supports HTML5 There are many things that can invalidate your car insurance. Please read below for the full story and ignore speculation in social media or tabloid newspapers. Drivers in Lancashire are being warned their car insurance may be invalid if they make non-essential journeys during the latest national lockdown. This article replaces a previous version from April 2020, and has been largely re-written to address ongoing speculation about car insurance validity during the latest coronavirus lockdown. The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has issued a lot of advice in recent months and has set up a specific coronavirus FAQ page for car insurance questions. Anybody caught make any non-essential journeys in England could land themselves with a £200 fine. And anybody caught leaving home without a "reasonable excuse" could incur a £200 fine under Covid-19 regulations. You can unsubscribe at any time. Motorists have been issued a warning about their car insurance during lockdown. The Government has published 32 pages of regulations including exceptions to the general stay-at-home message. Leaving home without “reasonable excuse” may … Confused.com car insurance expert Alex Kindred said: “The number of people who applied for a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN) more than doubled at the start of the lockdown in March." Drivers are being warned that driving during lockdown might invalidate their insurance. And anybody caught leaving home without a "reasonable excuse" could incur a £200 fine under Covid-19 regulations. A warning has been issued to drivers during lockdown who might have their insurance invalidated if they drive for non-essential reasons. How to get some of your money back Under the rules for the second national lockdown in England this month, people are being asked to stay at home as much as possible and only go out for ‘specific purposes’. Will the Pfizer Covid vaccine be available in the UK and who will get it first. A spokesman for the Association of British Insurers said: "Your cover will not be affected if you drive during the lockdown period. However, if you are a Community First Responder or other ‘Blue Light’ volunteer, you should contact your insurer or broker to inform them. Invalid Email. Confused.com car insurance expert Alex Kindred said: “The number of people who applied for a Statutory Off Road Notice (SORN) more than doubled at the start of the lockdown in March." This was also picked up by tabloid media and some other news sites. Driving during lockdown could invalidate your car insurance, according to experts. With England currently being under lockdown until December 2, people are being told to stay at home and only leave for specific reasons. That's because it could invalidate your car insurance during lockdown, according to experts. Will "non-essential" driving during the coronavirus lockdown invalidate your car insurance? That would mean that any accident could see you having to pay thousands to cover the repairs. Award-winning, independent and impartial advice on buying, financing, owning and running a car, We analyse and aggregate dozens of media reviews for each new car into an overall Expert Rating, The latest news from all the major car brands and across the automotive industry. By Matt Allan. You can unsubscribe at any time. If true, this would mean that you would not be able to claim on your car insurance if involved in an accident or incident that damages your vehicle. The Car Expert has the answer. If you were to have an accident you could end up paying thousands to cover the repair. While it’s true that you don’t need to update your current policy to add ‘commuting’ if you are now driving to work as a result of Covid-19, you should probably do it anyway. New driving rules explained - and how to check you’re still covered Clearing up rumours around cover for non-essential travel. As the UK moves in and out of lockdown restrictions like some really unappealing game of hokey-cokey, there have been plenty of questions arising from motorists about what they can and can’t do with their cars. Drivers are being warned that driving during lockdown might invalidate their insurance. Some experts have suggested your car insurance might be invalid when driving during the lockdown. If you were to have an accident you could end up paying thousands to cover the repair. But making a non-essential car journey during lockdown could also prove even more costly a mistake than you first thought, as your insurance could be invalid if you have an accident, The Mirror reported. But now according to the Mirror, making a non-essential car journey during lockdown could also invalidate car … This has been my biggest worry during this time. Driving during lockdown could invalidate your car insurance, according to experts. How to get some of your money back Yes, your car insurance is still valid during lockdown. We're looking at what you need to do during lockdown to keep your car in good working order. Drivers who continue to use their vehicles to make non-essential journeys could soon find their car insurance is no longer valid. When asked directly by The Car Expert today (9 November), a spokesperson for the ABI said: “During lockdown the Government has advised against all but essential travel. Drivers across England are being warned about driving during lockdown for non essential travel, but have been reassured that they will stay insured if they do. ‘This is not the case for our car insurance customers and isn’t something they need to worry about. You can unsubscribe at any time. Drivers who continue to use their vehicles to make non-essential journeys could soon find their car insurance is no longer valid. However, there is a difference between police issuing a penalty for you not having the correct insurance and an insurance company refusing to pay out. Drivers across England are being warned that driving during lockdown could invalidate their insurance. UPDATE, November 2020: There has been a lot of confusion in recent days about whether your car insurance is still valid, fuelled by