To be very upset we’ve been driving around in uninsured vehicle

[BlueFairiesinthesky]

Just stopped by police with young children in car, very upsetting as was accused of driving an unregistered/ uninsured vehicle.

Our car was purchased new from the official dealership 3 years ago. We’ve had two official services and been insured through legit insurers since. The number plate is wrong by one letter! All documentation has the wrong license number. However the ownership paper does state a different license number, which I assume is the correct one.

Obviously we should have picked up on the discrepancy, my only excuse is we had a newborn at the time!

The police said we’ve been driving around uninsured for 3 years and If we’d had an accident would be fully liable for damage and personal injury.

We plan to visit the dealership tomorrow but just after any advice as I feel really angry about it. I don’t understand how this could have happened and feel really angry that we’ve been driving around at risk.

I don’t think we should drive the car until they can install the correct number plate. Which is an inconvenience. I’ve also paid £650 of useless insurance.

Just to add, the license number is wrong by one letter. All other letters are in the correct position.

You absolutely must not drive that car until everything is properly sorted.

That is awful! I would contact citizens advice. Is there a dealership industry body I wonder?

Yep I’ve just said we mustn’t drive it to DH.

Honestly just count your lucky stars you didn't have an accident and let it go. Some poor sod made a mistake, maybe their mum had just died or something, you don't know.

Nothing bad has happened. Just move on with your life.

You must have had to use the registration plate loads of times. Such as taxing and insuring your car. How have you never noticed it's different to your paperwork?

Yes don't drive the car.
I second called Citizens advise so you know what to do/where you stand/what needs to happen next.
I am really surprised you haven't been pulled over before now though!

The police officers said they’ve never come across this before. I assume garages have good checks in place to ensure this doesn’t happen- but not in our case!

Surely the paperwork just needs to be corrected? I doubt if there was an accident that a one letter error on the paperwork would invalidate the insurance and such.

So the insurance you have is for a different registration to the one displayed on your car?

@WaterBottle123 yep that’s definitely my philosophy in life.

I think this is pretty serious mistake though- they should have checks in place to ensure this doesn’t happen in the first place.

So your log book is different to your number plate?

@PheasantsNest

You must have had to use the registration plate loads of times. Such as taxing and insuring your car. How have you never noticed it's different to your paperwork?

You don’t tax a new car until it’s 3 years old.

Agreed to above, don't move the car. But I don't think an insurer could get away with voiding the insurance on such grounds, if they still have the correct make and model and the plate on the insurance matches either the physical car or an official document.

Sounds like enough of a mess you might want to speak to a lawyer, if you have different documents with different registration numbers on. The VIN is definitive though, that should be marked somewhere near the windscreen or driver's door.

@Meloncurse

So the insurance you have is for a different registration to the one displayed on your car?

I assumed other way around - the insurance is for the registration number on the car, which is wrong. The car is registered with the DVLA as AB12 3CD, when the Reg plate says AB12 4CD.

They are essentially driving on fake plates. With insurance on those fake plates, not the real reg number.

You tax your car every year? It’s MOT you don’t do til it’s 3 years old?

When you give the registration to get a car insurance quote it brings up the make and model of the car. Ditto when taxing a car. How on earth is it the dealerships fault ?

You don’t tax a new car until it’s 3 years old

Erm, you should!!

@PheasantsNest yes we have organised DVLA tax and renewed insurance three times. It’s never been bought up! We have had to call up and do it manually- we didn’t know why but it’s the first time we’ve bought a new car, so assumed it was a time lag. The insurance seller just said not problem- we’ve found it”.

According to the police officer our insurance isn’t valid because it’s for the wrong car.

I’m surprised we haven’t noticed, but neither has anyone else.

So the paperwork is correct and the number plate isn't? I dont see how you have managed to tax your car and have it serviced without this being spotted before. Is the number plate thats on the car now the same as it was when you bought it? Just wondering if someone has stolen yours and replaced it with this dodgy one in a strange twist on number plate cloning.

You don’t tax a new car until it’s 3 years old

I think you're thinking of a MOT, A car is taxed from brand new

We tax car every year

No MOT yet, but we’ve had it serviced twice by the official dealership who sold us the car.

They are essentially driving on fake plates. With insurance on those fake plates, not the real reg number.

But if the insurance matches the plates then how would the police have picked it up?

@Reallybadidea

They are essentially driving on fake plates. With insurance on those fake plates, not the real reg number.

But if the insurance matches the plates then how would the police have picked it up?

Because I guess they ran the plate through their system and either it didn't exist or was for a totally different car

Yes the insurance is for the registration number on the car, which is wrong. It is definitely the dealership’s fault not ours. They put the wrong number plate on the car.