Is your car garaged at night - or not?

[oscarisapc]

About to renew my motor insurance (W123 320cdi estate) and looking around for quotes. I normally keep my car overnight in the garage but recently it has spent a few nights in the road because the garage contained some furniture (temporary only- waiting for daughter to collect). When I mentioned this to the telesales person, I was told this would invalidate my insurance. I can't seem to get any clarification on this. I don't think it is a question the sales staff have in their patter book. Does anyone know whether leaving the car outside would really invalidate the insurance or whether, for example in the event of a claim, the insurance company would just increase the excess to match what people without a garage normally pay?

I can not dispute that the risk of theft, damage etc is increased - on the other hand most people must have occasions when they do not use their garage and have to leave their car outside temporarily. And what about going away when you might have to leave the car in a very public place? Has anyone had any experience of this issue?

 

[Will]

I think if you declare a vehicle as being garaged at the insured address, it must remain so. I think the only exceptions are made for when you are away from home - above a certain distance from the registered address.

If you can't guarantee that you'll be able to keep your vehicle garaged, then I guess you might lose the entitlement to a reduction on the premium. I would write to your insurer for clarification as that way you will have their correct stand on this area documented.

Will

 

[x332race]

My insurance policy requires the car to be garaged at night whilst at home....however, it does not need to be garaged overnight when away from home.....

I'm not sure what would happen if something happened to the car if left on my driveway overnight.....I would guess that this would invalidate insurance unless I had a very good excuse for not putting car in the garage...I don't know enough about insurance to say, however.

 

[andy_k]

We were offered no discount for garaging/keeping on a drive the E55 but apparently our area is in the bottom 5% risk for car related crime in the UK

 

[219]

I seem to recollect the phrase 'normally garaged' in some proposal forms . It will depend on the terms agreed with your insurer - as always if one insurer won't give the cover you require , shop around .

Back to the OP - there was no '320 cdi' in the W123 series - or is it a modified car with a later engine fitted ?

 

[Seamster15]

Non of my cars will fit....

 

[crockers]

Not sure an insurance company can invalidate your insurance if you can't get your car in the garage. You may get a reduction in payout if stolen though. If the premium is £x for being in a garage but £y if left in the road - if premium Y is double that of X they could argue that you have only paid half the risk premium and reduce payout by 50%. But as was said before if you have signed that your car is normally in the garage - then it is even more a grey area.

Just a point - if you have a garage do you have a drive too....if so can you not leave your car in the drive?

 

[oscarisapc]

no it is not a 123

Correct - it is a W203. Put it down to finger trouble.

 

[Meldrew2]

I queried this with an insurance broker (those were the days!) some years ago, and was told that as long as you garage the car under normal circumstances the policy will pay out if occasionally the car is not garaged... and circumstances I queried included

1. Car driven home by named driver (not policyholder) who is uncomfortable about manouevering in tight spaces (policyholder has had one or two shandies)

2. Garage unuseable due to items being in storage for a short period (new furniture etc)

3. Car not in garage because we are away from home (travelling in the car... parking at hotel overnight)

Of course, in these days of cut-price insurance this may no longer be true.

 

[LTD]

My car won't fit in the garage so it sits on the drive - and is declared as such.

 

[verytalldave]

My policy states "garaged or off road" normally overnight.
Which it is.

 

[janner]

Policies vary. Ones that say 'normally garaged' mean that they will pay out if it goes missing from your drive or gets damaged in the street. The problem is if they send an assesor around and you don't have a garage, the garage is too small or full of junk then they won't pay out.
I think my current classic policy states that the car must be garaged from 10pm.

 

[GrahamC230K]

All depends on your policy. I have had some where if not garaged when parked at home between hours x and y (approx 7pm to 7am) then if stolen or damaged the excess is higher, I have had policies like my current where if stolen or vandilised I am not covered at all. The car is still insured to park on the road froma legal perspective though, quite different from having an invalidated policy.