Use of Car
Insurers classify the way in which you use your car under one of three different headings. The possible options are:
- personal use – 'social, domestic and pleasure' (excludes regular travelling to and from place of work and other personal business use)
- personal use and commuting – 'social, domestic, pleasure and commuting' (includes regular travelling to and from place of work)
- business use – 'social, domestic, pleasure, commuting and certain personal business use' (this can only include you or your spouse's business use, as opposed to that of any named driver or your employer).
If you wish to insure yourself so that you can carry passengers, perhaps as a taxi driver / chauffeur, or if you are a professional driving instructor, you are likely to need a special variation of one of the above options, and should contact your insurer to discuss your specific needs.
Mileage
How much you use your car will affect the probability that you will be involved in an accident: the more miles you drive in a year, the more time you spend on the road and the greater likelihood that something may go wrong and you have to claim against your car insurance.
Do not assume that you can keep your mileage a secret. Your Motor of Transport Test (MOT) will record the mileage at the time of the test, allowing your insurer to compare this to the mileage at the time of any accident. If there is a huge deviation between the actual mileage and the estimated mileage on your policy documentation, your insurer has the right to invalidate your policy.
