Insurance clarification (car kept on shared, off-street area)

[PardonTheWait]

I’m about to remove the engine and some other bits from a car and then will have the shell collected for scrap. My question is about insurance - the car is MOT’d and I’m going to tax it to move it there. I’m going to at least insure it for the day when I move it, but do I need to insure it while it’s there?

Basically myself and quite a few of my neighbours have garages on the backs of our gardens and they all face each other with a small yard between them. The yard isn’t a road, but is accessible by the road, and isn’t gated.

Does this count as accessible from the public highway, and do I therefore need to make sure it’s insured while it’s there? The car won’t even be a runner after the first day but if it’s going to be an issue I want to be safe. Can anyone confirm? Couldn’t find a straight answer on the .gov site.

Thanks

 

[Liquidfox]

If it's taxed, it needs to be insured regardless of where it is. If you SORN it, then you don't need to have it insured providing that the road it's stored in is classed as private land (how it's accessible doesn't matter). It'd be wise to keep it insured against fire and theft (sometimes called laid up insurance) in case something goes wrong though.

 

[PardonTheWait]

I didn’t even think of that :/ it’s been on my sisters drive for a long time with tax and no insurance! She lives down a little curl-de-sac and it’s tucked away though.

I’ll see if I can confirm that this is private - I would say it is, as it’s just a kind of shared entrance to probably 8 garages. It doesn’t go anywhere else, it’s not a street, has no markings etc.

 

[muon]

If the land is used by members of the public then it falls under the RTA and needs third party cover (e.g. you couldn't go driving round a shared private estate with no insurance, or a farm with right of way).

However, from what you've said you won't be driving it. So get it SORN and then you won't be chased for insurance.