There are many possible reasons why policy errors may occur; an honest mistake or misrepresentation.

The potential for financial gain can be very tempting for some: it’s no secret that certain information increases a premium, and the want for a cheaper quote takes over. But we also understand that a genuine mistake can happen when lots of detailed questions are being asked and you don’t have the answers to hand – it’s easier sometimes to just ‘guestimate’. However, whether being intentionally misleading, withholding information or submitting inaccurate details, you would be in trouble and your insurance could be invalidated.  Why take the risk? We want to help you get it right and have listed the most common mistakes below:

Most Common Errors

• Vehicle usage: you need to be as accurate as you can. It is important we know what you use your car for. If you drive your car to work, a place of study or even drive to a train/bus station on route to work, you must select an option with commuting, so you get the right cover. Being accurate about the distance you travel each year and where the car is kept day and night is also important.

• Occupation: to follow on from the use, insurers need to know your occupation. And if your occupation isn’t on the given list you need to ring the insurer and not choose another option.

• Penalty points: some people make the error of not letting insurers know about points on their licence. As points are valid for 3 years on your licence its easy to forget that you need to declare them for five years when getting insured.

• Accidents: many think that you only need to let an insurer know about a crash if you are making a claim. However, this is not true. An insurer needs to know about any minor knocks, fires or water damage even if you weren’t at fault.

• Modifications: this might be anything that your vehicle didn’t come with as standard from a new alarm to bigger exhaust, or a larger engine and lowered suspension, no matter what it is you must tell us.
  • Want to know more about modifications? Check out the Top 4 most frequently modified cars

• Main driver: it is common to have additional drivers on a policy but if those additional drivers take over and start driving the car more than the named driver they need to be changed. The main driver must be the registered owner and keeper of the vehicle. Please note that if you are a parent, you should not put a policy in your name to gain cheaper insurance for your child if they are not the main user.

• MOT: customers state that they were unaware that their MOT has expired, this is a legal requirement and reminders can be set up on the DVLA website.

If your policy is not accurate…

If your insurer catches you doing any of the above, they can reassess your premium and you would have to pay what you owe and what you should be paying all in one. They also have the right to cancel or completely void your insurance and are under no obligation to refund you.  Worse still, you will be left uninsured and possibly find yourself on an insurer black list.

If you are unlucky enough to have to make a claim, having the wrong details on your policy could see your claim placed on hold while any discrepancies are investigated, and ultimately could leave you uninsured and liable for all costs including those of any third parties.

We encourage you to now check your car insurance policy to make sure all your details are correct and, if they’re not, change them asap to avoid the risks.

Looking for Car insurance? Get a Quote today with GoSkippy!