Night shift insurance

Before you sign up for a new car insurance policy, it’s vital that you thoroughly read the policy conditions issued by the insurer.

These conditions can vary between insurance providers, so your new policy may not cover everything that your old one did.

Let’s be honest, most people simply don’t bother to read the small print. And why should you…as long as you’re insured to drive you’re good to go, right? That’s not always the case, as the cover provided by different insurers can vary.

Your policy could even be invalidated simply because you work a night shift, if you haven’t declared this on your application.

Insurance application forms often ask where your vehicle will be parked overnight as one of the factors that are used to determine the level of risk. And while for most people the answer would be at the home address, if you do any night shift work you need to be careful and ensure that they answer the question properly.

If you are regularly working through the night and parking your vehicle at work, it’s important that you let your insurance company know to avoid them refusing to payout for any damage or accident that occurs whilst you’re away from home.

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Typically, vehicles that are parked on a driveway are deemed to be lower risk as they’re generally away from harm and less likely to be damaged. Leaving your vehicle on the road is likely to push your insurance premium up as there’s more chance of it being damaged. Leaving the vehicle at your work premises overnight isn’t a problem but it’s important that you let your insurer know so that they have all of the relevant information when calculating your quote.

It’s okay to leave your vehicle at a different location to the one given to your insurance company, provided that it’s not a regular occurrence and that you’ve told them about where it will be kept most of the time.

Younger drivers with a telematics or “black box” device fitted have no choice but to be truthful about where their car is left overnight, as the devices transmit information including the vehicles location to the insurer. If the driver is found to be breaking the terms of their policy, the can see their premiums significantly increased as a result.

One 17 year-old driver reportedly had their premium increased by £3,700 for providing incorrect information on their insurance application. This was because their telematics device picked up driving patterns that were inconsistent with the information they’d provided, as they were working nights at a local Tesco store.

If your insurance provider find out that you’ve provided incorrect information, your policy could be invalidated and they may refuse to pay out in the event of any claim. If your insurance isn’t invalid, you’re also open to prosecution for driving without cover and could even have your vehicle seized by the police!