There is a reason different car manufacturers make cars the way they are made. They make each model in a way to appeal to their audience. However, several car enthusiasts are eager to drive a car that is modified according to their specific preferences, whether those modifications are performance-related or visual.
A modified vehicle can be defined as a vehicle that has been modified from factory standard. The modification can be anything from adding a bumper sticker to installing a new engine, however every modification made to your vehicle comes with a compromise.
While a few popular car modifications can reduce insurance premiums, a few enhance them. If you are unsure about car customs and car insurance as far as car modification is concerned, here is a detailed guide. Let’s explore whether you have to declare modifications on car insurance!
Why Do You Need to Declare Modifications on Car Insurance?
You have to declare all the modifications made to your vehicle to your car insurance provider. You would be asked on an application form to notify any parts of your vehicle that have been modified from its standard condition. In case you are not honest regarding your car modifications, any claim made after an accident will be rejected, and you will be charged with insurance fraud.
Any effort to improve the way your vehicle looks can dramatically change the value of your car and enhance the risk of getting involved in an accident. Perhaps, this is why insurance companies ask you to inform them of any modifications to your car so they can include them into their policy. While modifications can lead to more expensive premiums, declaring them would help make your car fully protected and the claims you make would be accepted.
Why If You Don’t Declare Modifications?
Your insurance would be void in case you don’t declare the car modifications to your existing plan. You are likely to commit fraud in case it is not declared at the point of application since you haven’t given precise information deliberately. A few insurance companies may outright reject the insurance of your modified cars at the point of application even if you are updating them regarding the modifications. Never modify your car before informing your insurance provider.
Your insurance will not be void at the point of being charged by the police, DVLA or any enforcement authority but at the point the modifications have been made. Hence, you have been paying for anything not worth the paper it’s mentioned on. Driving a vehicle without insurance is illegal and can lead you into trouble. You can be charged with 6 points on your license and £300 fine. Also, you may face an unlimited fine, disqualification from driving and seizure of your vehicle.
Conclusion
Don’t take the risk and make sure to declare all the modifications on car insurance. You will have to declare all the modifications, not just the major ones to avoid your insurance being void.
