Hi.
Looking objectively at the trail above. I’d imagine DVLA get information from the Insurance Underwriters. (CUE - Claims Underwriters Exchange and MIB -Motor Insurers Bureau.) If you speak to your insurance company and explain (as you’ve owned the van since new you know the history) the situation, they (insurance company) will have access to this Data Base. If????? there has been an entry against your van registration, they should be able to advise what date and I’m sure basic details, for example when the date of the alleged accident happened etc. etc. This would be a start. If said van is involved in said incident resulting in ‘beyond economical repair’, this would be documented somewhere with a report of damage. (Insurance companies HATE paying out so need evidence), so nowadays there will be an electronic and or paper trail to verify the write off of the van.
If your insurance company can only supply ‘basic’ details over the phone, a Formal Request for Information to the CUE or MIB (you can call or do this online) should supply you with everything they hold on you and your van. Edit to say
@Howzat has helpfully posted link above in his post. (Sorry
@Howzat didn’t see your post as I was typing)
If when speaking to insurance company they say they can see no evidence of write off on the data base and you are still insured, I’d get an email to this effect, including some blurb about the DVLA’s alleged perception, and keep this in the van incase you get stopped (but unlikely) Then, as far as you are concerned you still have insurance, and your MOT shows it’s roadworthy. (As others state above keep copies of all this in the van).
If you’d just bought the van I’d be thinking the worst, but as you irrefutably know the vans providence, as owned from new, you understand there is some ‘cock up’ somewhere. You, along with your insurance company and DVLA just have to find it. (Not a throw away statement I promise
as I can imagine how stressful this must be). To put this in perspective even a windscreen repair goes on some sort of claims data base. I can recall a few years ago getting called up by ‘Personal Injury Specialists’ literally every week over a period of a couple of months, asking about my ‘accident’ and was I injured, we can help blah blah. All because I made three separate claims for some windscreen chips.
I really wish you the best and the above would be my objective strategy. Keep using the van until your insurer says otherwise and keep us posted.
Best regards.
Also further edit whilst I had a think…..on the DVLA website you can check your vans MOT history. I know you know it as you’re the owner but depending when DVLA allege it was written off, their own database of MoT may contradict this. Also if you know date of alleged accident, you may be able to offer irrefutable evidence to state you were elsewhere or it had an MOT a day later so how could it possibly have been written off. (That kind of thing). -just a thought
