Buying car insurance can give you extra peace of mind. But you’d be surprised at just how many everyday habits and small mistakes can lead to invalid car insurance.
From being honest with your mileage to keeping your windscreen clear, read AXA’s top tips to prevent invalidating your car insurance so that you’ve always got the protection you need when you're on the road.
What does invalidating your car insurance mean?
Invalidating your car insurance, or invalid car insurance, refers to doing something that causes you to no longer be covered by your insurance policy. This means that you may not get the cover you need if you were to make a claim, for example.
Our guide shares the common mistakes people make that can lead to accidentally invalidating your insurance:
- Honesty is the best policy
- Update your details
- Be clear on where you keep your car overnight
- Keep your keys safe
- Only let named drivers use your car
- Keep your car in good condition
- Drive with care
- Choose the right type of use
- Check with your insurer before making modifications
- Don’t be misleading
Honesty is the best policy
Tempted to bend the truth to help bring down your policy cost? Don’t give in to the temptation. The possibility of saving a few pounds seems enticing, but not being honest with the information you share with your insurer can have huge consequences, including your car insurance being invalidated.
So, to prevent being left without the cover you need, always be honest and take extra care to give the correct information when purchasing your policy.
Make educated assumptions when predicting your vehicle usage in the year ahead. Our handy mileage calculator can help with that.
Make sure you list any penalty points, unspent driving and non-driving related convictions, plus any accidents that you or any driver on the policy have been involved in when you’re going through your insurance quote. The more upfront you are, the easier it’ll be to get cover that best suits your needs.
Update your details
Don’t forget to let your insurer know if something changes during your policy year. If you’ve got an AXA car insurance policy, you can update your details online.
For example, new job might mean a longer commute, which means more time spent on the road and an increase in the number of risks you’re exposed to every day. Plus, if your new job involves carrying goods or passengers in return for a fare, your insurer may not be able to cover you.
Here are the main changes you’ll need to let your insurer know about. They apply to you and anyone else who is on your policy:
- If you sell, or change your car
- If you change address or where you keep your car
- If you need to make changes to the drivers covered under the policy
- If you modify, scrap or SORN your car
- If anyone has a car insurance claim elsewhere e.g., a named driver may have a claim on their own policy, which also needs to be listed on any other policies they’re listed on
- If anyone on the policy changes jobs, or want to change what you use your car for
- If anyone on the policy receives a conviction, including a non-motoring one
- If anyone on the policy change licence type are banned from driving, have restrictions placed on a licence, or are told by DVLA they cannot continue driving.
Every insurer is different, so if you’re unsure whether you need to let them know about something new, it’s always best to contact them to check.
Be clear on where you keep your car overnight
We understand that you won’t keep your car at the same location every day of the year. However, if you tell your insurer that you keep it at one address but park it at a different postcode every night, this could make your car insurance invalid, especially if there’s a long distance between the two.
Always keep your insurer up to speed on where you park your car at night, whether this is in a garage, at work, or on the street, so they can help keep your car protected. If you do shift work which involves parking your car at work while you're there, just let your insurer know the location.
Keep your keys safe
Always be smart about where you leave your keys. Most insurance policies won't cover you if you leave your keys or key card anywhere in, or on, the car. If your insurer believes you didn’t keep the keys safe and your car is stolen, you run the risk of not being covered when you need to make a claim.
It can be all too easy to leave your keys hanging by the door after a busy day, but try to avoid leaving your keys in easily accessible locations like this. Store them out of sight and out of reach of opportunistic passers-by. Got a keyless car? Our handy guide will help you safeguard your vehicle against relay theft.
Only let named drivers use your car
Only you and other named drivers on your insurance policy should be using your car. Even though other drivers with the ‘Driving Other Cars’ extension on their policy can technically drive your car, consider whether it’s worth the risk.
This extension gives third party cover only, meaning your insurer won’t pay out for any damage to your car if they’re involved in an accident while in the driver’s seat, and neither will the other driver’s insurer. Save yourself the unnecessary stress by only allowing those named on your insurance policy to drive your car.
If you want to make sure that any damage is covered while your car is being driven by someone else, the safest way to do this is to add them to your policy.
Keep your car in good condition
Whether it’s checking your tyre air levels or topping up the water in your car’s radiator, give your car some regular TLC to keep it in roadworthy condition, and make sure it has a valid MOT. If your car breaks down due to a lack of maintenance or servicing (which is your responsibility as the car's owner), any breakdown cover you have may be invalid.
Drive with care
It should go without saying that insurers expect drivers to follow the law and stick to all road traffic rules.
Driving sensibly goes hand-in-hand with keeping your car well-maintained, so make sure you stick to speed limits, follow signs and drive carefully - especially in testing conditions like rain, fog, or busy traffic.
Choose the right type of use
When getting your car insurance quote, you must choose the type of use that reflects how you’ll be using your car. This is also called the class of use. To help you make an informed decision, here are some short definitions of the types of use that are available on our AXA car insurance policies:
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Social, domestic and pleasure
Choose this class of use if you only drive for social purposes, such as visiting family and friends or nipping to the shops.
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Commuting
As well as covering you for the above use, this offers protection for your commute to and from your place of work. Keep in mind that if parking your car at a train station before hopping on a train is part of your daily commute, then you’ll need to choose this type of use, as your car is part of the journey. Dropping someone else at their workplace is also classed as commuting too, so don’t get caught out.
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Business use - level 1
If your job involves regular travel to more than one place of work, you’ll need this. It doesn’t cover transport of goods for customers, fast food delivery, driving instruction, or carrying passengers as part of a business. However, giving friends or colleagues lifts in return for contributions to fuel doesn’t count as carrying passengers for business, though.
There are also different levels of business use you may be able to opt for with other insurers, which extends business use to named drivers, and that can be used for commercial purposes.
Choosing the wrong class of use can be costly and will result in a claim being declined if you're using your car for a purpose that it's not covered for. For example, if you told your insurer that you used your car for social, domestic and pleasure purposes, but also used it for commuting, you run the risk of your car not being covered if you’re involved in an accident on your way to work.
Check with your insurer before making modifications
Lowering suspension. Spoilers. Turbochargers. What do they all have in common? They’re all modifications that could invalidate your car insurance if your insurer doesn’t cover them.
That’s why it’s always best to be upfront about any car modifications or extras when you get your car insurance quote. If you’re planning on giving your car an upgrade in the middle of a policy, let your insurer know. Any changes like this will likely affect the car's value and power, and in turn, the cover you may need.
AXA cover standard optional extras fitted by the manufacturer or approved garages, but if you’re still feeling unsure, check our guide to car insurance for clarification.
Don’t be misleading
If you claim someone else is the main driver of your car when it’s actually you (also known as fronting) this means your policy will be invalid. Make sure that the person you’ve said is the main driver is the person who uses the car for the majority of the time.
Similarly, if you say your car has a tracking device and it doesn’t, this could also lead to a claim being declined if your car is stolen.
Never try to pull the wool over your insurer’s eyes in a bid to save money. Not only are you running the risk of being left without cover when you need it most, your wallet will take the biggest hit in the long run. Intentionally misleading your insurer means your policy could be cancelled due to fraud, which you may need to let other insurers know about in the future. This means it could be harder to get insurance, or you may pay more, as insurers could see you as more of a risk to insure.
It’s easy to make innocent mistakes. To avoid being left high and dry, why not try putting our simple tips into practice to keep things ticking over like a well-oiled machine?
That way, you’ll have the cover you need year-round, which can help keep you protected if the worst happens.
