Wasting contractors time....how do I prosecute?

[Bagpuss]

Not true. I checked this with my former insurer (privilege) when I used to have a car, and they told me that I was covered to drive a car the owner didn't have insured yet. I was picking up a car someone else had just bought.

The DVLA say



No mention that the vehicle itself must be insured, as long as you have valid insurance you aren't driving without insurance.

Best bet is to check with your insurance company and see what they say.

You are both sort of right (or at least were). It depended on the policy and caveats, at the most you will have third party cover, and many insist the car is insured. The insurance industry have been a bit naughty recently with respect to this cover. Comprehensive used to automatically give you third party cover, now many don't, while some TPFT policies do and now it's confused by continuous insurance laws.

BTW if he isn't covered and he didn't get fixed penalty he will get fined more.

[Paddy]

Not true. I checked this with my former insurer (privilege) when I used to have a car, and they told me that I was covered to drive a car the owner didn't have insured yet. I was picking up a car someone else had just bought.

The DVLA say



No mention that the vehicle itself must be insured, as long as you have valid insurance you aren't driving without insurance.

Best bet is to check with your insurance company and see what they say.

Stay insured: new penalties for vehicles without motor insurance : Directgov - Motoring

You must insure the vehicle. It's not good enough to have insurance to drive.

If you're the registered keeper of a vehicle, it must be insured at all times.

The exceptions are:

if you have made a SORN for the vehicle
if your vehicle has been kept off-road since before SORN came into force on 31 January 1998 – unless it was brought back into use
if your vehicle is recorded as stolen, passed or sold to the motor trade or between registered keepers
if your vehicle is recorded scrapped or permanently exported by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing (DVLA)

[doodab]

You can't tax it without having insurance for that car + MOT (if required).

Yes, so lets say someone taxes the car, then sells the car (for that is what happened) and cancels their insurance, so it's no longer insured by them but it is taxed. Or perhaps you buy a car with six months tax on it from a dealer. Or perhaps the tax and insurance renewal are on different days and the insurance expires a few days after it's taxed for another year. All of these could give rise to a car with valid tax but no insurance.

[doodab]

Stay insured: new penalties for vehicles without motor insurance : Directgov - Motoring

You must insure the vehicle. It's not good enough to have insurance to drive.

If you're the registered keeper of a vehicle, it must be insured at all times.

If you are not the registered keeper then as long as you have insurance to drive the vehicle you are not committing an offence.

[AtW]

Yes, so lets say someone taxes the car, then sells the car (for that is what happened) and cancels their insurance, so it's no longer insured by them but it is taxed. Or perhaps you buy a car with six months tax on it from a dealer. Or perhaps the tax and insurance renewal are on different days and the insurance expires a few days after it's taxed for another year. All of these could give rise to a car with valid tax but no insurance.

All edge cases - what's more important is that insurance companies trying their best to stitch people up so small print in terms and conditions might well now require that 3rd party car to have valid insurance.

[Paddy]

If you are not the registered keeper then as long as you have insurance to drive the vehicle you are not committing an offence.

Yes I think that is right but the owner would be committing an offence.

[Bagpuss]

Yeah will now get the owner in to trouble so I doubt since June anyone can drive a car that isn't already insured

Stay insured: new penalties for vehicles without motor insurance : Directgov - Motoring