Putting football stickers in your car could land fans in expensive trouble

It’s normal for football fans to put up stickers of their supported club in their car window to let everyone who they support.

But you could get into trouble after an investigation from Auto Express and the British Insurance Brokers Association revealed you might be making an expensive mistake in displaying your club’s colours.

By putting a sticker of clubs in their car could land them with a £300 fine, six points on licence or even ‘invalidate your cover’.

According to Mirror Money, the fans will get punished by some insurance companies if you don’t let them know, as football club stickers can count as “modifications”.

Auto Express consumer editor Hugo Griffiths said: “While some additions to your car are obvious candidates for telling your insurer about, many motorists will be surprised by the strict definition of modification, and how even a sticker in the back window could void your policy.”

A few years ago Reverend Wena Parry, 75, sent photos of her car as part of a claim – only for the insurance company to say she had 10 days to explain why she hadn’t told them about the stickers she applied and warned “the policy may be declared void”.

In a letter, Age UK Insurance said: “These modifications do not fit our acceptance criteria for motor insurance. Cover would have been declined if we had been made aware of these at the time of purchasing your policy.”

“Failing to declare something as humble as paint protection film or different alloy wheels could void a policy entirely, potentially costing thousands in the event of an incident, and even putting motorists at risk of a £300 fine and six penalty points,” Hugo Griffiths added.

Mark Barlow, managing director of IFM Insurance, told Mirror Money: “This type of behaviour by a minority of insurers questions the credibility of the whole insurance sector.

“My advice to drivers would be to use a credible broker who would not place cover with any insurer who would consider invalidating a claim on such a technicality.

“If you are insuring direct with the insurer, ask them the question.”