Motor Insurance
The University arranges cover for University owned motor vehicles and those vehicles hired on a temporary basis. All cover is for University business use only
University-Owned Vehicles
The University is required to arrange motor insurance cover for all University-owned vehicles in accordance with the Road Traffic Act.
All vehicles owned, leased or bought on hire purchase by the University are insured for fully comprehensive cover.
This meets with all mandatory requirements of the Road Traffic Act.
All drivers must have a valid license to permit them to drive under the University Motor Insurance (subject to a DVLA license check)
The intended use of any vehicle overseas must be referred to the Insurance Office for cover to be arranged.
Additions or deletions to the University fleet must be reported to the Insurance Office immediately using the Motor Vehicle Amendment Form (DOC).
Vehicles hired to the University for more than 14 consecutive days are deemed to be part of the University's fleet, and must also be reported to the Insurance Office on the Motor Vehicle Amendment Form.
The Motor Insurance Database (MID) is the central record of all insured vehicles in the UK. It is managed by the MIB and is used by the Police and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to enforce motor insurance laws.
The Insurance Office ensures the MID is kept up to date with the vehicle information provided by departments.
If a taxed vehicle does not appear on the MID, the registered keeper may be issued with a fixed penalty notice. In order to avoid Continuous Insurance Enforcement penalties, there must be an MID record of the vehicle concerned.
Maintaining up to date and accurate MID records will also eliminate the chances of vehicles being stopped in roadside checks or as a result of automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology.
Failure to meet MID requirements can lead to separate prosecution and a fine of up to £5,000. Therefore it is vital that you inform the Insurance Office immediately of any changes to vehicle ownership as per the instructions above.
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An annual audit of the University motor fleet and AA breakdown cover is carried out by the Insurance Office.
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Each University owned or leased vehicle has to have a Motor Vehicle Pack in it at all times. If you need further copies of the Motor Insurance Certificate or a replacement Motor Vehicle Pack, please contact the Insurance Office
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Members of staff and students driving with the permission of the Departmental Administrator or Head of Department are insured automatically (subject to a DVLA license check).
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The licence details of any persons with 6 points/endorsements or more must be referred to the Insurance Office before they drive any University vehicle.
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The intended use of any vehicle overseas must be referred to the Insurance Office for cover to be arranged.
Departmental vehicles are not insured for private use and since there may be substantial VAT, tax and NIC costs if there is any private use, these cars should be used only for business journeys. Private use is not permitted even in emergencies.
Hired Vehicles
The University can provide comprehensive insurance cover for hired vehicles to be used on University business where the hiring company agrees that the University's motor insurance may be used. This meets with all mandatory requirements of the Road Traffic Act.
If you are hiring a vehicle for a Proctors' Registered University Club or Society, vehicle hiring and insurance may be arranged through the Sport Transport Scheme.
Transport Scheme - Home (Nexus Sharepoint)
Vehicles hired to the University for more than 14 consecutive days are deemed part of the University's fleet, and as such must be reported to the Insurance Office immediately using the Motor Vehicle Amendment Form (Please see adjacent document list).
For vehicles hired for less than 14 days, notify the Insurance Office using the Monthly Departmental Hire Vehicle Insurance Return.
All drivers must have a valid license to permit them to drive under the University Motor Insurance Policy (subject to a DVLA license Check)
Members of staff and students driving with the permission of the Departmental Administrator or Head of Department are insured automatically.
The licence details of any persons with 6 points/endorsements or more must be referred to the Insurance Office before they drive any hired vehicle. It is recommended that Departmental Administrators keep photocopies of all eligible drivers' licences.
Hired vehicles are not insured for private use and since there may be substantial VAT, tax and NIC costs of there is any private use, these cars should be used only for business journeys. Private use is not permitted even in emergencies.
The University's motor insurance policy does not provide cover for the ownership or hire of motor vehicles whilst abroad. The Department/Driver will need to take out the highest indemnity limit offered by the vehicle hire company to ensure full cover is provided.
Motor Claims
All incidents should be notified to your Departmental Administrator as soon as possible.
