Update - Uninsured if SORN'd ? - Check yours !

[Number5]

I've just come off the phone after a long chat with Admiral as I have a 5 car Multi vehicle policy with them.

The long shot is that I heard a rumour and I wanted to check it out with them. Basically although the Alpina is locked and alarmed, and inside a locked and alarmed garage, if its not taxed, they won't insure it.

If you have a car that is currently SORN'd and believe it's insured, call your insurer and check !

My daughter works with an optician who had a 2007 M3 Convertible and when he mentioned to Admiral that it was SORN'd they immediately cancelled the policy and gave him a refund.

Now, on me calling Admiral tonight, the operator assured me that it was insured. Only when I asked her to confirm the conversation in writing, did she put me on hold, speak to a manager and then come back and advise me that she had misinformed me ! Absolutely no logic and of no relevance to the risk as I see it.

I advised her that the additional cost for the unnecessary tax for the 6 winter months was around £120 (£20 pcm) and to be fair, she did try and squeeze £120 off the total 5 car policy but could only manage £52 discount. I'd already knocked it down from £2,788 to £2136 and now to £2084, so it just shows how much you can negotiate !

In the end the other guy moved his car to Classic Line Insurance who will insure whether SORN'd or not and saved c£200 so I'll try them tomorrow.

If you need to tax an //M just to be insured thats a massive annual cost, all for nothing !

 

[firebobby]

Barstewards just want to screw every penny out of us. Surely if it's sorned, off the road, it's less likely to be involved in an accident. They should give a reduction when sorted. Thieving shites :thumbsdown:
Thanks for the heads up Alan

 

[MrPT]

Yes, thank you. I wasn’t aware of this either and would be interested to see if it’s an Admiral thing or an industry thing.

By a strange coincidence, this page recently popped up on their site: https://www.admiral.com/magazine/guides/motor/sorn-a-guide-to-insuring-your-car-if-its-off-the-road

Benefits of SORN – does a SORN car need insurance?

If you SORN your car you don't have to insure your vehicle, pay road tax (another term for Vehicle Excise Duty or VED) or have a valid MOT – potentially saving you hundreds of pounds.

Additionally, if you SORN your vehicle you’ll be refunded any full months of unused tax you’ve already paid for.

It may also be possible to reduce your (comprehensive) car insurance cover to Third Party, Fire & Theft, or you might be able to get a refund on part of your motor insurance if you suspend the policy.

If their aim is to confuse and alienate their customers, it’s working!

 

[buzyg]

If it's an underwriting issue, then it could be widespread. Noted incase we sorn Edds Mx5.

 

[Number5]

Yes, thank you. I wasn’t aware of this either and would be interested to see if it’s an Admiral thing or an industry thing.

By a strange coincidence, this page recently popped up on their site: https://www.admiral.com/magazine/guides/motor/sorn-a-guide-to-insuring-your-car-if-its-off-the-road

Benefits of SORN – does a SORN car need insurance?

If you SORN your car you don't have to insure your vehicle, pay road tax (another term for Vehicle Excise Duty or VED) or have a valid MOT – potentially saving you hundreds of pounds.

Additionally, if you SORN your vehicle you’ll be refunded any full months of unused tax you’ve already paid for.

It may also be possible to reduce your (comprehensive) car insurance cover to Third Party, Fire & Theft, or you might be able to get a refund on part of your motor insurance if you suspend the policy.

That's crafty as it says that "you don't have to insure your vehicle ". It doesn't say we WILL NOT insure your vehicle. Thus leaving you with the impression that your car is protected if you're willing to continue paying the premium

 

[Jembo]

You need to check with your provider.

LV’s position this summer was I could advise them & it could be reduced to theft only... or leave it as is... insured fully comp.

However, I’ll call them up again tomorrow to check

 

[ph001]

Wow, that’s crazy. There must be a ton of people unwittingly falling foul of this. What a ridiculous policy :x

 

[Jembo]

You need to check with your provider.

LV’s position this summer was I could advise them & it could be reduced to theft only... or leave it as is... insured fully comp.

However, I’ll call them up again tomorrow to check

So, the story with LV is
- NO car on a SORN can be comprehensively insured
- cover is reduced to fire & theft only
- it must remain in a locked garage at all times whilst on a SORN

Therefore, under my policy it is still insured - £29 for the luxury of doing this (& changing number plate)

 

[Number5]

So, the story with LV is
- NO car on a SORN can be comprehensively insured
- cover is reduced to fire & theft only
- it must remain in a locked garage at all times whilst on a SORN

Therefore, under my policy it is still insured - £29 for the luxury of doing this (& changing number plate)

Well that makes logical sense. Fire & Theft cover is your main risk and the protection you need when SORNd

However, it seems it's not just Admiral - It's Tesco too and all over the internet if you search. It seems not even the Insurance Clerks know what they are talking about !

 

[PerryGunn]

http://www.sorninsurance.co.uk/ do short-term policies to cover laid-up cars - might be worth looking at as should cost a fair bit less than the road tax saved

 

[ShaunKC]

I've just checked mine, insured with Highway through Chris Knott. It is insured for fire and theft but obviously not covered if I decide to get in the car and drive it around without tax. Exactly as I would expect it to be.

 

[Jembo]

So...it seems some polices reduce cover (but u must tell them it’s SORN’d), others leave u without any clothes or underwear...

