Motor Car Insurance Cover- Help!

[L&A]

Ok, I'm thinking there must be a cheaper way of getting cover for this.

At the moment, we have and need 2 cars. 1 family car and 1 v small car. The family car is in my name, fully comp. The small car is owned by DH and he has his own fully comp policy on it where I'm a named driver but I mainly use both of them!
I work part time and use the small car to get to work but use the family car when I'm off with the kids and weekends etc. DH only uses the family car to drop kids to school when I'm already gone to work.
DH commutes to work by public transport.

Now, we had looked last year and having me fully comp on my car and then thought I could drive the small car and be covered for 3rd party f& t on my policy, with dh named driver on family car but insurance co said no, owner needs to have a main policy on the car, so now we have 2 policies going!!
I'd love to just have 1 car but it's not possible for getting the kids to school in time for dh to get to work in time also!

What is the law on this and can anyone suggest the most cost effective solution? Thanks

 

[ailbhe]

Ok, I'm thinking there must be a cheaper way of getting cover for this.

At the moment, we have and need 2 cars. 1 family car and 1 v small car. The family car is in my name, fully comp. The small car is owned by DH and he has his own fully comp policy on it where I'm a named driver but I mainly use both of them!
I work part time and use the small car to get to work but use the family car when I'm off with the kids and weekends etc. DH only uses the family car to drop kids to school when I'm already gone to work.
DH commutes to work by public transport.

Now, we had looked last year and having me fully comp on my car and then thought I could drive the small car and be covered for 3rd party f& t on my policy, with dh named driver on family car but insurance co said no, owner needs to have a main policy on the car, so now we have 2 policies going!!
I'd love to just have 1 car but it's not possible for getting the kids to school in time for dh to get to work in time also!

What is the law on this and can anyone suggest the most cost effective solution? Thanks

If your husband is the owner of the smaller car, he needs to insure it. If you are the main user of both cars, you need to transfer ownership into your name and insure both cars in your name (some companies will allow you to insure a car your spouse owns but most won't).

You won't be able to drive the small car on the basis of "driving other cars" on the family car policy as it usually specifies on the policy that the car being driven cannot be owned by you or your spouse. It's also really only for occasional use and not if you are the main user of that vehicle.
Also your husband would not be able to drive the smaller car. And your cover would be restricted to third party only when you are using the "driving other cars" option on your policy.

You have two cars, you need two policies.
It might be cheaper for you to be the policy holder for both vehicles and have your husband named. But it might be cheaper the way you have it now. You need to contact an insurance company/broker and talk through the various options and find the best way to do it, but there is no way you can avoid paying 2 policies when you have 2 vehicles in use.

 

[CiniO]

If your husband is the owner of the smaller car, he needs to insure it. If you are the main user of both cars, you need to transfer ownership into your name and insure both cars in your name (some companies will allow you to insure a car your spouse owns but most won't).

But how decides who is the main user of the car? She said they both drive family car, possibly equally, so they are both main users of the car.

You won't be able to drive the small car on the basis of "driving other cars" on the family car policy as it usually specifies on the policy that the car being driven cannot be owned by you or your spouse.

On policies from two different insurance companies that I had so far, there was no such requirement as not being owned by spouse.

It's also really only for occasional use and not if you are the main user of that vehicle.
Also your husband would not be able to drive the smaller car. And your cover would be restricted to third party only when you are using the "driving other cars" option on your policy.

That's true.

But many policies would still cover you while you are driving your spouses car which actually doesn't have it's own insurance at all.
Only problem that comes in here, is the lack of insurance disc in that car, which is an offence.

 

[peteb]

If your husband is the owner of the smaller car,he needs to insure it. If you are the main user of both cars, you need to transfer ownership into your name and insure both cars in your name (some companies will allow you to insure a car your spouse owns but most won't).

You are wrong there. Most insurers will allow you to insure a car your spouse is the registered owner of. Its interchangable.

 

[ailbhe]

But how decides who is the main user of the car? She said they both drive family car, possibly equally, so they are both main users of the car.

No, she specifically said she is the main user of both vehicles.

On policies from two different insurance companies that I had so far, there was no such requirement as not being owned by spouse.

A lot of companies exclude a spouses car on DOC. Of course OP would have to check this with her insurer. But I'm betting that if she told them that she drives the car to work and home every day they would tell her she won't be covered.
Driving other cars isn't meant for regular use.

But many policies would still cover you while you are driving your spouses car which actually doesn't have it's own insurance at all.
Only problem that comes in here, is the lack of insurance disc in that car, which is an offence.

Again, she is the main user of both vehicles. Her husband owns the smaller car which he never actually uses according to OP, even though he has it insured and registered in his name. She uses it to commute to and from work. She is the main user of that car. She cannot use her DOC from the family car to drive a car that she is the main user of.