A story came to light recently of a gentleman who took his prized car into a garage for some apparently minor work to find that one of the mechanics who took it out for a test drive had totalled it meaning I suspect, a claim on the garage’s motor trade insurance policy.
John Guest had left his unique Mercedes Benz SL65 AMG, which cost £170,000 to buy new, with technicians at a Mercedes dealer near his home in Poole, Dorset, to fix problems with its onboard computer. The traction control system apparently had problems but Mr. Guest was assured that there was nothing wrong with it. Well clearly there was as the car ended up in a ditch a few hours later!
The Mercedes, one of only 90 in the country was unique insofar as it was the only one with pearlescent paintwork which cost £25,000 in itself. The car, boasting a six litre V12 engine, producing 630bhp, a 0-60mph time of just 4 seconds and a top speed of 180mph was bought by Mr. Guest in 2010 for £40,000 and he had spent £30,000 on it subsequently. Naturally when the dealership called him to tell him of the accident he had a tear in his eye. Thankfully the technician who was driving at the time was not badly hurt.
The accident happened on the A35 dual carriageway in Dorset in bad weather, roughly six miles away from the garage, which was near Mr. Guest’s home.
Whilst in the press it was reported that there were threats of legal action, it would seem to me that it is a straightforward case insurance wise, and so long as the technician was actually insured to be test driving the vehicle, the garage’s motor trade insurance should pay out. If on the other hand the technician was not insured, the liability for the replacement of the vehicle lands on the shoulders of the garage itself, which once again identifies the necessity for a comprehensive motor trade insurance policy which will cover every eventuality, something that the guys here at Comparecrazy happen to be specialists in.
So in essence, for the best advice in choosing the best motor trade insurance policy for your garage, give us a try here at Comparecrazy.com. The business insurance comparison site!