 

[srhutch]

I've just phoned Admiral and asked for clarification on insurance when my car is SORN'd. He asked which of the three cars insured I was referring to and then went off to double check. His reply was "Admiral do not have a policy regarding this so you can continue to insure the car"

I have checked all my documentation and there is nothing in there telling me I have to advise them.

What are my obligations?
● You must take reasonable care to answer our questions honestly, with accurate and complete information.
● You must inform us without delay if any information on your Motor Proposal Confirmation or Policy Schedule is incorrect or changes or if
you are planning on taking your car abroad for more than 90 days.
● You must respond to all requests for documentation or information, whether in regards to a claim or otherwise.
● If there is any incident or accident involving your car, you must notify us as soon as possible and within 48 hours. You must not admit
that the accident is your fault or attempt to negotiate a settlement without speaking to us first. Unless it is in the interest of safety, you
should not drive your car after an accident.
● You must report thefts, arson or malicious damage to the police and give us the crime reference number within 24 hours.
● If your car is involved in any type of claim you must tell us immediately if you’re charged with a motoring offence or receive any notice of
a motoring prosecution, inquest or fatal enquiry. You should also inform us about any court documentation you receive and send us any
summons or bill within 48 hours.
● You must protect your car from loss or damage and ensure it is kept in a roadworthy condition.
● You need to let us know if you plan to leave the country for more than 30 days and are not taking your car.
● This policy is governed by English Law; unless we have agreed otherwise with you all communication will be in English.

I'm not disagreeing with anybody, but this just proves there is an issue here.

I would suggest anybody who has been told otherwise contact the Insurance Ombudsman and see what they have to say.

I'm going to email Admiral and try and get it in writing.

 

[ph001]

Seems like the waters are very muddy here. I think it's an important point - TPFT is great for just that but I've heard of several mishaps that have happened whilst stored up in a garage such paint tins falling from shelf (imagine your softop covered in brilliant white gloss!!). I've had a very near miss with a large compound mitre saw falling over which narrowly missed the Z. It would have been a lot of money to sort.

 

[MerBrook]

Our three cars are currently insured through the BMW car club on a multi car policy . Their brokers are A Plan.
The Alpina is SORN'd at present so after reading the above posts I contacted A Plan today who told me that the policy carries on as was taken out (fully comp), unless we ask them to change it in any way. Also nor do we have to inform them that we have SORN'd the car.
I'm now quite glad that we ditched Admiral and went for the car clubs insurers all be it at the cost of an extra £100.00 or so.

 

[Number5]

Cheers Tim,

I just tried them. Competitive but still no cheaper in the long run.
I've phoned LV for a Multi Car quote and whilst they'll insure a 3.0si and an //MR they wont insure an Alpina, as its not showing on their list !
I then phoned Classic Line who were competitive on the Alpina and happy to do a 5 car Multi car family quote. but wont include my 17yr old son on the policy for his Mini.
So far my cheapest option is to stay with Admiral and needlessly tax the Alpina for a whole year, which breaks out even with moving it but still paying extra for any months I do tax it.

Its basically the 5 cars all in with Admiral for £2000 + £300 Alpina Tax or I move it and pay Admiral £2100 for just 4 cars, £200 for the Alpina elsewhere, and then still have tax to pay for the few months I do use it.

They're increasing their risk by making me tax it (as I may drive it more) and also making me pay the Govt £200 more RFL than I would normally for no logical reason...

 

[Ewazix]

I'm still struggling with the logic of an insurance company voiding insurance if a car is on SORN, surely the risk is massively lowered? :?

 

[Jembo]

Our three cars are currently insured through the BMW car club on a multi car policy . Their brokers are A Plan.
The Alpina is SORN'd at present so after reading the above posts I contacted A Plan today who told me that the policy carries on as was taken out (fully comp), unless we ask them to change it in any way. Also nor do we have to inform them that we have SORN'd the car.
I'm now quite glad that we ditched Admiral and went for the car clubs insurers all be it at the cost of an extra £100.00 or so.

As srhutch is asking of Admiral & I of LV to have this in writing, suggest maybe it’s worth that you do the same... simply because what you were told is almost exactly the same info I received last summer... & now it has changed

 

[MrPT]

I'm still struggling with the logic of an insurance company voiding insurance if a car is on SORN, surely the risk is massively lowered? :?

I guess the logic may be that they are geared up for on-road incident and claims handling (not that a taxed, permanently parked vehicle wouldn't be subject to similar risks, of course - so still tenuous!). A lot of insurance policymaking and pricing is based on statistical data, so if there isn't a reliable base of data for SORN'd vehicles then that could be another reason they'd be reluctant to provide cover. I'm sure someone will know.

Following this revelation, my car is taxed and BACK ON THE ROAD. :?

 

[Number5]

If I hired out items and people were willing to pay me for them yet leave them on the shelf unused I'd be delighted !
Surely its easy safe, money for them.

There is just no logic in insurance these days.
I tried to add myself on to my 84 year old mothers £600 policy last year. (I'm a 53 yr old Advanced Driver, Full Bonus, No previous Accidents or convictions.) They wanted an extra £200.
I've also just taken myself off my 17yr old son's Mini Policy, as it reduced the premium by £50. They said statistically named drivers have more accidents than the Policyholder, therefore I was a greater risk. Surely if we are both in the car I'm a lower risk driving it than he is ??