Car insurance when you have MS

MS-UK’s Helpline Officer Ryan Jones explains the differences in driving and motor insurance when you have MS 

Often the calls and contacts we receive on the MS-UK helpline are as individual as the multiple sclerosis (MS) that impacts our community. Sometimes there is a running theme to calls too. Recently we received some enquires that were all relatively similar and all about driving and motor insurance. We thought we would write a quick blog post all about the subject. 

We have some general information online all about driving and transport. This is part of our wider ‘preparing for the future’ web pages. This may be useful for you to read. 

When it comes to insurance, MS-UK do not provide any specialist insurance services and we do not have any preferred provider or partner to recommend. Although we do not recommend one service provider over any other, we will always do our best to make sure you have options and choices. 

In the past some disabled people found it challenging to get car insurance. Some insurers did not understand disability and about specialist adaptations that may be fitted to vehicles. They treated them as ‘modifications,’ so would not insure adapted vehicles. 

To try and put your mind at rest you should not be paying higher insurance premiums because of a disability, or health condition. Thankfully, over the years things have changed and it should now be easier for disabled people to get insurance quotes.  

In fact, thanks to the protections of the Equality Act (2010), it is illegal for a car insurance company to charge extra because of a disability. This would be considered discrimination. If you think that you have been discriminated against by an insurance company, you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman.  

In some instances, if you are driving an adapted vehicle that cost a lot to adapt, your insurance premium may be higher than that of a standard vehicle. This is due to the potential higher costs of fixing or replacing the adaptation should you need to make a claim. 

We know that sometimes it can be challenging to get quotes using standard online services, as their websites and tick boxes may not allow for you to input all the relevant details about your condition, any adaptations you may use or anything else that is particularly individual to your set of circumstances. Often providers may want to speak to you directly to find out more about your disability. 

As well as the standard insurance companies such as Admiral, Direct Line and Aviva who insure large portions of the general public, there are also specialist insurers such as Fish, or Adrian Flux who specialise in insuring disabled people. 

Some of the insurance comparison websites such as Compare the Market, QuoteZone, Go Compare and MoneySuperMarket have also recognised that there have been issues in the past and have adjusted the way they work, so it is worth looking on their websites too. 

We suggest that you get a variety of quotes from both the main insurers and the specialist insurers and see what they can offer. 

As many people carry mobility or independent living aids and equipment in their vehicles, it may have extra value to you to use the specialist insurers as they are used to the fact that some of these items are high value.  

They may give more coverage compared to a standard insurer. If you drive an adapted vehicle, the specialist insurers or brokers may be able to ensure that if your own car is off the road for any reason, they can make sure that any courtesy car or replacement supplied is also an adapted vehicle that will suit your needs. 

 To try and be helpful, we have added the links to the providers that we have mentioned, however none of these are meant as a recommendation. 

https://www.gocompare.com/car-insurance/disabled-drivers/