2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (Oliver Leonard)
A lifelong petrolhead was “disgusted” after staff at a garage told her she was too old to be given a courtesy car. Sue Hulme, 74, from Capel-le-Ferne, near Folkestone, was initially informed by KAP Motor Group in Cheriton that the vehicle would be provided while they worked on her Ford Focus ST. But they then withdrew the offer as their insurance policy would not cover the use of the courtesy car due to her age.
Sue, a retired police officer, told KentOnline: “How dare someone behind a desk decide I’m too old to drive a courtesy car. “I renew my licence every three years. I’ve been a petrolhead all my life.
I’ve got more road experience than most, and I’m still a perfectly capable driver. “I’m not going to be written off just because I’m over 70. “As long as there’s breath in my body, I can still enjoy driving.
” Sue took her sporty hatchback to KAP on April 7 for alloy wheel work covered by a servicing plan she purchased with the vehicle. At first, she was told the job would take three days and that a small Fiesta courtesy car would be provided. However, a few days later, she received an email in which staff noted she “does not look a day over 60” – which is why the Fiesta was originally offered – but confirmed their insurance policy would not permit it.
The company has since explained that while it offers courtesy cars free of charge, its insurance provider imposes age-related conditions. As a result, it cannot insure drivers over 70 without additional coverage. But Sue believes she is being unfairly lumped in with “everyone over 70”.
The motoring enthusiast, who has held a clean licence since 1969, has raced at Brands Hatch and Lydden Hill - and even holds a motorcycle licence. She has always embraced life on the road, racing in a Honda Pilot SUV, driving a Lotus Elan sports car and various BMWs. “It might sound like a small thing, but I really can’t be without a car for that long,” she said.
“From the moment I started driving, I was hooked. There’s a bus stop over there, but I’ve used my bus pass only twice since I retired in 2011.” Sue says her relationship with the garage is now “beyond repair” and she will be taking her business elsewhere.
A spokesperson for KAP said they were sorry to hear Sue was upset and “it certainly wasn't our intention”. They said their free courtesy car service covers the purchase, maintenance and insurance costs of the vehicle. “When it comes to insurance, our provider stipulates age ranges in terms of the risk, and they set the over-70s terms,” the spokesperson said.
“So, it was not that we could not or would not provide a courtesy car – it is that we could not insure it for her free of charge. “If she were able to cover the car herself for the three days, it would be available for her to use.” Sue says she was not offered the option to pay for the courtesy car herself - and she would probably have declined anyway.
The KAP spokesperson added: “We also offer a collection and delivery service, which would still be available, and for small jobs, a 'while-you-wait' service – so we do try to ensure all customers are offered a mobility option when their cars are booked in with us. “To be able to continue the loan car service for free, we have to have parameters that make it cost-effective for us. “Our only other option would be to charge for the service, which many other garages are doing already.
” In the UK, there is not a universal maximum age limit for receiving a courtesy car, but individual insurance providers and dealerships may impose their own restrictions..
