As a well established and respected Motor Trade Insurance Broker, over the years we have had many questions from clients about their insurance and about the services we provide. We have tried to summarise some of the most frequently asked questions below. We hope these help you.
In addition to the questions below, we have lists of questions asked by both New Customers and Existing Customers in the motor trade section of our website – click here to find further answers to the most frequent questions asked by people new to motor trade insurance, and those established for many years.
Q1. – Which Insurance Companies do you use?
We place insurance with several leading insurers all approved under UK legislation. These include household names such as Aviva, AXA and LV as well as other companies who specialise in insurance for the motor trade industry, including Ageas and Tradex. Unlike some brokers, we are able to offer insurance from a wide range of insurers, so will find the best insurer to offer you a combination of quality insurance cover and the best value for money.
Q2. – Can I get immediate cover over the phone?
Following a simple quotation process, if you are eligible for our motor trade road risks insurance, we can instantly arrange cover for you, subject to you paying at least a deposit premium on a credit or debit card. It is also possible for you to fill in your details in one of our online quote forms – we can look for the best quote for you and call you back to arrange immediate cover if required.
Traders combined quotations are more complex, and require us to search the insurance market for the best deal to give you cover for everything you need at a sensible price. Therefore, it can take some time to deliver a traders combined quotation – this is standard across motor trade insurance brokers.
Q3. – Can I pay by instalments?
Yes. We offer several different payment options at competitive rates of interest, including monthly repayments with an initial deposit, or 2 or 3 payment instalments.
Q4. – Can you come to see me to sort out any problems I may have?
It is obviously not possible for our account managers to visit all of our clients – there are thousands of you, based all across the UK, ranging from sole traders to franchised dealerships! However, we offer dedicated points of contact for any issues or queries that your business has, and obviously for clients with larger or more complicated insurance risks, account manager visits can be arranged.
Q5. What happens if I have a claim?
Our motor claims team will guide you through the process, informing and negotiating with your insurers to ensure a speedy and fair settlement for you. Please visit the Claims section in the dedicated motor trade insurance section on our website for full details of how to contact the team, and a further list of FAQs with regards to motor claims.
Q6. Who is entitled to drive vehicles on my Motor Trade policy?
The vast majority of policies will cover only ‘named drivers’, so it is important to think about who you need to drive vehicles to conduct your business. Remember that the greater the degree of flexibility you require over drivers then the more your premium is likely to increase – in other words, it is probably best to limit the number of drivers on the policy to keep your costs down.
Q7. – What sort of Vehicles can be covered?
A wide range of vehicles can be covered, but more unusual or expensive vehicles, or imported vehicles, require specialist covers which may increase your premium. Restrictive covers may also apply in these instances. Dependent on the age, driving and claims experience of a driver, there may be limitations applied on the policy to the vehicles that a named individual can drive.
Q8 – What is the Motor Insurance Database and what should I know about it?
MID Helpline number: 0870 752 5963
MID Fax Number: 0870 752 5961
Email: mid@bollington.com
The UK has one of the worst records in Western Europe for uninsured drivers with an estimated one in every twenty cars on the road being driven without proper insurance cover. This results in every honest motorist in the UK paying more than £30 of their insurance premium to compensate the innocent victims of uninsured driving.
The Motor Insurance Database (MID) was set up by the insurance industry to help combat this crime, and allows the UK to comply with the 4th EU Motor Insurance Directive, which requires that insurance details of all vehicles in member states can be easily accessed by a national information centre. In the UK, this role is carried out by the MIB via its UK Information Centre.
What is my obligation to register or remove vehicles from the MID, and how do I go about doing this?
The latest, most up-to-date information on the MID is available in the Existing Customers section of our dedicated motor trade insurance page here.
Q9. What is Continuous Insurance Enforcement (CIE)?
CIE is a relatively new and additional compliance and enforcement approach to reducing the level of uninsured driving.
Previously, it had been an offence to use a vehicle without insurance. From 2011, it is also be an offence to keep a vehicle without appropriate motor insurance (for exemptions see Q4), unless it has a valid Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN).
Under CIE the registered keeper of a vehicle will be sent an Insurance Advisory Letter (IAL) if it appears that the vehicle has no insurance. The letter will set out what options the registered keeper can take to comply with CIE.
If the registered keeper does not comply, their details will automatically pass to the DVLA for enforcement action.
What is the CIE penalty for not having insurance?
A fixed penalty of £100 (reduced to £50 pounds if paid within 21 days of the issuing of the fixed penalty). The vehicle can also be clamped, seized and disposed of and if the fixed penalty is not paid the vehicle keeper could be taken to court and a maximum penalty up to £1,000 could be levied.
I am a Motor Trader how does CIE affect me?
Vehicles that are registered as ‘in trade’ with the DVLA are not exempt but are excluded from CIE. Motor traders have 90 days before they need to register themselves as the keeper of a vehicle if not disposed of and make a SORN, if not insuring the vehicle.
Are there any vehicles exempt from CIE?
Yes, vehicles exempt under certain Sections of the Road Traffic Act (RTA) 1988 are not included within the CIE arrangements and are identified by the vehicle register system codes.
- vehicle has a valid SORN
- vehicle that was exempted from SORN (as untaxed before 31/01/1998 and has had no tax or SORN activity since)
- vehicle recorded as ‘scrapped’
- vehicle recorded as ‘stolen and not recovered’
- vehicle recorded as ‘disposed to the trade’
- vehicle recorded as ‘disposed’
- vehicle recorded as ‘exported’ (includes all forms of export)
- vehicle is owned by the crown, to be identified by tax class (60)
I am a motor trader, why have I received an IAL /FPN (Fixed Penalty Notice)?
This is because you are recorded as the registered keeper(s) for the vehicle(s) and there is no record of insurance for this/these vehicles or a valid SORN, as detailed above.