Cancelled insurance help

[Muddledupzekey]

I recently done a quote on a comparison site and added a named driver.
I got a quote and paid for the full year around 2 week before my insurance was due to start.
7 days before my insurance was to start I got an email saying they had concern about my named driver having previous cancellation which I did not know of, and that they have decided to cancel my policy in 7 days. I spoke with the insurers telling them I am unaware and that the named driver is saying they are unaware of any previous cancelation.
I cancelled the policy that day after receiving the email 7 days before it was due to start as it was the only thing i thought i could do, i panicked as it was so close to my existing insurance running out. I am worried about this genuine mistake affecting my future insurance. I even put on the quote the accident my named driver had In 2023 as I was aware of this so fully disclosed it.
Does anyone know where I stand. I worried sick about future insurance coverage and high premiums over something I did not know. I wish I never added my named driver to the policy and feel like I am paying for it for the rest of my life

So they said they were cancelling the policy on the day it was due to start or did they word it another way? That could be important. Have you renewed with the existing insurer?

Based on not knowing this (and not having worked in insurance for many years but being professionally qualified and having run a motor fraud department) I would suggest that the named driver contacts the insurance company who declined/cancelled whatever and ask for details of the cancellation information and investigate from there.

This is the email I recieved:

We have checked your insurance policy and are writing to you because we have some concerns with your policy.

What concerns do we have?

We have been told that your named driver has had an insurance policy either cancelled or voided by an insurance company. Had we known this information, we would not have given you this policy.

What is going to happen?

Because of the above, we have decided to cancel your insurance policy. We are doing this in-line with your policy’s terms and conditions by giving you at least 7-days written notice. Your policy will be cancelled on 22/07/2025.

When we cancel this policy:

• If you are eligible for a refund, this will be given to you, and paid back to the same payment details that you gave us when you took out this policy. To check whether you will be eligible for a refund, please check your policy documents.

• You will not be able to take out any new insurance that are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited for the next 6-years. For more information on what other insurance companies are underwritten by them, please visit their website: https://u-k-insurance.co.uk/brands-policy.html

• Any other existing insurance policies that you hold or are insured on with U K Insurance Limited may also be reviewed and potentially cancelled.

• The policy will be cancelled based on the information currently available to us. If we receive a notification of a claim, or if any more information comes to light, we reserve the right to re-review your policy. This next review might lead us to void your policy, which means it will be cancelled back to its start date and we would treat the policy as if it never existed.

• We reserve the right to notify the relevant authorities, and we may share details of this matter with fraud prevention agencies which may negatively affect your ability to get financial products and services in the future.

If you would prefer, you can cancel this policy before we do. If you cancel this policy, please be aware that the above points will still be applied, but in addition you may be charged a cancellation fee. Details of any fees can be found in your policy documents

My policy was due to start on the 22. 07. 2025 the date which they say they were cancelling it. So it hadn't started yet.

my named driver has contacted churchill which they are saying was the broker for the previous cancelled insurance and they have passed it on to the fraud department to look in to.

I havent renewed with my current insurer as they put my insurance up due to my number plate given falsely and had a claim redirected off my account a couple of weeks ago after them reviewing footage proving it was not my car involved. I have had a headache this past year with insurance 😕

Can you not take out a policy without your named driver while they try to resolve the issue? There may be a question about if you have ever been refused a policy so continuing with your existing insurer may get around that

I am planning to not put my named driver on my insurance now but still I dont know if I would have to declare that I have now had a cancelled policy which when I have looked for insurance declaring this cancellation I am not finding ma y insurers accepting me and it's gone up about £300. I just dont want a genuine mistake affecting me for life as when I look it up it says I have to declare it for the rest of my life

Yes. You will have to declare it, your policy has been cancelled and there will a record of this. Unfortunately, this means that UK Insurance underwriters will not offer you any cover in future. UK Insurance underwrites Direct Line, Churchill, and a few others..

You can try Admiral, LV, Axa, Aviva, as those aren't affiliated with UK Insurance. However, because you've had a policy cancelled, you're unlikely to be offered cover by any company. You are now classed as a fraud risk, and as such are basically un-insurable.

Sorry OP, your named driver really stiched you up on this.

Ther may be brokers who specialise in high risk drivers that would be able to offer you cover, but premiums will be eye-watering, around 1k per annum more expensive than your old one.

Op.there was an insurance ombudsman case about 30 years ago where the wife had a claim declined because her husband hadn't told her that he was banned from driving. Ring the company cancelling and say you answered 'to the best of your knowledge and belief ' or whatever their wording is, explain you were completely unaware and could you take the policy without the named driver. Lodge a formal complaint and go down the complaints route

Plus speak to the FSA for advice on what recourse you have... you may have to renew and then complain to get your record sorted

This is great advice.

I have just spoken to a lady from darwin about my concerns and worry. They have looked at it and put it as a voluntary cancellation becuase I cancelled it my self and said I would not have to put yes to having a cancelled policy. The only thing it stops me from doing is going with any company withing the UK Insurance Limited.

