Driving without a licence, having no MOT, non-disclosure of poor health; all fairly common and understandable reasons that your insurance company might void your policy.
What a lot of drivers mightn’t know, however, is that there are plenty of ways that you can invalidate your insurance purely by being a bit of a mug. From driving through deep water, off cliffs and up the wrong road, here are the seven stupidest ways to void your insurance.
1. Ignoring flood warning signs
You mightn’t realise, but your insurer can actually reject an insurance claim if your car is damaged as the result of driving through floodwater, provided there’s a warning sign.
Driving ahead recklessly in spite of an official warning isn’t the only sign capable of voiding your insurance, as accidents that take place on closed roads cordoned off by a warning sign can also end up being rejected by your insurer.
2. Using your sat-nav
Most of the time, following your sat-nav won’t prove too much of a problem, but blindly following its instructions and ending up in hairy situations as a result could see your insurer tell you to naff off.
It’s already happened to some people, for example one driver who ended up lost in the Pennines. Instead of using common sense to find a way out, he followed his sat-nav’s directions, ending up with him almost taking a tumble off the side of a 100ft cliff.
In the above situation, your insurance company could simply argue that it’s more than just bad luck on your behalf and that instead you’ve been negligent and failed to keep a careful eye on where you’re going.
3. Leaving your keys in the ignition
Leaving your car unlocked, unattended and with the keys in the ignition is pretty much the equivalent of putting up a sign that says “Free to whoever wants it”.
Unfortunately, it’s something that happens quite often in the winter. Many drivers can unwittingly commit “frosting”, whereby they leave their car unattended but ticking over until it heats up enough to de-ice the windscreen.
Be warned, that if you leave your car on its own with the keys inside and it ends up stolen, any claim is likely to be flat-out rejected due to negligence on the driver’s behalf.
4. Forgetting to update your insurer
Here’s the thing, any changes you make to your car or to where you live must be first run past your insurer, or otherwise you risk invalidating your cover.
Forgetting where you put your glasses is one thing, but forgetting to let your insurance company know that you’ve modified your car with an engine swap and spinning rims? That’s taking the mick a little.
In the eyes of insurers, forgetting to let them know is just as bad as lying on your insurance policy form; it comes under “non-disclosure”, so don’t forget to keep them updated on your address, vehicle status and any penalty points you pick up.
5. Putting too much stuff in your car
Believe it or not, your cover can also be invalidated if you keep too many things in your car. A few boxes, coats and other items are fine, but if you have enough stuff that it counts as overloaded, you could be looking at a voided policy.
Drivers that have had an accident after overloading their car will have higher premiums for years to come and could also get three penalty points and a flat fine of £60.
It’s worth noting that it doesn’t even have to be heavy things that can void your insurance. If you have a crash and it’s found that your windscreen or dashboard is cluttered with mess, fuzzy dice or other items to restrict your view, your claim could likewise be rejected.
6. Giving lifts for money
Ever given your mates a late-night lift when they’ve been out on the lash and they’ve chucked you a few coins by way of payment for your trouble? We’ve all been there, and on the whole that’s totally fine.
However, if you start giving lifts for money on the regular and are making a profit out of it, your insurer might quickly get upset and void your insurance policy, while the police could even get involved.
7. Racing your car
Fancy yourself as a bit of a part-time rally star? Make sure that you know what you’re doing, or else your insurance company might have some strong words for you.
Taking your car rallying, racing or off-roading is excluded from your policy and will require specific racing insurance; anything else and you risk your insurance getting invalidated if you get into bother.
It’s especially worth noting if you decide to take your car either to a track day or for a cross-country adventure to somewhere like Germany’s Nurburgring. As soon as you set rubber on a track or circuit, your regular insurance policy won’t count.
