Insurance for Mobility Scooters:

Why get insurance? 

Insurance is not a legal requirement for mobility scooters in the
UK, but nowadays it has never been more important to cover yourself when riding
your mobility scooter by obtaining an insurance policy. If you were to have an
accident on your scooter whereby you injured a member of the public, the first thing
that most people tend to do is contact a “Blame Claim” lawyer to process a claim for
compensation on their behalf. A whole industry has sprung up based around these
claims which you may have seen with the myriad of TV and radio advertisements.
Scooter Insurance Companies: There are a wide range of insurance policies
available to protect against these claims on the market today. Two of the main
providers of mobility scooter insurance in the UK are Fish Insurance and Premiercare
(run by Mark Bates Insurance Ltd).

Risks Covered: Policies are available covering a wide range of risks such as
Accidental Damage, Theft, Recovery, Key loss, Personal Effects and Injury, but the
most important risk to cover is public liability. Policies start at around £79 for basic
cover and vary upwards according to the risks that you wish to cover.

Exclusions: Be aware of common exclusion clauses that some of these policies have.
Payouts in the event of theft may not be covered if the scooter is not physically
secured to street furniture (lamp posts, railings etc…). Breakdown recovery may not
be available in the event of punctures or flat batteries. Your partner or friend may not
be covered if they have an accident whilst riding your scooter. If in doubt, you would
do well to check your policy, or to clarify it directly with your insurance company.
Not all countries are covered by scooter insurance policies so if you are planning to
take your scooter abroad with you, check the small print first.

Recovery Methods: Breakdown cover can be provided in two main ways 1) One of
the National Automotive Breakdown schemes may come and recover you in the event
of a breakdown (such as the AA or the RAC) or 2) You may be recovered by taxi and
have to reclaim the fare from your insurance company. If in doubt, ask.

Discount schemes: One of the ways of reducing the cost of these policies is to ask the
insurance company if they offer a “Free” period of insurance. For example, if you buy
a scooter from a dealer, a lot of dealers offer a free period of insurance (such as 1
moth or 3 months free) so that you are covered from the minute you buy the scooter.
Others may offer such deals as “Buy 12 months, get cover for 15”.

Public Liability: Whatever policy you decide to go for, always ensure that it covers
you for Public liability. Remember that you are personally liable for any accidents or
injury that occurs whilst riding your scooter. This is even more important when riding
the larger Class 3 scooters as they have more mass and speed and can potentially
cause more injury.

If you have any more questions regarding insurance for mobility scooters, please feel free to contact us on 02476 713 913 or visit us at http://www.mobilitynation.co.uk/shopcustcontact.asp