1. Insurers may check your social media!

Given the high-profile nature of professional sports, information about sportsmen and women is readily available, particularly through social media. Therefore, if you do not declare the correct information to an insurer at the outset of a policy you are likely to get found out at a later date, upon which your policy may be invalidated, and any claim may be rejected by the insurer.

It is important to declare your correct profession for your insurance to be valid in the event of a claim.

Even if you have a part-time job or you’re studying alongside your sport, if you have a contract in place with a professional club it is important to declare your sporting profession to your insurer.

By declaring the full and complete information, you can have the confidence that your policy gives you the level of cover that you need. That’s where using a specialist sports broker can help.

2. There are 6 different classes of use for car insurance!

Choosing the right class of use can be confusing, especially if you use your car for lots of different reasons. As a sportsperson, you are most likely to come across these types.

Social, domestic and pleasure cover the drivers named on the policy for normal day to day driving. Shopping, visiting friends or family and pleasure driving such as going to the park or on holiday.

Commuting is the next class up and covers everything included in Social, Domestic and Pleasure, plus driving to and from one place of work in a day.

Some insurers offer a combined class of use called Social, Domestic, Pleasure and Commuting.

If you use your car as part of your job, or to drive to multiple sites in one day, this counts as Business Use. For example, as a sport professional if you drive to multiple locations for games then you would require business use on your policy.

If you don’t declare that you use your car for business use and you are involved in an accident, for instance on the way to a game, your policy may be invalidated, and any claim may be rejected.

The different classes of use and conditions can differ slightly from insurer to insurer, so it’s important you check carefully when you’re buying car insurance to make sure you have the cover you need.

3. You might not be able to drive someone else’s car – even if you are fully comp!

Never assume that your policy automatically gives you third-party insurance to drive another car, even if you have fully comprehensive cover.

Before getting behind the wheel of another car, speak to your insurer to find out what level of cover your policy gives you. If you do drive another car without being insured, you’re breaking the law and you risk a hefty fine, penalty points and possible disqualification.

In addition, if you do have third party cover in place, it won’t cover you for the cost of the vehicle you are driving, therefore should an accident occur you or the owner of the vehicle would be liable for the cost of repairs yourself.

4. You need to disclose points on your licence in the last 5 years (Not 3!)

All insurers require information about any motoring convictions in the past 5 years. Even though they may show on the DVLA database as being expired, it is vital that any motoring offences are disclosed within the 5-year period. Insurers will commonly run a driving licence check to validate your insurance, so it is important to declare this information at the inception of the policy to be sure your insurance is valid. If you receive any points during the time that you are covered, you must declare this to your insurer at renewal.

5. Where you park your car overnight matters!

In the instance that you have more than one address that your car is kept at overnight, for example at club accommodation during the week and at home on the weekend, it is advised to give the insurer both addresses. Normally the insurer will rate based on whichever address the vehicle is kept at most, however, sometimes they may choose an average rating between the two. By providing the full and accurate information, you can ensure you have sufficient cover when it comes to making a claim