · 29/05/2012 07:19

She ought to be v. careful I think. If he won't pay her for the cost of the insurance, what will happen if he has an accident? Will he even pay the excess? Has she protected her no claims?

HalfSpamHalfBrisket · 29/05/2012 07:25

I assume he asked to borrow it rather than your sister offering it? Just checking as when we went off travelling for 6 months I lent mine to a friend (and paid the insurance on it) as it was better than leaving it on the street outside our house for 6 months - she was doing us the favour, IYSWIM.