FAQ's > Motor
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» My car was stolen but fortunately recovered. Due to the theft, a window was smashed, the ignition was damaged and on top of this my car was driven against a lamp post causing damage to its front. I am covered?
» I was driving behind a lorry when a stone hit my windscreen. Do I lose my No Claims Bonus if I claim for the repair?
» My car was broken into and my camera, jacket and other personal items were stolen. I am covered?
» My car is over 10 years old and I have had it insured Fully Comprehensive until now, but now the insurance is due I am considering insuring it third party, as I think it is not worth it any more. I am right?
» What to do in the event of a motor accident?
» I was involved in an accident and it was the other driver’s fault. Am I entitled to claim for hire car costs during the time that my car is in the garage?
» Do I need to produce an MOT certificate before I can obtain insurance for my UK registered vehicle?
» Is it true that I must carry all my vehicle documentation in the vehicle at all times?
» Am I able to transfer my No Claims Discount from my previous Insurer?
» Am I insured under my own policy to drive someone else’s vehicle?
» What do I do if I want to include an additional driver on my policy?
» Question nº 12?
» Question nº 13?
» Question nº 14?
» Question nº 15?
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My car was stolen but fortunately recovered. Due to the theft, a window was smashed, the ignition was damaged and on top of this my car was driven against a lamp post causing damage to its front. I am covered?
If you have Fully Comprehensive cover, yes you are. You would most probably also be covered if your car was insured against fire and theft only, as the damage is due to theft or attempted theft.
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I was driving behind a lorry when a stone hit my windscreen. Do I lose my No Claims Bonus if I claim for the repair?
No, in general you don't lose your no claims Bonus on windows and windscreen claims. Before claiming, make sure there is no excess because then, you could lose part of your no claims discount.
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My car was broken into and my camera, jacket and other personal items were stolen. I am covered?
Contents inside the car are not covered under your car insurance. However, check out on your House & Contents policy, you might find you are covered, but the best thing to do is never leave anything inside your car! .
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My car is over 10 years old and I have had it insured Fully Comprehensive until now, but now the insurance is due I am considering insuring it third party, as I think it is not worth it any more. I am right?
You are free to choose but here are a few examples that will show you the advantages of having Comprehensive as it not only a question of market value of your vehicle...
• Getting back to your car on the supermarket's car park you find someone hit it but did not leave any details (which happens too often!) and no one can tell you who it was;
• You are hit by another vehicle that drives off and you are unable to take note of its registration number;
• You have an accident on your own, without other party;
• You are hit by a foreign plated vehicle, or simply several vehicles are involved. The claim can take long before it is settled as a foreign country's insurance or several insurance companies are involved, and this takes a long time;
In all these situations, Comprehensive comes in very handy, as you can claim the repair of your vehicle on your own policy. After having the damaged assessed, you can start with the repair and you only have to pay the policy's excess to your garage and claim it back from the other party's insurance if there is one and it is found at fault.
It is hard to give a price to peace of mind, so keep Comprehensive insurance on your car as long as you can!
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What to do in the event of a motor accident?
If there are injured persons, phone 112. Then, each of you should exchange one's insurance documents and fill in the accident report form (you should have one within your policy, if not, get one from your Insurance Company as the other party may not have one either!). We advise you to have a read through it to get familiar with it. In this form, do not forget to indicate everything that is required: date, place, number of injured if any, witnesses, details of drivers and their vehicles, insurance companies and policy numbers, a drawing of the situation, a description of the damage and both parties' signatures at the bottom. If you do not agree on what happened or do not understand what is written by the other party, DO NOT sign, but do take your copy of the accident report after filling it in because it is the starting point of a claim. Remember that without the form duly completed it is very difficult to deal with a claim and in case of doubt or disagreement, phone the Police.
Very important : unfortunately it is not enough to bring into your insurance agent's a piece of paper with the other party's registration number on it although s/he might have said “ yes, it is my fault, do not worry, write down my registration number and everything will be sorted out! ” This happens a lot and there is a risk that the other guilty party may say later “ no, it didn't happen like this, it was the other one's fault” or “I was never there, I didn't have any accident ”! This makes the case a lot more difficult as you may not have any independent witnesses and the claim takes a lot longer to settle. So, the more details you get on the accident report form, the better it is.
One more thing : if your vehicle is not drivable after the accident, phone the 24 Hour breakdown service that you may have within your policy. If any other company is phoned, you will have to pay the bill. If the Police insist on using their tow service, please ask for a bill after paying as you will need it to claim the cost back.
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I was involved in an accident and it was the other driver’s fault. Am I entitled to claim for hire car costs during the time that my car is in the garage?
It is very difficult to claim for such costs even though it wasn’t your fault. Unlike in the UK, in Spain hire car costs can only be successfully claimed back if you are a professional driver who uses his car for work (i.e. taxi driver, transport companies…). To avoid this kind of inconvenience you can take out a hire car option available for comprehensive cover.
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Do I need to produce an MOT certificate before I can obtain insurance for my UK registered vehicle?
We do not request sight of an MOT (or its Spanish equivalent to ITV) before we insure you but there is a strict policy requirement that your vehicle is roadworthy at all times and you should also comply with the law in which your vehicle is being used. It is now common in Spain for UK registered vehicles to be tested at the local ITV station. But remember that an ITV is only valid in Spain so if you travel back to the UK and don’t have an MOT certificate it could lead to problems with the Police there.
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Is it true that I must carry all my vehicle documentation in the vehicle at all times?
Yes it is! Whilst driving your car in Spain you must have the following documents with you:
a) driving licence.
b) the vehicle’s “Ficha Técnica” (showing the technical details of the car) or logbook for UK registered vehicles.
c) insurance documents (“Recibo” for Spanish registered vehicles which is equivalent to the “Certificate of insurance” for UK registered vehicles).
Those documents must be originals; photocopies are not accepted by the Police. If your vehicle is stolen and the documents have gone with it the situation can become problematical. We recommend that whenever you leave the vehicle unattended that you take the documents with you. Instead of the originals you can carry legalised photocopies, and keep the originals in a safe place.
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Am I able to transfer my No Claims Discount from my previous Insurer?
If you have a UK or No Claims Bonus from your country this can be used in Spain and we will accept it.
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Am I insured under my own policy to drive someone else’s vehicle?
No, you must ensure that if you are driving a vehicle that does not belong to you that the owner has arranged for you to drive under the terms of their Insurance policy.
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What do I do if I want to include an additional driver on my policy?
If you need to add further persons to those named on your policy you need to speak to us. In certain cases, for young drivers for example, an additional premium may be charged.
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Please note that these answers are for general information only, each insurance policy has its own limits and covers.
If you have any doubt don't hesitate to contact us on info@saltsbay.com or phone 965 706 394.
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