We appreciate that COVID-19 is having an adverse effect on many individuals and businesses. If you are having financial difficulties due to COVID-19, please don't cancel your Direct Debit, as this is needed to maintain your credit agreement. It is important that you contact us to discuss the options available to you, which may include:
- Re-Assessing your demands and needs
- Considering if there are other products we have available that may be more suitable for you at this time
- A tailored solution to suit your circumstances e.g. a temporary payment deferral
Additional useful information is available from the FCA page 'Dealing with financial difficulty during the coronavirus pandemic' where you can also find information on Money Advice Service's Money Navigator tool and other guidance on how to create a budget and prioritise your payments.
If the person who is helping you has car insurance that includes a “Driving Other Cars” section (and they use your car with your permission) they can drive your car. However, they will only provide third-party cover. “Driving Other Cars” is intended for short-term emergency use.
If you have comprehensive insurance and want to ensure that damage to your own vehicle is covered when someone else uses it, you should contact your insurer to add the other driver as a named driver to your own policy.
If you want to keep your car, it is a legal requirement to have valid car insurance unless you register your vehicle off the road and apply for a SORN.
Different insurers have different processes for these situations. If you want to keep your car but won’t drive it for a while, contact your insurance provider to see how they can support you.
At Footman James, we provide laid up insurance for vehicles declared as SORN.
Cars, vans and motorcycles due their MOT from 30th March 2020 will have their MOT extended by 6 months.
Vehicles must remain to be kept in a roadworthy condition and drivers can be prosecuted if they drive an unsafe vehicle.
Up to date government guidance on MOTs can be found on the gov.uk website:
If you would like to volunteer for the NHS using a vehicle already insured with us (by delivering medicine, food or patients to routine medical appointments) we will extend cover at no additional cost.
You do not need to contact us to update your documents or extend your cover.
The Association of British Insurers has a Motor Insurance Q&A which covers the most frequently asked questions regarding COVID-19.
The Association of British Insurers has a Business Insurance Q&A which covers the most frequently asked questions regarding COVID-19.
The Association of British Insurers has a Household Insurance Q&A which covers the most frequently asked questions regarding COVID-19.
Yes the RAC will still endeavor to attend breakdowns. However, when the client is contacted by the attending resource en route to the location, the client will be asked to re-confirm that the client, and no one in their household, are self-isolating and are not currently experiencing symptoms of Coronavirus. On arrival, they will be asked to leave their keys at a safe distance in order to avoid handling them over directly.
At scene, RAC colleagues will adhere to detailed safety guidance including: applying the two-metre social distancing rule at all times, using disposable gloves and wipes and speaking to clients by mobile phone, if necessary.
The RAC are doing everything they can to fix the vehicle at roadside and are now achieving this in nine out of ten roadside attendances. However, in the event they do need to tow they have introduced the following temporary measures:
Flat batteries have been the most common call out for RAC patrols during lockdown. To prevent a flat battery, take a look at these tips from the RAC.
For any clients with COVID-19 symptoms and those who are self-isolating, or living in a household where someone has symptoms or is self-isolating, the RAC will now only attend in exceptional circumstances. In these situations, they will send a resource who will carry out a dynamic risk assessment with a view to understanding if assistance can be provided safely.
This will be the case for all clients on all lines regardless of which option they select in the interactive voice response (IVR) phone process. Full notes will be added to each breakdown in order to notify all attending resources of the client's situation to allow them to carry out the relevant dynamic risk assessment.
As an NHS worker and RAC customer, the RAC will attend your breakdown and upgrade your cover as necessary to get you back on the road. For example, if you breakdown at home and do not have Home Start included in your policy, the RAC will automatically upgrade you and attend your breakdown.
Plus, the RAC are also offering NHS workers half price batteries should the breakdown relate to a irreparable battery.
In both instances, all you would need to do is indicate that you are an NHS worker when you call the RAC breakdown phone number.