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Hi guys, I have driven PH for about 30 years in Leicester and occasionally want to drive someone else's private car for domestic purposes. Thing is that "taxi drivers" are a lower life form as far as insurers go and will not cover us to do that.

In days of old - think back you old timers, a client could order a cab with two drivers... one to drive his car home from the pub etc. We USED TO BE covered to drive other peoples private cars on a third party risk if the car was insured by the other owner. We could also test drive a used car we might be buying. Back then it was referred to as ALL RISKS - or Fully Comprehensive. The very word comprehensive has now been diluted or corrupted by the insurance industry to simply mean damage to the insured's car.

My wife is the policy holder of our private car  - and she is covered to drive other peoples cars! I'm the named driver but not allowed to drive other peoples private cars on her policy. Seems fair to think that this would work the other way round, especially given the massive premium we pay as profesional business drivers. Every insurer I point this out to deny it was ever possible.

I occassionally go on a shooting break to my brothers place in Cornwall but don't want to drive my Galaxy into muddy fields etc. Brother has an old P reg Pajero to do this with but his insurers want over £400 extra to put me on as a named driver because I'm a taxi driver. Yes I should have said I was an electrician.

I'm here to try and find a private hire insurer that does allow driving other peoples cars - and to draw your older members attention to the fact that they might think this still applies but it seemingly now does not unless it specifically states "to drive other peoples cars" on your certificates. SO CHECK THEM

 

Could anyone steer me towards a helpfull insurer please

Sorry old son cant help you there but on another tack NO CLAIMS BONUSES ,whilst operating as a taxi/p-hire driver we are told that we can earn a no claims bonus from our insurers,and that it is worth protecting it for a small additional sum. however what the insurers dont tell you is that this no claims bonus is non transferable to private car policies.

I received this from my regular broker this evening..."I don't know if this is of help but I had a copy of the PHM & Taxi monthly arrive today with a flyer that fell out on my desk - it is from Wheels Insurance Services Ltd who advertise a taxi policy to drive any private car - this may be of interest to you, though I am not wishing to lose you as a client!"

Could anyone post up a copy of that leaflet for us please? I say US because many of us may wish to drive someone else's car occasionally - even if it's only to test drive it before plating it.

The link below makes for good reading to see why the insurance trade think we are lower life form... http://www.birmingham.gov.uk/GenerateContent?CONTENT_ITEM_ID=59980&CONTENT_ITEM_TYPE=0&MENU_ID=13534 Dunno if this link will work or not as this site does'nt seem as user friendly as some of the others I'm on.