You might not know it, but there are lots of ways that you can make your insurance policy invalid. You may not even realise you’re doing it. You must make sure you’re not going against the regulations of your policy, otherwise it could be declared void.
What does void mean?
A ‘voided’ insurance policy will be considered as though no insurance policy ever existed.
If you make a claim on your policy and it’s declared null and void, the claim will not be paid. That means you’ll have to foot the bill. You’ll also need to declare that you’ve had a cancelled or voided policy every time you get an insurance quote in the future. This can cause your insurance prices to increase.
Why would my policy be declared void??
There are a few different reasons why your insurer might declare your policy void or invalidate your claim:
- Providing false information
- Failure to notify your insurer of any risk changes
- Breaching your policy terms
Here are some real-life examples of things that could invalidate your insurance:
- Changing your job or address
You’ve got a new job or moved house – great! But if you forget to tell your insurer, you could be left with a void insurance policy. Both of these things could affect your insurance ‘risk,’ so you must let your insurer know. This will let them amend your policy correctly.
This is also important if you’re a student and you take your car to university with you. You’ll need to let your insurer know that you’ve got a different term-time address.
- Parking on the road
If you’ve declared that you park your car off-road, parking your car on the road could leave you footing the bill for any damage done while it’s there. Parking on the road is classed as a higher risk than parking in the garage. - Driving to work
You might not think it… but if you’ve selected ‘social, domestic and pleasure use only,’ you’ll be breaching the terms of your policy by commuting to work. - Fronting
Fronting is when a more experienced driver is stated as the main driver of a vehicle, when they very rarely use the car. In reality, the named driver (often a young or inexperienced driver) uses the car most often. Fronting is actually classed as fraud! Plus, the young driver won’t gain any No Claims Discount of their own, so it’s never a good idea. - Being irresponsible with your keys
Thinking of warming your car up outside your house while you wait inside in the warm? If your car gets stolen while your keys are in the ignition, or while the car is unlocked, this could leave you unable to make a claim. - Letting someone else drive your car
This may not necessarily make your insurance policy void. However, anyone driving your car who isn't on your policy as a named driver will not be covered..
While it’s legal for them to drive your car if their own policy covers ‘driving other vehicles,’ it is Third Party cover. This means that if they have an accident that is their fault, the damage to your car won’t be covered. - Modifying your vehicle
Planning to make any changes to your car? Whether they’re cosmetic or performance enhancing, make sure that you declare these to your insurer.
Modified cars are classified as a higher insurance risk. That's because they could increase the likelihood of an accident or make your car a higher theft risk. This means that you need to let your insurer know if you’ve got modifications when you take out your policy. You must also tell them if you add modifications part way through your policy year. - Exceeding your yearly mileage
The mileage that you enter when getting your insurance quote can play a big part in calculating the price. So, it’s important that you try to be accurate. If you have a limited mileage policy and you’re involved in an accident after exceeding your mileage allowance for the year, your insurer could decide not to pay out. - Charging for lifts
Charging your friends for lifts might seem like a good idea, but this can actually invalidate your insurance. If you make a profit from giving lifts, you’ll be classed as running a taxi service. Most car insurance policies won’t cover you for that.
Correct at the time of publication. Information in this article has been gathered from various sources, therefore WiseDriving cannot be held responsible for any view or opinion expressed herein.
