The Forecourt > Off-topic chat, Help, Advice, General motoring issues

Winter tyres- do you need to tell your insurers?

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phoenix:
ABI code of practice- do you need to tell your insurers or not:

http://www.abi.org.uk/Information/Consumers/General/Winter_Tyres__The_Motor_Insurance_Committment.aspx

Baxlin:
Excellent link. 

But it still leaves a huge area of uncertainty.

Look at Sheila's Wheels, Esure, Sainsbury's and a couple more, there is a different notification requirement if the car has alloy wheels, or they are to be fitted.  That should cover most of us.

And more importantly, in my opinion, is that the article only deals with fitting winter tyres, as in the black things that go round the wheels, and makes no reference to changing the wheels themselves.

So, if you have a spare set of wheels for the winter tyres, rather than removing the summer tyres, then you are changing wheels, regardless of what tyres are on them. 

So it would be interesting to see a similar article which asks the question "do you need to be advised if different wheels are fitted?".  I would expect a different table, as insurers tend to consider wheels (which admittedly are usually upgrades) as modifications to the vehicle, and wish to know. 

A lot is hidden in the "Requirement to disclose material information ..........during the life of the policy" clause, quoting from a motor insurance policy wording from a major insurer.

So I'd say, for the cost of a phone call, it's best to check.

sgould:
Everyone is talking "Winter Tyres" when they mean "Cold Weather Tyres".  That is, all except the car manufacturers who only specify "Winter Tyres" and, in Saabs case, they specify the tyres with a speed rating of Q (= 160km/hr or 100 mph).

So, if the insurers want to be pedantic, they have never mentioned the fitting of Cold Weather Tyres.  Or All-Season Tyres come to that!!  Where do you draw the line?

phoenix:

--- Quote from: sgould on 06 December 2011, 03:12:50 PM ---Where do you draw the line?

--- End quote ---

Quite. If it came to it and my insurers were baulking, I'd happily go to court to prove that there was no material difference that increased the risk of an accident- indeed the very opposite. What about fitting higher speed rating tyres? Still a change from the original spec that it could be argued would have a material affect.

Saabman:
It appears only all the insurance brands underwritten by RBS and then Provident need to be informed, I for one will be pleased when the forced sale of the RBS insurance brands happens next year! Provident have just been taken over too so let's hope it improves there too.

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