misinformation from an insurance-switching company. https://www.abi.org.uk/products-and-issues/topics-and-issues/coronavirus-hub/motor-insurance/. Is my car insurance still valid during lockdown? Stuart is the Editorial Director of our suite of sites: GAP insurance and warranty offers from ALA. Motorists have been issued a warning about their car insurance during lockdown. Would you like to stay up to date with all the latest advice, ratings, news and offers from The Car Expert? He added: “For any drivers who have decided to do the same for the second lockdown, it’s important that we’re taking the right steps to avoid receiving a fine when we return to the roads." Could you be invalidating your car insurance? While making a non-essential journey during lockdown in England this month might break the rules – or in some cases, the law – it won’t automatically invalidate your car insurance. Specialist lawyer in traffic and speeding offences, Nick Freeman (otherwise known as Mr Loophole), has said that driving during the coronavirus lockdown could invalidate your policy. With England currently being under lockdown until December 2, people are being told to stay at home and only leave for specific reasons. While making a non-essential journey during lockdown in England this month might break the rules – or in some cases, the law – it won’t automatically invalidate your car insurance. When asked directly by The Car Expert today (9 November), a spokesperson for the ABI said: “During lockdown the Government has advised against all but essential travel. Yes, your car insurance is still valid during lockdown. The origin of this appears to be an insurance-switching organisation that published a press release last Friday, saying: “you may find your car insurance policy won’t cover the damage and you could end up paying thousands of pounds for repairs”. And according to the Mirror, making a non-essential car journey during lockdown could also prove to be a costly mistake, as your insurance could be invalid if you have an accident. Lee Griffin, CEO and one of the founders of GoCompare, said: ‘Taking a non-essential journey during lockdown could be outside of the terms of your car insurance policy and so could invalidate your insurance, but insurers have been given guidance by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) stating that it expects insurers to act reasonably when deciding whether or not to reject a claim made because of driving during lockdown. These purposes can include work, childcare, shopping for essential items and education, amongst others. Motor insurers continue to cover those using their vehicle for commuting to work and NHS volunteering without you having to first tell them. Alex Kindred, car insurance expert at Confused.com confirmed to Metro.co.uk: ‘While the government have advised against non-essential journeys in England, people do still need to use their cars for commuting to work or other essential trips. This incorrect information was picked up and used for articles by several newspapers and websites over the weekend and today, including Sky News, the Daily Mirror and several regional news organistions. You should follow Government restrictions, but if you do use your car for non-essential travel, you will not risk invalidating your car insurance.”, “Further information, including the pledges made by motor insurers to support customers, can be found here as well: https://www.abi.org.uk/products-and-issues/topics-and-issues/coronavirus-hub/motor-insurance/“. Metro.co.uk also spoke to car insurance experts at GoCompare who explained that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have issued advice to insurers to ‘act reasonably. If you were to have an accident you could end up paying thousands to cover the repair. Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The ABI has confirmed drivers who use their car for non-essential travel during lockdown will not risk invalidating their insurance.’, To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web The introduction of the second lockdown has created confusion amongst motorists over … Even though you don’t have to worry about your car insurance not covering you for non-essential travel, it’s still important that the details you give your insurance provider are 100% accurate. Car insurance during lockdown: Your car insurance should still be valid if you drive during lockdown . Is car insurance valid during lockdown? You should follow Government restrictions, but if you do use your car for non-essential travel, you will not risk … video. Car insurance could be invalidated by using parking service [COMMENT] These are usually more expensive than traditional agreements and may not offer the same level of protection. England is currently in a month-long national lockdown in a bid to … England is currently in a month-long national lockdown in a bid to slow the spread of coronavirus cases. By Matt Allan. In recent days, there has been mounting concern and speculation online that motorists who are not on an essential trip could be invalidating their car insurance. Car insurance firms have saved billions in the past 12 months as people stayed home, cancelled trips and stopped commuting - but premiums are rising. And when your policy is up for renewal (or you choose to switch to another insurer), then you do need to update this information as you will be taking out a new policy. That would mean that any accident could see you having to pay thousands to cover the repairs. ‘However, there are some reports that doing this could invalidate car insurance policies if a claim is made, which is both confusing and worrying for drivers who may need to use their car. It’s well worth a read. An LV= spokesperson commented: ‘ Customers may have read press stories online over the weekend suggesting that car insurance policies won’t be valid in the event a driver has an accident during lockdown. Thanks for clearing the air! You can unsubscribe at any time. He stated that “empty roads and the current state of lockdown may distract many drivers from thinking about staying safe and legal on the