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.

I don’t understand this one.
If it was, as the OP suggests, one in sequence the dealership had and the cars were very similar and the plates were fitted to the wrong cars then another car has your plates and has managed to get through three years without anyone noticing either.

But what puzzles me most is if you were stopped and weren’t taxed or insured why didn’t the police seize your vehicle?

Either they were happy to accept all you were doing was showing the wrong plates - ie the car is taxed & insured on the correct registration - that it’s a cock-up and told you to get the plates changed ASAP, with the option of insisting you get an MoT station to confirm, which they can do.

Or they told you it wasn’t taxed or insured and would have seized it. If a car is stopped and the driver isn’t insured they may allow a little leeway for someone who is insured to retrieve it but if there is no insurance showing at all it gets seized. With VED they may let you sort it roadside in some circumstances but if it hasn’t been taxed for some time they’ll take the car.

Er no, your insurance would have been valid, you insure the car not the number plate. Things like this happen quite often and the car is still insured but it is up to the OP to contact them asap and get it sorted out.

@EastWestWhosBest

Hang on though. When you tax a car doesn’t it check your insurance then? Even though mine is tax free I still have to ‘tax’ it by doing the online form.

There's probably the 'other' car running around somewhere, that's also insured, so the OPs incorrect plate will come up as insured.

Years ago someone else in my town had the same type and colour of car as me with a very similar plate. One day an angry man knocked on my door accusing me of bumping his car and not stopping. He also lived locally and had seen it parked on the street. I didn't think I had but asked him where and when it was and I knew I hadn't because I was somewhere else at the time.

Fortunately he went away, but not long after I saw the other car on my street. Same type, same colour, but reg plate was A144 ABC and mine was A133 ABC, we must have both got them from the same dealer at about the same time. After that I saw it repeatedly out and about in our town and I think they lived a couple of streets away.

@WaterBottle123

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.

Fuck that I’d be wanting the £650 back and an apology

I'm just amazed that an incorrect number plate can match up the correct car when renewing insurance.

Total non event. Number plates are wrong but the car is insured?

I think you've massively exaggerated this.

This happens regularly and as PPs have said the insurance company will sort it out. If you’re being prosecuted for no insurance the ins co will normally provide a letter explaining the situation and that they would have indemnified you in the event of an accident. It’s a pain in the arse but not the end of the world.

@Tossblanket

I'm just amazed that an incorrect number plate can match up the correct car when renewing insurance.

See my post further up, and many others saying the same - this is perfectly possible due to dealers registering cars in batches so they have sequential number plates. The car with one letter different to my number plate was identical, and once I realised there were probably about 6 others in the dealer which were likewise only one letter off but same make and model and general colour.

@StatisticallyChallenged yep - I see it at work daily, cars lined up. Same colour, exact same model and all the reg plates in sequence

Total non event. Number plates are wrong but the car is insured?

I think you've massively exaggerated this.

If the car wasn’t insured, it would have been seized.

Agree, complete non-event. It happened to me once when I had slightly different numbers on the back and the front.

OP here with update.

Dealership changed the plates this morning - it only took 20 mins. We didn’t complain and were very polite about it all.

Will call insurance after work to change the registration number.

So it’s been very easily resolved. Feeling blessed the police pulled us over as they’ve done us a massive favour! It was a risk to have insurance for the wrong license number should the car have been written off- as someone pointed out above.

We’ve learnt from this experience anyway. All’s well that ends well. Onwards and upwards!

@Etulosba Yep I can say that now, but yesterday police were treating it very seriously and I had no idea what had gone wrong. It’s human to panic when something happens and with the benefit of the perspectives of time/ others experiences, can see how to resolve it.

Maybe this will happen to someone else and they’ll benefit from reading this thread. Or maybe folk reading will check their reg details. As replies have shown, we’re not the only people this has happened to.

So you’re driving around today in the car uninsured?

@minionsrule nope, dealership printed off the plates and we screwed them on at home ourselves. Relative drove to the dealership.

Won’t be driving car until is insured.

You got away with it, and you've learnt a lesson about being more careful with checking paperwork etc.

But yes, I wouldn't drive the car again until this is sorted. But honestly, it's been 3 years - you absolutely should have noticed. If it had been 3 weeks, or even 3 months, fair enough. But 3 YEARS?!?

But how did the relative get insurance? You can’t use your own insurance to drive other cars unless that car has insurance in Place?

@Miniroofbox

But how did the relative get insurance? You can’t use your own insurance to drive other cars unless that car has insurance in Place?

Holy crap some people are picky - clearly relative had their own car. Good grief!!!!!

@zingally

You got away with it, and you've learnt a lesson about being more careful with checking paperwork etc. But yes, I wouldn't drive the car again until this is sorted. But honestly, it's been 3 years - you absolutely should have noticed. If it had been 3 weeks, or even 3 months, fair enough. But 3 YEARS?!?

You have also learnt a lesson about how preachy people can be on MN as if they have never made an error of any kind.

But how did the relative get insurance?

Presumably the relative drove their own car not the OP’s?

You can’t use your own insurance to drive other cars unless that car has insurance in Place?

Not a requirement on all policies

Oh ok I misread.

Apologies

Presumably the garage sold both cars so am curious as to whether the other car is using your reg no.

Glad you are all sorted OP
Almost happened to me when I bought my first proper car (second hand from a dealer).
Wnt to collect it.
Reg was X554ABB on the paperwork... and my insurance etc
Reg was X544ABB on the car! When I pointed it out the colour completely drained from the salesman's face. But it was their error with the wrong details on their dealer-made plates!

@DynamoKev Love your replies ... you’re right, the relative drove us in their own car. I often think Mumsnetters would make marvellous criminal investigators or spies. The level of forensic detail is something else
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