Can A Dirty Car Invalidate My Insurance?

We’ve all been there. You take your car to a car wash, wait in line as your once-brown car is restored to its original hue and you breathe a sigh of relief as you realise that youths can no longer write ‘clean-me’ on your boot. You drive home, it rained a little yesterday, but you’re not worried. You’re the proud owner of a lovely clean car – you’re even feeling a little smug looking at all the muddy cars driving past you. You get home, get out the car and sigh – your car is covered in mud once again.

Unfortunately, winter weather is not conducive to a clean car – despite our best efforts. But does it go beyond how your car looks? We look at whether having a dirty car can invalidate your car insurance and other weird and not-so-wonderful ways you could be voiding your cover.

Keeping a ‘clean’ record

Driving a dirty car itself has no impact on your car insurance, but there are some things that you need to watch out for before you set off if your car is looking a little worse-for-wear.

If your windscreen is dirty to the point of obstructing your view, this could be classed as an obstruction which has the potential to invalidate a claim. To ensure that you can see clearly when driving, ensure your vehicle windscreen is free of all obstructions and that your washers are fully topped up to rid it of any mud or dust that comes your way.

You also need to ensure your number plates are always fully visible and not obstructed by mud or dust. Not only could this impact your cover, but it could also land you in trouble with the law and result in penalties if you’re stopped by the police.

Keeping it fresh…

Did you know that an air freshener hanging from your windscreen has the potential to invalidate your car insurance? In fact, anything obscuring your windscreen including dirt, cracks, stickers or something else could be problematic.¹

If you have an accident and your insurer believes that something on your windscreen acted as a distraction or affected your line of vision, they could potentially reject your claim. It’s also worth noting that, if you have Sat Nav holder that sticks to your windscreen, you should remove this before your MOT because many vehicles fail due to something as simple as an item obstructing the driver’s vision.

Who let the dogs out?

If you fail to restrain an animal in the car correctly and have an accident, your claim could be rejected due to the animal causing a potentially dangerous situation or a distraction. Your dog cannot travel in the passenger seat under any circumstances and must be suitably restrained. The Highway Code doesn’t specify a particular method of restraint but do suggest seatbelts, harnesses and dog cages as a suitable way of doing so.²

Get the right shoes and make it snappy

The jury is out on crocs. Some think they’re the perfect comfy addition to their wardrobe while others think they’re the ugliest shoes to (dis)grace the planet. We’re not here to pick a team, but we would suggest leaving them at home when you’re driving your car. While there aren’t any hard or fast rules on the right footwear to drive in, it’s important that they are deemed appropriate. The AA recommends that drivers avoid flip flops, crocs, high heels, sandals and sliders and instead opt for comfortable shoes with a good grip.³

Looking for motor insurance?

If you’re looking for motor insurance that goes above and beyond, at Towergate, our motor insurance aim to insure those who may not be catered for by many insurers. This includes products for disabled drivers, classic car enthusiasts, learners, non-standard vehicles and much more. To find out more, just get in touch with us on 01792 522 622.

Consistent with our policy when giving comment and advice on a non-specific basis, we cannot assume legal responsibility for the accuracy of any particular statement. In the case of specific problems we recommend that professional advice be sought.

Sources

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/legal/illegal-number-plates-all-you-need-to-know/
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/car-maintenance/most-common-mot-fails
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/stickers-or-other-items-in-front-and-rear-windscreens/view-to-the-front-and-windscreen-obscuration
https://www.theaa.com/driving-advice/which-kind-of-driving-shoes-should-i-wear
https://www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/rules-about-animals-other-animals.html

About the author

Chris North FCII, commercial vehicles insurance articles author Chris North FCII is a respected industry leader with over 40 years' experience, who has worked in the insurance industry in a variety of roles, accumulating a wealth of knowledge. He is currently Technical Manager for Towergate's motor division, providing expertise on all matters relating to motor fleet insurance, in particular haulage and self-drive hire fleets.