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Insurance Broker Urges Drivers To Note Key Thing About Car Insurance

North west based High street insurance broker, BP Insurance Brokers, is urging drivers to remember a key fact about their motor insurance policy, or face the loss of their vehicle and a refusal to pay their claim.

The experienced broker says many drivers do not realise that, if they leave a key in the ignition, or a key fob in the car, their insurance policy is unlikely to pay out following a theft. This is a viewpoint also shared by the Financial Ombudsman which says: “Most do not realise that they lose their theft cover if they do.”

The easiest way for a thief to steal a vehicle is to prey on drivers making this mistake. Despite this, relatively few car owners always take their keys out of the ignition when the car is unlocked. Thieves are aware of ‘key places’ where they could find keys left in the car, including locations near cash machines and postboxes and outside shops into which drivers might ‘nip’ to pick something up, or deliver it.

Many motorists leave cars unlocked on garage forecourts and also frequently leave the key in the ignition on their own driveway, or outside their house. The latter often occurs when defrosting windows in winter, but is also frequently the result of being distracted by something else. This could be getting a child out of a car seat or unloading the shopping.


The Financial Ombudsman warns that it is unlikely to find in favour of a motorist whose claim is refused by their insurer, if they have not taken every precaution to prevent theft of their vehicle, by removing the key and locking the car.

BP Insurance Brokers is, therefore, urging drivers to always lock an unattended car as soon as they leave it. It also advises that they try the car door before walking away from the vehicle, to ensure any automatic locking mechanism has worked and not been blocked by a would-be car thief. Home delivery service couriers are advised to be particularly careful.

BP Insurance Brokers’ advisers also urge motorists not to hand their keys over to anyone they do not know well, such as a car wash operator or airport parking firm, and to ensure they do not leave them on an office desk, or place where others could have access to them. A key can easily be cloned, so that a thief can steal a car at a later time.

BP Insurance Brokers’ managing director, Barry Pimlott, says: “Car thefts are again making headlines. Motorists need to be extremely vigilant and make sure they do not accidentally leave their car keys in the ignition, or walk away from an unlocked vehicle that can quickly be accessed by a car thief and driven away.

“They should also not place their trust in anyone they do not know well, by handing over their keys. Finally, they should ensure they do not leave their car keys in a place from which they could be stolen by someone breaking a window, or hooking them through a letterbox. This really does happen, so keep your keys somewhere very safe and out of both view and reach.”

For advice on motor insurance queries, please contact BP Insurance Brokers on 0800 074 9996.