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Car insurance - What counts as business mileage?

5 replies

safariboot · 06/10/2017 17:47

I normally walk to work at the main office. I sometimes drive to the branch office, average 1-2 days a week; that would not be considered part of my working hours. I occasionally drive during the working day, for example to take stuff from one office to another, so I definitely need business use car insurance; that is part of my working hours, no mileage reimbursement but I'm 'on the clock'.

Question is, do I count the mileage when I'm driving to and from the branch office as part of the 'business mileage' for insurance quotes, or only the mileage I drive during the working day?

OP posts:
LapdanceShoeshine · 06/10/2017 17:54

I always thought "commuting" was to & from regular place of work & anything else is business mileage

Although if you go to the branch office at least once every week then that's regular too?

???

Hoppinggreen · 06/10/2017 18:19

From your home to your base is personal mileage but anything else is business I think

safariboot · 06/10/2017 20:42

Hoppinggreen, I assumed that too.

But in any event it's moot because the insurer I chose didn't ask for the split between personal and business mileage. (And I saved 25% on my existing insurer's renewal quote Smile )

OP posts:
SoPassRemarkable · 06/10/2017 20:47

I see it's now moot but I can answer this question.

I'm in exactly the same working position but have no business mileage and assumed I didn't need it. Insurance says I'm insured to commute to a permanent place of work. So both locations are permanent places of work for me. I would have thought that a non permanent place was if I was visiting offices/customers in some sort of sales rep capacity.

But insurance company said that I can only have one permanent place of work and that if I go to Location B then I must have business insurance or I wouldn't be insured.

Which I think is wrong! It's a permanent place of work, I'm driving in my own time not company time. Plus they don't even care about distance so for all they know location B could be closer than location A. It isn't, but they didn't ask! So I'm now going to have to upgrade to business insurance or I can't claim mileage according to work policy.

somewhereovertherain · 08/10/2017 05:00

To be fair if it’s Just class one business has to doesn’t add anything to most premiums - going to more than one location be it full time job with two locations or a full time job and a part time job you should have business use.

It’s if you have class 2 or 3 it can get expensive - class 3 is selling

Found this on the bewiser.co.uk website

Business Class 1/ Class A

This class is the most common and will normally permit the policyholder (and/or spouse) to use the car for travel between multiple fixed places of work in addition to use for social domestic and pleasure use. Common occupations that might require such class of use would include a supply teacher, a care worker who drives to see various patients, or any person who might have to work at more than one location. Any named drivers other than the spouse will not normally be permitted to use the vehicle for business related mileage, and any commercial use relating to delivering goods or selling products will not be covered under this class of use. The cover provided is essentially for travel between multiple places of work but excluding use of the vehicle as a tool of trade.

Business Class 2/ Class B1

This class normally extends the cover under Class 1 (above) to any named drivers on the policy. Most insurance companies will require both the policyholder and the named driver to use the car for the same business (i.e. the insured and the named driver cannot use the vehicle in connection with different businesses) The same restrictions found in Class 1 still apply in relation to the usage; so again, any commercial use relating to delivering goods or selling products will not be covered under this class of use.

Business Class 3/Class B2

The final business class is the broadest in its cover. In addition to the level of cover provided under a Class 2 policy, the policyholder will be allowed to use the car for ‘commercial travelling’ purposes as well. This class ensures that any employment related car travel, to an unlimited number of destinations that are not fixed, will be covered. This would therefore be the relevant class of use for those who use their vehicle as a tool of trade, such as sales representatives visiting customers. Persons requiring this business class of use are likely to be high-mileage drivers and this is, as you would expect, normally the most expensive annual premium cost.

Note that this Class 3 use, although the widest of the Classes of Use, will still exclude certain uses regarded as non-standard; such as use as a taxi (public and private hire use) or use in connection with the motor trade. For these uses it will be necessary to purchase a commercial policy.

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