What Types Of Cover Are Required For Your Motor Vehicle?

When you are in possession of a car, there are a lot of different things that you need to be aware of in terms of cover. There is no hiding behind the excuse that you weren’t aware of the rules and laws if you are pulled over by the police. They will have very little sympathy with you and your non-compliance to the law could lead to a prosecution. There are a few different things that are required from insurance, taxation and safety point of view that we have detailed below.

Motor Insurance

If you are driving a vehicle then you must have a level of motor insurance. Depending on what capacity you are driving the vehicle will determine what type of insurance cover you need. This could be for personal use, business use or even a motor trade insurance policy that is specifically designed for motor trade businesses.

Personal car insurance is what it says in the tin and will cover you for personal use of the vehicle. It can come in different forms though which includes 3rd party, fire and theft or fully comprehensible.

Business insurance is for people driving vehicles for business use. This can also include commuting to and from your place of work.

Trade insurance is for companies that aren’t just using company cars – selling, repairing or transporting vehicles is the nature of their business. This type of insurance will cover the vehicle for things such as test drives, valeting or moving from one location to another for a service. Insurance policies will change in terms of price depending on the level of cover you opt for but also the amount of excess you have agreed with the insurance company.

Road Tax

Car tax is applicable in the UK for many different motor vehicles. There are incentives from the government where cars that are emitting very little emissions (or zero) will then not be required to pay any money for this. This supports the government’s overall strategy (and commitment) in terms of climate change targets. If you are supposed to have road tax but do not get this, your car insurance policy will also be invalidated. There are no requirements anymore in the UK for people to display their “tax disc” on the window of the car.

MOT

The main purpose of an MOT is to make sure that your motor vehicle is in a condition that is roadworthy and safe. It is a legal requirement to comply with this and failure to do so will have some serious consequence. Similar to non-compliance to road tax, this will also invalidate your insurance policy. New motor vehicles will not require an MOT certificate for at least 3 years from the initial release. If a vehicle fails an MOT check by an approved mechanic, you will have a defined period to get this resolved.

Summary

These are the 3 main things that you will require to make sure are in order if you are the owner of a motor vehicle. Failure to ensure these are up to date or in place could result in a prosecution.