If you sell a vechile. warning

[macafee2]

This was the last I heard, if the law has changed sorry for being out of date

If you sell a vehicle make sure you cancel your insurance policy at once also make sure the new owner has insurance.

why, cos if they don't have insurance and cause an accident, as the car is still insured your insurance company may have to pay and then they...... come after you for the money

macafee2

[clf]

Originally Posted by macafee2

This was the last I heard, if the law has changed sorry for being out of date

If you sell a vehicle make sure you cancel your insurance policy at once also make sure the new owner has insurance.

why, cos if they don't have insurance and cause an accident, as the car is still insured your insurance company may have to pay and then they...... come after you for the money

macafee2

I dont understand how this could be. If you have filled out the V5 correctly, and given a receipt for payment. If you dont cancel immediately then you have insurance, so they can 'come after you' But if you were to cancel, then surely if that was a precedent, they could still 'come after you'.

Add to that, the person buying the car if no insurance would be driving without insurance.

Perhaps you mean the scenario of man buys my car, but is driving it home at 1205 pm, on his own fully comprehensive insurance clause 'driving another vehicle that you neither hire nor own, providing it is also insured by the keeper/owner' . But I have arranged for the policy to swap over onto my new car at 12pm of that day (which is normally the situation that happens with my insurance), or it is cancelled altogether. He has an accident, then they have the problem of having no insurance.

Again providing you have given a receipt with a copy (your proof of no longer owning the car) and correctly filled out the V5, I still see no reason why you have any liability at all. I know there are complications for a vehicle (or property) being insured under another existing policy, perhaps something relating to that? But then insurance not only relates to the car, but also the named individuals.

Cancel the policy at once or a pre arranged time, and by all means ask the new owner if they have insurance to take it away, but once it is sold, it is no longer your responsibility. Unless of course it could be proven, you watched the new driver drop a couple of Es and necked a bottle of vodka lol.

[SCP440]

I sold a car on the bay a couple of years ago and the buyer arrived to collect the car and one of his first questions was '' would you mind if I drive it home on your insurance''?

I obviously declined and he then spent about an hour trying to arrange insurance. Once he had sorted it he then had to tax it.

The best bit when he got home he rung me to ask if I wanted to buy it back as his wife didn't like it.

Is it me?

[solarsailor]

My understanding is that vehicle insurance only covers the policyholder (plus any named drivers). So if someone is driving the car after they've purchased it, then it's up to them to ensure they have their own insurance. The seller's insurance company would have no liability in the event of an accident regardless of whether the policy had been cancelled or not.

[HarryM1BYT]

Originally Posted by solarsailor

My understanding is that vehicle insurance only covers the policyholder (plus any named drivers). So if someone is driving the car after they've purchased it, then it's up to them to ensure they have their own insurance. The seller's insurance company would have no liability in the event of an accident regardless of whether the policy had been cancelled or not.

That is how I would imagine it, with named driver cover. Maybe this warning relates to any driver cover?

[solarsailor]

Originally Posted by HarryM1BYT

That is how I would imagine it, with named driver cover. Maybe this warning relates to any driver cover?

That's possible, although I can't see the point of having 'any driver' cover under normal circumstances. Fair enough if it's for commercial use - maybe a company with a fleet of vehicles that need to be insured for any of its employees - but I imagine it's prohibitively expensive for one thing, and I can't even afford to name my son on my policy let alone any Tom, Dick or Mildred!

[clf]

Originally Posted by HarryM1BYT

That is how I would imagine it, with named driver cover. Maybe this warning relates to any driver cover?

Any cover relies on permission granted to the driver by the owner/policyholder and the car. At that point, not owning the car, you would not be in a position to give permission to drive. I would imagine any statement given to the police or insurance would begin, 'I sold the car to mr ............ '

I just cannot imagine any insurance company being liable for someone who has no relationship with them.

I am genuinely interested in the mechanics of all of this, as with everything legal, there could well be something tucked away in law to jump out and strangle us through its unfairness.

[Darcydog]

The policy schedule will name those able to drive the vehicle.

[Les4048]

Seen several times on reality programmes on television about people buying cars and getting stopped on the way home and guess what, they’d no insurance

[wraymond]

I can just imagine what the answer from my (previous) insurers would be if I as a seller and previously insured owner tried to claim for an accident the new owner had on the way home. I would also imagine what would happen at my next proposal for cover.

When you have sold it, it's not yours in any sense. V5C correctly completed, receipt for payment signed by both parties, you have no further responsibility. Belt and braces? The date and time on the receipt. Also, bear in mind if you have cancelled excise duty on line, as you should, it will be time stamped.