I am currently in a bit of a wrangle with my ex over a car I paid for but put in her name. She now has a new car of her own and she was going to sign the old car over to me. Now she is asking for money for it which I am not willing to give her. So it looks like it is going to be sold. My question though is this –

Her insurance policy on the old car expires on Tuesday. She seems to believe that the insurance on her new car will permit her to drive the old car after this date. My thinking is the old car still needs it’s own valid insurance to be on the road and because she is the registered keeper of it, her new insurance won’t cover her to drive the old car.

Yes, under continual insurance the car has to be declared sorn if it is either no longer taxed, or no longer listed on an insurance policy.

She can’t drive it and she can face a fine for not declaring it sorn.

I’m fairly sure you are correct.

you can face a fine for not declaring it sorn.

Nope, SHE can face a fine as the car is legally hers.

How is selling the car going to help the situation? If she won’t give you the car, why would she give you any money?

Also, just because she has the V5C doesn’t mean she owns the car…just that she’s the registered keeper.

If you have proof you paid for the car, then you have title on it. Apply for a V62 in your name:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/@motor/documents/digitalasset/dg_067819.pdf

Oh and the above advice is correct. She’ll be in trouble if she drives without the car being insured. Her new policy may or may not cover her to drive other cars if they are insured under another policy…but as this car isn’t it’s a mute point.

If you have proof you paid for the car, then you have title on it.

Maybe. What if the car was bought as a gift. I paid for a car for my wife. It is her car not mine.

It’s an avenue for the OP to explore.

If it was a gift I guess he wouldn’t be trying to claim it back. Also, if it was a gift, how would she prove it?

How is selling the car going to help the situation? If she won’t give you the car, why would she give you any money?

She wants to in effect sell the car to me. I don’t want to give her money so she is looking to make some elsewhere. I am not expecting her to give me a bean from it.

Also, just because she has the V5C doesn’t mean she owns the car…just that she’s the registered keeper.

This I didn’t know, all I need to do is find the receipt from the bloke I bought it from. I know where it is most likely to be, in the file of car paperwork which is at her house 👿

Good luck.

If it was a gift I guess he wouldn’t be trying to claim it back. Also, if it was a gift, how would she prove it?

How would Mister P prove it wasn’t a gift if she said it was? Why put a car in someone else’s name if it wasn’t intended to be her car? How could the ex have insured the car if it didn’t belong to her?

If it was my car but I was letting my partner use it I’d expect I’d still have the spare set of keys and could go and find the car and drive it away any time I wanted. If the ex has both sets of keys maybe it is her car?

By the way I’m not disputing Mr P’s account just saying how the ex could play it.

I have the spare key. I bought it as a family car for us both when we had a baby. I put it in her name as she would use it the majority of the time and it was much cheaper to insure as her vehicle with me as a named driver. Obviously I didn’t envisage us splitting up and having this issue, I will be much more cynical when it comes to future relationships!

I’d go collect it then and go from there.

As the OP said, insurance is the main reason that a car belonging to you maybe registered in someone elses name.

is that Passat you had Mr P ?

It certainly is. To be honest the money side of it I really don’t care about. I just want to make sure she is not driving around in an uninsured vehicle with my daughter in it.

fair enough, I would say she’s probably not insured on the passat but it really depends on the exact terms of her insurance on the new vehicle.

Driving other cars on most policies only comes into effect if the other car is insured as well. As said earlier SHE faces a fine and a ban and hefty insurance costs if she gets an IN10 🙂 As she’s an ex. Why bother with her?

Even though you may have paid for the car. It’s in her name so still legally hers.

As a third party if there was any accidents there is a body to claim from (name escapes me at the moment) for people claiming for accidents involving uninsured drivers.

It’s in her name so still legally hers

Wrong.

The V5C is not proof of ownership. It shows the registered keeper. Two very different things.

fair enough, I would say she’s probably not insured on the passat but it really depends on the exact terms of her insurance on the new vehicle.

No it doesn’t. If there is no insurance on the old car it makes no difference whatsoever what her new policy is, the car is uninsured. Absolutely guaranteed.

The registered keeper is a bit of a red herring in this respect, no one can drive it if its not insured! But it will be her getting fined as the police will use the V5 details to see who the keeper is.

Driving other cars is usually restricted to cars you don’t own, its intended as a emergency thing so we don’t have loads of uninsured claims knocking around.

As such your correct the old car needs its own insurance or at least adding to another policy as a temp additional vehicle until sold.

Good luck

Driving other cars is usually restricted to cars you don’t own, its intended as a emergency thing so we don’t have loads of uninsured claims knocking around.

Well yes and no. If you own the car then surely you have it insured, so the ability to drive other cars is irrelevant. If its uninsured then it doesn’t matter what your policy says, it’s not covered.

It’s only 3rd party too, just to cover you hitting someone whilst using someone else’s car.

There’s no yes and no, if she owns the car it has to be insured on its own policy. DOC only applies to cars you DON’T own or have legal contract with such as hire or lease agreement.
@njee your using the term “insured” that doesn’t make it clear if you mean a policy specifically naming the vehicle or by extension of another policy so I’m not sure what your saying really.

Either way for the op she’s not insured I would ask her to ring her insurer on the other car. Not much more than that you can do really other than dob her in which will probably not help in the long run.

I’m with IanW. when insurance offers you third party in another car its for cars you have no relationship with. Other wise my wife and I would only need to insure one of our 2 cars

I’m with IanW. when insurance offers you third party in another car its for cars you have no relationship with. Other wise my wife and I would only need to insure one of our 2 cars

You misunderstand, but we’re saying the same thing. Because both cars must be covered on their own policy, you can insure one each and drive each other’s with third party cover, even if you own both.

The third party cover is for cars you aren’t insured on, but if you owned it, you (or someone close to you) should have it insured, so it’s implicit that its for unrelated cars, but not explicit.

I think you should get the car back while you have the chance if you have the key. Then put yourself back as the registered keeper before she sells it