Auto Locksmith Van Insurance?

[AA-247]

Just  posted this in cobblers arms, but seems more auto guys read here, so apologies if this is in wrong section

Time to renew my van road risk insurance.
In the past I have bought motor trade road risk to cover me when I may be sitting in a customers car on the highway.
Am I the only one to go to the trouble of trade cover to insure me for any vehicle?
Do you have any recommendations for insurance cover for auto locksmiths?

[hibsjo(SCO)]

surely if your working on the car your covered by your business insurance?

carry on!

[AA-247]

If you are in the car and the engine is running, you are in charge of the vehicle and should have third party road risk.

Has anyone any experience of this?

[Dave the locksmith]

1 hour ago, AA-247 said:

If you are in the car and the engine is running, you are in charge of the vehicle and should have third party road risk.

Has anyone any experience of this?

Engine doesn't have to be running, if you are in the car on a public highway in the drivers seat you need to be insured, key doesn't even have to be in the ignition.

[hibsjo(SCO)]

yeh insured to work on vehicle not to drive it surely?

carry on!

[jacko]

My insurance covers me for any vehicle with owners permission.

[Mick Friend]

Surely you have insurance on your own VAn and does that not include 3rd party on any car with the owners permission. Also if your stood, sat, sitting in a car with say an electronic device to 'fix' it are you breaking the law- because use of any electrical device while in  charge is an offence!  - I had a friend in a 2 hour log jam on a motorway and he got reported for using his mobile...... seems the police were more bothered about this than clearing the jam.

[Dave the locksmith]

Cover from your vehicle insurance will not cover you for working on a customers car. It will cover you to drive it but if you are working you are using the customers vehicle for trade purposes (as in you are using it to earn yourself money) and almost all policys will not cover this.

Just double check with your insurance supplier and get it in black and white that they will cover you.

A few years ago an autolocksmith got 6 points and fined for being "uninsured" whilst sitting in the drivers seat of a car he was working on.

[Abars]

On 4/5/2018 at 9:32 AM, Dave the locksmith said:

Cover from your vehicle insurance will not cover you for working on a customers car. It will cover you to drive it but if you are working you are using the customers vehicle for trade purposes (as in you are using it to earn yourself money) and almost all policys will not cover this.

Just double check with your insurance supplier and get it in black and white that they will cover you.

A few years ago an autolocksmith got 6 points and fined for being "uninsured" whilst sitting in the drivers seat of a car he was working on.

You are not using it for trade purposes that's rubbish, you are working on it which is covered under your liability/trade insurance, the driving aspect is covered under your vehicles cover as long as his vehicle is insured. you must have your own "trade policy" to cover all road risks as you will come across uninsured/untaxed vehicles in the course of your job and the fact that you do not know what cover the vehicle has. The only way you could be "using it for trade purposes" is if you used it for the purpose it was made AND you earned money for doing that, Or you used it to drive to and from a job or collected it to be worked on at your place of business, As you are not driving it or carrying passengers you are not using it and certainly not in the course of your business. Be careful taking advice from "non-Insurers"  If you are "fixing it" you are not using it by definition. 

For the above guy, he would have been convicted if he didn't have appropriate insurance, simple.

How cover works, 

Public liability insurance covers you to "work on" a vehicle including bad or faulty workmanship issues anywhere. (iT DOES NOT COVER ANY ASPECT OF ROAD RELATED INSURANCE AND DOES NOT COVER YOU TO DRIVE)

"trade road risk cover" is minimum, and covers you to drive or sit in and for trade purposes, all the vehicles your policy stipulates, only on the public highway.

"trade full cover" covers the vehicles you have collected or parked at in or around your premises overnight whilst in your custody as well as a lot of essential cover.

Your own van insurance  will cover you to drive someone else's vehicle third party (not for trade purposes, so as long as you do not DRIVE it to earn money) cover on the highway, as long as the vehicle is already insured, and if it is stipulated in your own policy ( this is an addition, not a standard facility on all policies) "THIS IS THE MINEFIELD" This is where most people come unstuck as I suspect the guy did above.

In Summary..

You have been doing it correctly with the Road risk cover. As long as you do not take the vehicle to your work premises and the customer is not present (if you collected it and have it parked)

The insurance you need is fully comprehensive "Trade insurance including legal cover" covering you to drive/be in charge of any vehicle and any legal eventuality

Including Public liability insurance (mine is £10 Million) to cover yourself if you make a mistake that causes ANY loss to anyone.

There are lots of other options under the "trade" umbrella so make sure you tick ALL the appropriate such as tools in transit, stock in transit, electrical items, Motorcycles as well as loss of income, legal, recovery(if you have a truck) Basically any part of what you do in the course of your business. I Also have my spouse on mine and we both have business and private use covered.  This covers you then for all your own vehicles, your wife's vehicles and all vehicle road use.