The Insurance Office should also be notified of the incident/loss as soon as possible by telephone or email and be provided with any photographs of the vehicle damage.
If you are using a hire vehicle, the hire company must also be notified of the incident as soon as possible.
All subsequent correspondence concerning the claim should be forwarded to the Insurance Office.
If there are any other vehicles or drivers involved then please provide Insurance Office with the following:
- The driver's name and address and contact details
- Their insurer and policy number
- The vehicle registration
- Photos of damage to both vehicles
- Details for any witnesses
- Details of any injuries to you and/or the other party advised at the scene even if none are advised.
We advise that you do not discuss liability or fault with the third party.
The claim will be handled by the Insurance Office so please ensure the information is sent over as soon as possible and falls within the 14-day deadline.
Print out and complete the Vehicle Claim Form (DOC) and return it to the Insurance Office together with any supporting documents (witness statements, police reports, photographs etc.). The claim form must be completed and returned to the Insurance Office within 14 days of the incident for the claim to be considered.
Where possible vehicles should be taken to the University's approved repairer who will provide an estimate for repairs. For details of the approved repairer, please contact the Insurance Office.
Where the approved repairer is not used a copy of the estimate for the repairs should be forwarded to the Insurance Office when received.
The Insurance Office may arrange for an independent inspection. If necessary the estimate may be renegotiated or an alternative repairer appointed. The department will be kept informed of developments.
The Insurance Office will give approval to the repairer to go ahead with the repairs and will advise the department accordingly.
Repairs must not be authorised by departments.
If the approved repairer is used, they will forward the invoice direct to the Insurance Office who will arrange payment and charge the excess to the department.
If the approved repairer is not used the department will need to pay the invoice and forward a copy to the Insurance Office who will reimburse the department, net of the excess
Policy Excess:
- The standard excess on the motor policy is £500.
- If the driver of the vehicle is under 25 years of age, or has held their licence for less than one year, the excess is £750.
- Claims are settled net of the excesses mentioned above.
Payments:
We will need your Department cost code and full account string to enable payment of the excess to be journalled via the accounts.
In the event of windscreen damage please contact AUTOGLASS on 0800 363636 and quote ''Oxford Mutual Limited'' and Account Number 305118.
All Invoices for repairs should be made out to Oxford Mutual Limited and sent to the Insurance Office.
Policy Excess:
- The excess for damage to windscreen/glass is £500.
- Claims are settled net of the excesses mentioned above.
Payments:
We will need your Department cost code and full account string to enable payment of the excess to be journalled via the accounts.
Licence Information
UK Driving Licence
A free of charge ''View Driving Record'' portal is available online for individuals to view their own license details at https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence
Drivers must provide a printout of their counterpart details to the Departmental Administrator for their records. Licence checks should be maintained on an annual basis to ensure records are up to date
Non-UK Driving Licence
Any driver owning a non-UK driving licence who is required to drive on University business must check that they are eligible to drive a vehicle either owned by or hired to the University.
Please see the link to the DVLA for a quick search for eligibility https://www.gov.uk/driving-nongb-licence
Use of Minibuses
Licence holders pre 1997
If you hold a UK driving licence before 1997 then you will automatically have the D1 category on your driving licence. This means that you can drive a minibus with up to 16 passengers (so a 17 seater including yourself).
Licence holders post 1997
If you hold a UK driving licence after 1997 then you will not automatically have the D1 category on your driving licence. Therefore, you cannot drive a minibus even without passengers in the vehicle. You can drive a vehicle with 8 passengers or spare seats eg: (a 9-seater vehicle). In order to obtain the D1 category on your licence additional driving tests must be undertaken.
We strongly recommend that all drivers who drive University-owned or hire minibuses undergo the University minibus driver Training Course. Please contact the Insurance Office for details of how to arrange this.
Private Vehicles
When necessary and reasonable, an employee's private vehicle may be used for business. Private vehicles are not insured by the University.
Further information on use and mileage expenses can be found here.
Motor Insurance Contact
01865 616078
Contact Us
Oxford Mutual Ltd
University of Oxford Finance Division,
c/o Oxford University Press,
Great Clarendon Street,
Oxford,
OX2 6DP
