Car Insurance for Contractors...

[Churchill]

Ok, if you're a contractor which type of motor insurance should you have?

Is Social Domestic & Pleasure sufficient for the needs of a contractor who commutes to the same client site?

[Coalman]

My understanding that if you want to claim business mileage then you need business insurance as well because you are not commuting to your main place of work.

It cost me nothing to add at renewal to my current insurance, but they wanted payment to add it mid term.

If you are not claiming business mileage then irrelevant.

If you are commuting to Swindon, make sure its good insurance!

[Churchill]

My understanding that if you want to claim business mileage then you need business insurance as well because you are not commuting to your main place of work.

It cost me nothing to add at renewal to my current insurance, but they wanted payment to add it mid term.

If you are not claiming business mileage then irrelevant.

If you are commuting to Swindon, make sure its good insurance!

I'm on the train mate!

It's one of the guys here, he got shunted last week on the way home...

[OrangeHopper]

I would have to check but many fully comprehensive policies cover mileage driven in pursuit of own business. May only apply to policy holder and not named drivers.

[SueEllen]

Unfortunately insurance is never simple.

Some specifically make you add it on yourself.

And some of those care if it's your own business others don't.

Then some add it on for you as long as you are not a taxi driver.

[d000hg]

The other question is what you put as your profession. Company director? Software developer/analyst?

[BrilloPad]

You should ask Churchill! ooohhh yesssssssss

IGMC....

[RichardCranium]

You should ask Churchill! ooohhh yesssssssss

[SueEllen]

The other question is what you put as your profession. Company director? Software developer/analyst?

You are suppose to put both if possible.

Lots of insurance companies ask you "What is your full-time occupation?" and "What is your part-time occupation?"

So your full-time occupation is the one you spend most time doing and the part-time one or ones as the ones you spend the least time doing.

If they don't ask you about part-time work, then you put the occupation you spend the most time doing as your full-time one.

There is a trick used to lower insurance premiums which is useful for people who have a fluid job title, for example a "software developer" in one company can be called a "software engineer" in another and a "xxx programmer" in another.

You are only caught out if you claim and state that you do a completely different occupation to what they have quoted you for because you clearly not acting in "good faith".

[Paddy]

Ok, if you're a contractor which type of motor insurance should you have?

Is Social Domestic & Pleasure sufficient for the needs of a contractor who commutes to the same client site?

SDP defiantly not. The difference in cost is not worth skimping on either. In the event of an accident the insurance company will try anything to get out of the claim. What happens if you have an accident while taking clients between offices?

It cost be an extra £15 to cover me on commuting and business use. I dumped Swindon because they were adding too many extra costs for administration eg: £50 if you amend, transfer or cancel your insurance. I now use Confused.com and selected an insurance company that cost me £180 fully comp including all business use.