Driving for Business or Professional purposes can be widely described as mileage and time spent driving that is evidently business or profession related. It doesn’t necessarily need to be paid work.

The most limited form of insured usage is ‘Social Domestic & Pleasure Purposes’. This is personal usage only. It does not include any trips connected with a job or profession, even commuting to a regular place of work. Commuting to and from a normal regular place of work e.g. a workplace studio can be added normally at modest or no extra cost.

Policies can be extended to include personal business use. This will likely cost more than the above usages……but not as much as claims can cost.

If additional drivers need to be insured for business the policy will need further extension.

Motor Insurance is a minefield. Here we will focus on ‘business use’ and some common errors;

Failing to declare Photography work: Declaring the correct business and occupation of the named policyholder and main driver plus required business usage and mileage is extremely important. Sometimes there is more than one occupation to declare.

These days insurers don’t have to possess the investigative skills of Sherlock Holmes to establish Work related activities.

Inaccurate or misleading occupation declarations can invalidate insurance policies especially where deemed deliberate.

Driving your own car to or from a work-related photoshoot is Class1 Photography work use. Be warned, this is not Social Domestic or Pleasure use or commuting to and from a permanent place of work.

Driving a Partners or Spouses Car, which is insured in the Partners or Spouses name, in connection with the Photographers business is use by an ‘additional driver’. Check any business use cover extends to the additional driver whose Photography work is properly declared and insured.

Driving a Friends or Colleagues Car to or from a work-related trip by an additional driver requires most policies to be extended to cover the additional driver and that persons business use.

Whichever way you cook it, the driver of any vehicle must be insured correctly or risk the consequences.

Many motor policies are sold online on the basis of a ‘Non-Advised Sale’ meaning the customer is held responsible for mistakes and misunderstandings.

It is always better to get ‘advice’ from an expert Insurance Broker or Adviser to avoid mistakes.

Remember the most expensive insurance policy is the one that doesn’t pay claims