Frequently Asked Questions

[vc_toggle title=”I have Open driving on my policy…does that mean I can drive any vehicle?” css=”.vc_custom_1599481765413{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 2px !important;}”]No.  This is a common assumption under motor insurance.  Open driving means that any person between a certain age (usually between the age of **25 and 70 years of age) can drive YOUR vehicle.  The person driving your vehicle under Open Driving would need to have a clear driving record i.e. No Accidents, Claims, Convictions or Penalty points.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”I have a Full Licence, do I have cover to drive other cars?” css=”.vc_custom_1599481774422{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 2px !important;}”]Not always.  Just because you have a full licence you don’t automatically get cover to drive other cars.  With some Insurers you must be over 25 before you are allowed to drive other cars.

Remember: Cover under the Driving other Cars extension does not always match your policy cover; Many Insurers will only give Third Party only cover while driving under this extension.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”I am 25, do I have cover to drive other cars?” css=”.vc_custom_1599481784461{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 2px !important;}”]Not always.  For example if you have a provisional licence and are over 25 years of age Aviva does not give cover to drive other cars.  Some occupations are also excluded from getting Driving other Cars extension, e.g Mechanic.

**bear in mind if you allow any person to drive your vehicle whether it is a named driver or if they are driving under the open driving benefit they must have a clear record i.e. no accidents/claims/convictions/medical conditions which may affect their ability to drive.  It is up to you as the policyholder to check this.

Remember: Cover under the Driving other Cars extension does not always match your policy cover; Many Insurers will only give Third Party only cover while driving under this extension.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”My renewal date is the 1st of June I will be 25 on the 1st of February – does this mean I get the same benefits under my policy that a 25 year old will get?”]No you will need to wait until your renewal date to get the same benefits as a 25 year old – for example under the AXA policy (depending on your occupation) they give cover to drive other cars if you are over 25…in the case above they will only get the driving of other cars at their renewal date – 1^st of June.

Remember: Cover under the Driving other Cars extension does not always match your policy cover; Many Insurers will only give Third Party only cover while driving under this extension.[/vc_toggle]

[vc_toggle title=”My vehicle is only worth €500 is there any point in keeping Comprehensive cover?” css=”.vc_custom_1599482764030{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 2px !important;}”]In some cases yes you should keep it.  For example with Allianz and Zurich you lose the benefit of Breakdown assistance when you reduce cover to Third Party Fire & Theft.  You also lose Windscreen Cover (but this can be kept for and additional premium).[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”I have Comprehensive cover – does this mean if I get injured as a result of an accident that I will be covered?”]No, Comprehensive Cover means the damage to your car is covered in the event of a accident/claim.  The only way you are covered for your injuries is if there is a Third Party involved and they are at fault for the accident.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”Someone rear-ended my vehicle – they agreed they are 100% at fault and will pay for the damage to my vehicle – do I need to advise my insurer?” css=”.vc_custom_1599482859902{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 2px !important;}”]Yes all accidents should be reported to your Insurer whether at fault or not.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”I damaged my neighbours wall when reversing my vehicle – I will put the claim through my insurance – do I need to advise the Guards?”]In the Republic of Ireland, where the damage to property is only involved it is not necessary to report the accident at a Garda Station provided you exchange the necessary particulars with the person whose property has been damaged.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”What is considered a Full No Claims Bonus?”]Once you have a policy in your own name for 5 years of more claims free you are considered to have a Full No Claims Bonus – however some insurers now operate a 9 year scale – for example Allianz are allowing a 9 year No Claims Bonus.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”I am changing my vehicle and my Insurer is looking for more money – I already paid my premium for the year – why are they charging me more?”]This can be for a number of reasons – the new vehicle may be a higher engine size.  It may be a newer vehicle.  It may be a high value vehicle.  It may be a much older vehicle.  They may be charging an administration fee.  It may be a higher group vehicle.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”I am unhappy with my Insurer – can I change mid-term or do I have to wait until the next renewal date?”]You can change Insurer at any time during the policy period, however it is not recommended in some cases.

Cancelling where you currently have a full No Claims Bonus:

• If you are currently earning a full No Claims Bonus and are claims free you can change mid-term, though you may be charged and administration fee by your Insurer.
• If you are earning a Full No Claims Bonus and are with your current insurer less that 1 year they may apply short term rates – this means for example, if you cancel the policy after 6 months you may only receive 5 months premium back.