Although not the best outcome, it is a good one and must be a relief! I hope you get to the bottom of the situation with the additional driver and that they didn't knowingly put you in this position.

It is a relief. I am scared now of putting insurance through. They have told me becuase it has gone down as voluntary cancellation I dont need to declair it. I think this is becuase they know I didnt do anything maliciously or to try defraud them. I just hope what they are telling me is truthful becuase I really dont want 2 cancelled on my record. I am sure I could fight it if this was the case as I have been told this information by the comapny and all calls are recorded. I am logging the time of call and stuff when I was told i didnt have to tick that box just incase.

I would be extremely cautious OP. Factually, you have had a policy cancelled, they have quite literally informed you of this in writing.

You will be asked "have you ever had a policy cancelled?". The only correct answer to this question is "yes".

The small print on your next policy will also state "any incorrect information may invalidate your policy, and it will be treated as though it never existed"

I think that realistically, you can choose to not mention it, however, if there is a record of the cancellation on the MIB database (you can contact them and check this) then it WILL be discovered, in which case you will have your new policy cancelled as well. All insurance companies share data, so even if the MIB don't have a record, your previous provider will, and may still share the info. This would result in you having two cancelled policies on your record within a short period of time. If that were to happen, you wouldn't be able to insure a bicycle, let alone a car.

I wouldn't risk it, if you can get a quote with the cancellation, I would go with that. It's the lesser of the two potential issues.

@Chiseltip it’s not necessarily true that she’s now screwed for life with insurance - lots of companies will cover you if you’ve had a policy cancelled or voided, you just need to be honest with them.

I remember reading a thread on Reddit where someone had a policy cancelled on them and it didn’t actually cost them any extra to declare it. It all depends on your claims history, why the policy was cancelled and the insurance company themselves. It’s certainly a cut and dry “you’re fucked”.

I would get what she says in writing to confirm. I once had Tesco choose not to renew my insurance (due to them changing underwriters) and had it in writing that it did not count has a cancelled or voided policy that needed to be declared.

I wouldn’t trust what someone tells you over the phone.

Who is the new named driver?

I'd be furious that they had saddled me with this saga.

Have you got to the bottom of this unknown cancellation they had?

If it does not exist they must work to get it off their record so you can clear yours.

What else have they not told you about?

This ‘named driver’ has totally stitched you up. I would also be furious and very worried in your position. Will they pay for your (likely) increased premiums in future? Please be honest with any new provider.

I don't this this is right

My understanding is that the insurer warned OP that they no longer wished to insure her and planned to cancel the policy, but gave OP the option to get in first and cancel it herself, which she did

OP ask for an email confirming that your insurance wasn't cancelled by the insurer and you should be ok

The Darwin insurer has confirmed to OP that by her cancelling the policy, this means her insurer didn't cancel it. The insurer gave her notice of their intention to cancel the policy but gave her the option of cancelling it herself, which she took. OP has notified the new insurer of all these details and they have accepted this. I would recommend that OP continues to notify future insurers of the full circumstances in the same way and to keep records of timestamps of these notifications.

Insurance companies have a habit of denying claims based on incomplete or incorrect information.

The email the OP recieved was materially a notice of cancellation. I would be very surprised if that wasn't used as a reason to decline coverage if someone were to make a claim on the OP's policy.

If it were me, I would declare the "cancellation" and let the insurance company decide its relevance.

If Darwin confirms that the op cancelled then technically she doesn't have to declare it as a policy terminated by the insurance company.
It's like I have bought a van and had it converted into a motorhome, some insurance companies don't insure conversions unless done by the original manufacturer...I don't have to declare that I have had insurance declined.

Whilst insurance company's will decline for non disclosure, and I did it hundreds of times myself, in the example I gave above where the wife claimed her husband didn't tell her he was disqualified from driving, the ombudsman as it was at the time, found in the customer's favour.

If you would prefer, you can cancel this policy before we do. If you cancel this policy, please be aware that the above points will still be applied

I would read this as there is no difference in this case whether the insurance company or the OP cancels, which is at odds with what was said over the phone.

I would want it in writing that it doesn't count as a voided or terminated policy

@Muddledupzekey I would look for a local insurance broker and go through them as they would be able to advise you and find you the best deal for your circumstances.

Exactly - that’s what I would worry about too. You need to get it in writing that you don’t need to declare this. Don’t rely on what was said over the phone.

They gave you the option to cancel before they did precisely so you don’t have a record of cancelled insurance that you have to declare. You cancelled it, as is your right in any situation, and it is not at all the same thing as them having cancelled it.

But you will have to be very careful to not try to take out a policy with any affiliated companies and that can be very hard to do when they all use various brand names to cover the same insurer.

I have spoken to an aviva befoe taking out my new policy with them and told them everything that had happened and they also said I dont have to and they have now given me a policy. 😊

Yes that is exactly what aviva have said when I spoke to them. My slate is clean. I think it's something many people get muddled up with becuase even i was panicking before I actually spoke to the insurers and asked the question. I thought best thi g j can do is be honest and tell them everything that has happened and it's payed off and made it so simple for me to take out a new policy