Chauffeur Car insurance is a minefield, and none of us like the renewal time and what is involved with finding the best policy and the lowest price – which is what we all tend to look for.

So as you well know, discovering the good side to insurance and appreciate what it actually means very rarely happens. We decided to put the replacement car procedure system to the test by one of the biggest names in chauffeur insurance in the country Direct Chauffeur Line.

Have you ever thought about what you would do if your pride and joy chauffeur car was involved in an accident?

How would you fulfil the bookings you have taken and would you turn away new bookings if your car was in for repairs? As we all know, due to licensing and insurance there is no way you could hire a prestige car and carry on trading.

That is exactly why there are now various companies that hire out PCO registered cars, so you can at least have a car with rear seats to put your client in!
As I test, I was made a ‘Gold Scheme’ customer with Direct Chauffeur Line which includes up to a fourteen day fault/non-fault hire in the event of an accident which can be a god-send if the worst should happen.

In the event of a fault / non recoverable road traffic accident, fire or theft you can get a vehicle for 14 days. If it is non-fault recoverable incident the hire is for a reasonable unlimited period of time. This basically means until the claims is resolved or the vehicle is repaired.

We wanted to see if the process really worked, so we made a call claiming we had been in an accident and the vehicle had to be repaired. Direct Chauffeur Line was straight on the case, as I really needed a car and soon – it would make bad business sense to take a few days off to enjoy daytime TV whilst the car is in the garage.

Within a few hours I had received a date and a time when a replacement vehicle would be on my doorstep and ready to use. When I normally take delivery of cars to test or on hire, the company conveniently give me an eight hour gap of when the car will be delivered, but in the case I received a call from the driver in the morning to confirm when the car would be with me – and that time was kept to!

A Mercedes-Benz E220 CDi in Silver with a black leather interior was delivered, there’s no point me going into how good this cars is, as most chauffeurs know that the E-Class is pretty hard to beat when it comes to economy and comfort – and can complain at 42 mpg? There are also vehicle such as the diesel Chrysler Grand Voyager.

Andy Hussey, Managing Director of Direct Chauffeur Line said, “The schemes we now offer has already proved to be extremely popular in the chauffeuring industry. We are already working on a number of additional benefits soon to be launched to enhance the Platinum and Gold cover which will be unveiled to our customers very soon.”

“It is also worth noting that the legal expenses cover has been raised from £50,000 to £100,000 with motor prosecution cover included which can make a big difference when it comes to making a claim. We also offer motor prosecution defence cover which is essential for example if a vehicle was cloned and you were to receive parking tickets, speeding fines, congestion charges we can help defend these claims.” he added.

To check it all out a second time, we were again signed up the Platinum Scheme and without fail, after reporting the accident, there was a Mercedes-Benz S320 long-wheel base on my doorstep. With a vehicle of this spec, you can be sure that your client is going to be more than happy.

The Gold and Platinum cover sounds very extravagant I hear you cry! Direct Chauffeur Line tell us that the premium for the cover is already included in the insurance quotations so there would be nothing else to pay if you was put into the situation of needing a replacement car.

When it comes to renewing insurance, it is always temping to go for the cheapest quote and not think about the cover you may need. But you may be a great driver, but it only takes that one moment, and even it its not your fault, at least you know that you can carry on putting that bread on the table for the family. www.direct-chauffeur-line.co.uk