Cancelling mid-term where you have less than Full No Claims Bonus – say you had 2 years at last renewal date:

• This is not recommended – if for example your renewal date is 1^st of September and you are considering changing Insurer on the 1^st of June – if you arrange a new policy on the 1^st of June you will go back to the 2 years No Claims Bonus – effectively losing the benefit of the 7 months cover since the previous Renewal date.

Always consider the most appropriate Insurer for your needs.  Do you have teenagers who will be looking to drive?  Will you want to add them to your policy?  Not every Insurer will insure young drivers so consider this when Insuring your vehicle.[/vc_toggle]

[vc_toggle title=”Can I transfer my No claims Bonus from my car to a van?” css=”.vc_custom_1599483733321{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 2px !important;}”]Yes provided you have an occupation to suit a Commercial Vehicle.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”Can I transfer my No Claim Bonus from my Van to a Car?” css=”.vc_custom_1599483743677{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 2px !important;}”]Yes, ensure you have the correct class of use when arranging the car policy if using the vehicle in connection with your occupation.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”Can I Insure a Car and a Van?”]Yes, but you must earn the no claims bonus on each vehicle separately (this is assuming you have an occupation to suit a Commercial Vehicle).[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”Am I covered to take my neighbours child to school?” css=”.vc_custom_1599485022085{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 2px !important;}”]Yes provided no money is being exchanged.  If your occupation is Childminder and you carry children to school as part of your occupation, you would need to notify your Insurer as they may insist in Class 2 business use.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”Am I covered to take my friends to work – they pay me?”]No there is no cover for hire or reward[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”I do pizza delivery – can I use my car for this?”]No – contact your Insurer immediately to arrange the appropriate cover – any type of delivery is not covered under a standard motor policy.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”I have a car and a single axle trailer is this covered?” css=”.vc_custom_1599485700590{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-bottom: 2px !important;}”]Yes this is covered for Attached and Detached cover.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”I have a car and a double axle trailer is this covered?”]It is covered whilst attached to the vehicle provided it is within the carrying capacity allowed by law.  Detached cover is available at an additional charge with most insurers.[/vc_toggle][vc_toggle title=”I had an accident and the Fire Brigade attended, is their bill covered?”]In most cases this will only be covered if their services at the scene of the accident involved controlling or to put out a fire in your car (in circumstances which have given rise to a valid claim under your policy); and/or removing occupants of your car with the use of cutting equipment.  The policy will not pay if the Fire Brigade attended an incident and just carried out traffic controlling duties.

The most an Insurer will pay depends on your policy wording e.g. current Aviva limit is €1,000, current Allianz limit is €500.[/vc_toggle]

[vc_toggle title=”What is the difference between Step-back no claim bonus protection and Full no claim bonus protection?”]Step-back no claim bonus protection normally means that in the event of a claim, where your Insurer pays out on a claim, if you hold a full 50% no claim bonus, this will be stepped back by 3 years to 20%.  Some Insurers will reduce your no claims bonus by 4 years if the claim exceeds a certain amount.  If you make a second claim, your no claim bonus will normally reduce to nil.  You will need to build up your no claim bonus again year on year to get back to earning a full no claim bonus.

Full no claim bonus protection means that you can pay an additional premium in order to protect your full bonus, i.e. your Insurer will allow you to make a claim without reducing your no claim bonus.  Some Insurers will allow you to make 2 claims without your no claim bonus being affected.  However, it must be remembered that even though you have full no claim bonus protection, this doesn’t guarantee that your premium won’t increase at the following renewal.  You may still see an increase due to normal rate increases or due to an Insurer applying a claims loading to your policy.

Normally, any claim payment for Windscreen Breakage, Fire & Theft would be paid by an Insurer without impact on your no claim bonus.[/vc_toggle]

[vc_toggle title=”My NCT has expired, can I still drive my car?”]You should always check this with your specific Insurer.  Depending on the year of the car & how long it has been since the previous NCT expired, some Insurers are happy to confirm that cover is ok once you have a booking date for your NCT.  Other Insurers may advise that No cover applies until your car has a valid NCT.

It is a legal requirement to hold a valid NCT.[/vc_toggle]

[vc_toggle title=”Do I need to notify my Insurer if I receive Penalty Points?”]Yes. Some Insurers apply a discount for all drivers being Penalty point free and if a driver should receive penalty points during the year and fail to notify the Insurer, they may apply an increased excess in the event of an accident, e.g. It is currently a condition under Aviva’s policy to notify them if any driver receives penalty points; If this condition is not complied with they will apply a special claims excess of €2,500.[/vc_toggle]