What is any-driver car insurance?

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What is any-driver insurance?

Any-driver insurance allows anyone to drive your car, provided they have your permission. With an any-driver car insurance policy, eligible drivers may be covered to drive your car without you adding them as a named driver or providing their full details.

That may sound like a great and practical idea for you, but it’s a risky prospect for an insurance provider. They won’t know the background and risk profile of the people driving your car, so they must err on the side of caution. And that’s why it can be one of the more expensive options around.

Any-driver vehicle insurance policies are primarily used by businesses, although there are other situations where they might come in handy.

Does any-driver car insurance cover all drivers?

Not all motorists are eligible for cover on an any-driver insurance policy. Some providers might ask that drivers are over a certain age – for example, 21 or 25. Or drivers may need to have a minimum number of years driving under their belt or a clean driving record.

If you want to arrange any-driver cover for younger drivers, you could struggle to find a policy and should expect to pay significantly more. There’s usually a better (and cheaper) option, such as adding a driver to a policy or taking out a specific policy designed for young drivers.

What are the pros and cons of any-driver insurance?

Pros

• Offers flexibility and the comfort of knowing anyone driving your vehicle will be insured

• Businesses can insure a fleet of vehicles and multiple drivers under one policy.

Cons

• Typically very expensive – there are likely to be cheaper ways to insure a few drivers for a particular vehicle

• It’s not suited to individuals. It’s better for businesses.

Who might need insurance to drive any car?

It’s expensive but sometimes any-driver car insurance could be worth the expense, such as when it’s used for business purposes. For example, for fleet vehicles or driving schools.

If you own a business with haulage, delivery vehicles or a courier service, it’s potentially more efficient to have an any-driver policy than to spend time sorting cover for every new employee.

Similarly, rather than taking out multiple policies, driving schools will usually have a blanket any-driver policy for anyone aged 17 or over.

Any-driver car insurance could also be useful if you’re an elderly car owner or have disabilities. It could allow carers to drive your car, particularly if you don’t have the same carer all the time.

Please note that you can’t compare any-driver car insurance with us. But there are some alternatives that you might want to consider.

What are the alternatives to any-driver car insurance?

Although an any-driver insurance policy could make life easier, the reality is that most of us won’t need it. Here are some other options to consider if you’re looking to insure multiple drivers.

Adding named drivers

A more practical (and economical) solution could be to add named drivers to your car insurance policy. You can add named drivers permanently, or sometimes temporarily, and they should get the same level of cover as the car’s main driver.

Most insurance providers typically let you add up to four, or sometimes six, named drivers to your policy. These could include your partner, your children or a relative who’s recently learned to drive. Or even a friend or colleague.

If someone is added as a named driver, it means they can occasionally use your car. The main driver on a policy must be the person who drives the car most.

If someone’s been added as a named driver to get a cheaper policy but is actually the car’s main driver, this is known as car insurance fronting. This is against the law.

Temporary car insurance

If you only want someone to be covered to drive your car temporarily, you could consider a short-term or temporary insurance policy. This gives another driver their own insurance to drive your car.

It’s a good solution if someone needs to drive your car for a short while. For example, if you have friends staying over or a child back from university for the holidays.

An added advantage of temporary car insurance is that it’s paid by the person who needs it. And if they need to make a claim, it won’t affect your no-claims discount.

Multi-car insurance

This could be an option if you want to insure multiple cars at the same address. Insuring them under one policy could earn you a discount. And you can vary the cover level for each vehicle.

You should be able to add multiple drivers to a multi-car insurance policy. But be aware that you won’t be automatically covered to drive all the cars (or indeed any) just because you live at the same address. You’ll need to be listed as the main driver or a named driver of a particular car to be covered.

Please note that you can’t compare multi-car insurance with us.

How much does any driver car insurance cost?

Any-driver car insurance can be expensive, as your insurance provider can’t be sure who’s driving the car at any given time. Other drivers could range from the very experienced to novices, so the price of cover will reflect this.

Of course, there are many other factors that can impact the price of car insurance, including the vehicle you drive and where you live. The only way to find out what kind of price you might pay is to start a quote to find out.

I have comprehensive car insurance. Can I drive any other car?

Probably not, although you’ll need to check your policy. Driving other cars (DOC) isn’t an automatic right, even if you have comprehensive insurance. So, before you jump into your friend’s car and volunteer to drive home, you’ll need to check your policy to see if you’re covered.

If your policy covers you for DOC, check what level of cover you have for other vehicles – it’s unlikely to be anything other than third-party cover. This means that if you were involved in an accident, for example, damage to the vehicle you’re driving wouldn’t be covered. Nor any injuries to you.

DOC cover may also be restricted to rare occasions or emergencies only. If you need to drive another car regularly, you should be added as a named driver.

How can I find a policy to suit me?

There’s lots of flexibility when it comes to car insurance, both in terms of the type of policy and the cost. Obviously, you want to find an affordable policy, but you’ll also need one that provides enough cover.

Not sure where to start or what to look for? Don’t worry, we’re here to help. We can help you choose the right type of car insurance for you and give you tips on how to reduce car insurance costs.