roads”. Has Wales’ lockdown worked and what are the new rules now the firebreak is over? Is car insurance valid during lockdown? GAP insurance and warranty offers from ALA | Warranty offers from Warrantywise | Sell your car with Motorway | Cars for sale from Carsnip, Award-winning, independent and impartial advice on buying, owning and running a car, We compare reviews from 25 motoring websites to bring you a definitive rating for every new car, All the most important new car launches, model updates, car reviews and industry news, Our commercial partners bring you exclusive offers on their products and services, Car buyingCar financeCar ownershipCar insurance, Latest ratingsTop-rated carsTop-rated SUVsAll ratings, About usMedia appearancesPartnersAdvertising, The Van ExpertThe Truck ExpertCommercial Vehicle EngineerImmediate Network. Specialist lawyer in traffic and speeding offences, Nick Freeman (otherwise known as Mr Loophole), has said that driving during the coronavirus lockdown could invalidate your policy. But how much truth is there to these claims? The Government has published 32 pages of regulations including exceptions to the general stay-at-home message. If caught breaking these rules, you could be fined. In the event they need to make a claim, we’ll support them as normal.’. Here’s how to sort out the mess, New car market ends crazy year on a low note, Britain’s best-selling cars, November 2020. For example, we checked with car insurance providers LV=, who told Metro.co.uk that they plan on ‘supporting their customers as normal’ during lockdown. He added: “For any drivers who have decided to do the same for the second lockdown, it’s important that we’re taking the right steps to avoid receiving a fine when we return to the roads." But could there be wider repercussions too? He stated that “empty roads and the current state of lockdown may distract many drivers from thinking about staying safe and legal on the roads”. Drivers across England are being warned that driving during lockdown could invalidate their insurance. T&Cs | Privacy | Cookies© 2021 Immediate Network Ltd. All rights reserved. There have also been (unverified) claims on social media over the last week or so that drivers are being fined and/or issued with penalty points on their driving licences if they are using their car for commuting to work when their policy doesn’t allow it. Motor insurers continue to cover those using their vehicle for commuting to work and NHS volunteering without you having to first tell them. But making a non-essential car journey during lockdown could also prove even more costly a mistake than you first thought, as your insurance could be invalid if you have an accident, The Mirror reported. More car insurance news and advice at The Car Expert, Used car warranty – the law and your rights, Been in a shunt? Further guidance from the ABI also indicates that anyone who has signed up for the NHS Volunteer Responders service will not have to update their car insurance for it to be valid. ‘The important thing as always, is to check the terms and conditions of your policy before taking a journey that you are unsure of, to make sure you are properly protected should you need to make a claim.’. Lockdowns around the world have proved to be an effective measure to stop the spread of COVID-19. MORE : Has Wales’ lockdown worked and what are the new rules now the firebreak is over? At present anybody caught doing so in England could be hit with a £200 fine. Get your need-to-know latest news, feel-good stories, analysis and more, Dad who won £58,000,000 in lottery takes friends on extravagant trip to Dubai, Matt Hancock ‘absolutely backs’ police who fined women walking in park, Covid-denier ‘arrested for refusing to leave bench’, Police spotted ‘breaking’ lockdown rules with group breakfast inside café, Every adult to be offered Covid vaccine by autumn. Car insurance could be invalidated by using parking service [COMMENT] These are usually more expensive than traditional agreements and may not … Anybody caught doing so could face a fine of up to £200 for breaking the lockdown rules. Drivers are being warned their insurance may be invalid for non-essential journeys during lockdown. ‘Operation Drive Insured’ saw all of the UK’s 43 police forces working to detect and seize uninsured cars a couple of weeks ago, so it’s entirely possible that some of the law enforcement activity affected those who didn’t have their insurance details up to date. New driving rules explained - and how to check you’re still covered Clearing up rumours around cover for non-essential travel. That's because it could invalidate your car insurance during lockdown, according to experts. Some drivers’ car insurance policies have been made invalid … A spokesperson told the Banbury Guardian: “Contrary to reports, using your car for non-essential travel will not risk invalidating your car insurance. Drivers in Lancashire are being warned their car insurance may be invalid if they make non-essential journeys during the latest national lockdown. You can unsubscribe at any time. MORE : Will the Pfizer Covid vaccine be available in the UK and who will get it first? We’ve put together this helpful guide with ten points to check: Part of the confusion about whether your car insurance is valid may be coming from police forces across the running a co-ordinated crackdown on uninsured drivers. This site uses cookies to improve your experience. If you were to have an accident you could end up paying thousands to cover the repair. browser that But this isn’t the case. Unfortunately, this has not been helped by misinformation being spread on certain issues. Car insurance firms have saved billions in the past 12 months as people stayed home, cancelled trips and stopped commuting - but premiums are rising. Rumours are swirling that making a non-essential journey in your car during lockdown that breaks the government guidelines could invalidate your car insurance. Some experts have suggested your car insurance might be invalid when driving during the lockdown. 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