Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Money matters

Find financial and money-saving discussions including debt and pension chat on our Money forum. If you're looking for ways to make your money to go further, sign up to our Moneysaver emails here.

Original poster

Is it possible to insure a car before buying it?

10 replies

MsBrandybuck · 02/08/2009 22:56

Our car failed its MOT so we have SORNed it. Haven't notified the insurance company yet as we still have it on the driveway. We have put in a winning bid for a car on ebay and need to collect and pay for it in a couple of days. The new car is MOTed but not taxed (also SORNed). We can't tax it online until registered to our address. We can't tax at the Post Office until we have all the docs and insurance sorted. DH will have to drive it home (just a few miles) without tax and risk a fine but I'm more worried about the insurance. He is covered to drive a car owned and insured by someone else, but by the time he is driving it home he will be the owner so surely that doesn't work.

If we can get the insurance changed before buying, then perhaps my mum could drive it on her insurance? Please can someone confirm that this is more simple than it seems as I'm suffering a bit from baby brain plus a heavy cold and my head hurts

OP posts:
Tinker · 02/08/2009 23:03

You won't get insurance if it's not taxed (don't think) You can get a cover note for 7 days for insurance because this scenario happens all teh time re buying cars. Can't the current owner get it taxed?

tots2ten · 02/08/2009 23:08

I have bought cars (quite a few) on Ebay and insured them before going to pick them up. I payed to get the cover note quicker so that I could tax the car before driving it home. You can insure a untaxed car (otherwise you wont be able to tax it)

If you get the green slip off the bottom of the V5c and take the cover note and the MOT to the local post office you will be able to buy tax and have the car all legal before you drive it home.

Hope that helps

Ponders · 02/08/2009 23:14

Can you do that even with a SORNed car though? That must make things more complicated?

tots2ten · 02/08/2009 23:19

Yes, as soon as you buy tax the sorn cancels itself out.

tots2ten · 02/08/2009 23:22

Forgot to mention, that if the car had no MOT, so long as you book it into the nearest MOT garage, you can drive it there on a SORN get the car MOT'd and then go to a post office before you drive the car away from the garage, and tax it. Making the car all legal. That is the only time that you can drive a SORN'd car on a public road. I checked with local police when we went to pick up yet another of dh's buys.

Original poster
MsBrandybuck · 02/08/2009 23:36

Thanks all . Useful to know about the MOT tots2ten. We had to get something with an MOT though.

OP posts:
blushingm · 03/08/2009 09:16

you can put it as a temp car on your existing policy. With the covernote they send you'll be able to tax it (you don't need the v5 and mot's are now computerised so i think they check at the PO)

Then you'll have a tax disc and insurance cover for when you pick it up

HTH

fluffyanimal · 03/08/2009 09:18

Norwich Union/Aviva do a 7 day insurance policy called Driveaway, specifically for the purposes of buying cars.

tots2ten · 03/08/2009 09:40

blushinggm you will need to produce both V5 (or green slip) and a current MOT along with your insurance to be able to tax a car at the post office.

blushingm · 03/08/2009 10:16

what about arranging the covernote to be posted to the seller and add the tax amount to thier payment so they can have it taxed ready for you?

New posts on this thread. Refresh page
Swipe left for the next trending thread