Mileage and travel for work

[ThatBluntLimeStork]

Just Realised I don't have business insurance and wanted to make a claim for work mileage. Can't do it because I need business insurance. I sometimes travel to one office so use commuting insurance. Sometimes to another office within a couple of miles and insurance stated it was ok.

However I've been travelling miles for work this week and now I think I'll be trouble for work.

I'm not Required to have a car for work, don't get an allowance and have agile contract.

Will I be in trouble?

I accept I've just wasted a tank of petrol with my travel.

When you take out your insurance policy, it will ask what cover you need. There will be a commuting option which is you travelling to your USUAL place of work, or there is business insurance which covers you driving from business to business or anywhere during your working day that your job requires you to be.
When taking out your insurance you need to make sure you are selecting the correct option.
If you are driving to the same place every day for work, you pick social, pleasure and commuting.
If you need your car in addition to driving to the same place, you need business cover.
Luckily nothing has happened whilst you've been out on the road, but should it have, it would be on you as you are the driver of the car. Insurance companies are not going to accept that your work didn'ttell you. Every time you get in your car, it's your responsibility that it's roadworthy, is taxed, tested and you have the correct insurance cover.
I'm surprised that an insurance company would tell you that what you have been doing is OK as I've needed business insurance for years and years and other than commuting to the same place of work, anything else must be under business cover. I also don't get an allowance, I claim business miles at the end of each week.
Add business insurance now and make sure you're selecting the right cover when you renew. You might not get your mileage paid this time but you could always resubmit with your new insurance certificate and see what they say. Good luck and don't worry, unless you had an accident, nothing will happen.

I said I would have been sacked...but you are using YOUR car, so that's wear and tear, extra miles making it less valuable, plus YOU have to buy insurance to cover THEM!

They're on to a winner with you aren't they, staff who are paying to work!

Sounds like it was an oversight on everyone’s part. Get your car insurance changed to business if you haven’t yet. Do you have 1:1’s with your manager? Raise it there. “Hey boss I was asked to do visits but no-one told me I’d need business insurance so I can’t claim back the mileage. I’m out of pocket now. I’ve changed my insurance now but what can the business do to put this right please?”.

Risk of what?

Yes if course they did!

Some companies have a company motor insurance policy that will cover employees driving their own cars for business use in case this happens where they are asked to drive somewhere and they don't have business use on their own policy.

This. Do this.

If she has an accident and her colleagues are injured and she isn't insured for the journey, presumably. It would be messy.

Surely this is very rare due to the massive cost it would be for a company?

how would this work? Would there be an age limit? What if employees had points on their licence? Previous convictions for drink driving?

as PP have said business use for your own car usuallys only cost a few quid but company should make you aware it's required

I think the mileage is the least of your worries. A colleague of mine had an accident on the way to work, the police came to the scene. She didn't have commuting insurance, only leisure, so she wasn't insured. Make sure you have the right type of insurance as they will use any reason not to cover you.

I’ve just added business insurance to our car as my son occasionally drives it to do a site visit once a month/once every two months. So he needs it for this to claim back petrol money.

i didn’t know this until a few days ago and I sorted the insurance the next day, it didn’t cost much to add business insurance on and as he only uses it between 6-12 times a year for business site visits the expected yearly mileage wasn’t high.

however when I found out I didn’t have the car properly insured I felt ill. All sorted now.

It's not work's responsibility to check you have the right insurance, or at least I've never heard of that being the case.

The company does have a responsibility to make sure its employees who are using their car for work (and therefore, saving the company a lot of money) are insured properly. A lot of companies who take their risk management seriously will have procedures in place to make any employee who is authorised to drive during the course of their employment has the correct type of licence and business insurance on their personal vehicle.

Mine does. I got badgered every couple of days for months to send them evidence of both or I was not allowed to drive on company business (I hadn't got round to it as I had no intention of driving this year).

Also note - if you have commuting on your insurance but not business,you cannot (for example) drive yourself to the airport if you are flying somewhere for work.