Named driver insurance

Named driver insurance lets you add someone to your car insurance policy as an additional driver.

It means you’ve told your insurance provider that someone other than you might drive your car.

The additional driver has the same level of cover as the main driver. So if you have a comprehensive policy, you’ll both have comprehensive cover.

Named driver insurance can be especially handy if you want to help a young driver save money, as premiums are steep for those who have just passed their test.

Provide us with a few details about you, your car, and your named driver to compare quotes and search for a great deal on car insurance.

You can add most people to your car insurance as a named driver, as long as your insurance provider agrees to cover them. This can include:

• A partner, spouse or civil partner

• A parent or grandparent

• Your child

• A friend who borrows your car from time to time.

Every insurance provider sets its own criteria for who they'll cover. That can include factors such as their age and driving experience.

If you’re an experienced driver, you might want to add a young driver to your policy.

For example, you might be a parent adding your child who’s learning to drive. Or maybe they’ve just passed their test but can’t afford their own cover.

Just be aware that your premium will almost certainly go up, as new drivers are considered high risk.

Some car insurance policies may already cover you to drive someone else’s car with their permission. This is known as driving other cars (DOC).

However, this is rare – and if your policy does have it, it’ll likely be third-party cover only.

Named driver insurance gives the additional driver the same level of cover you have as the main driver.

There are a few rules to consider when adding a named driver to a policy:

• To drive someone else's car, you usually need to become a named driver on their policy.

• A named driver cannot be the ‘main’ driver.

• The main driver must be the one who drives the car the most.

• You must have at least third-party car insurance to drive legally in the UK. This is the legal minimum. It covers injuries to other road users and damage to their property. Third-party insurance won’t cover damage to your own car.

• The named driver doesn’t need their own insurance to drive your car. But they must take out their own policy to drive their own car.

Adding someone to your car insurance is quite simple. If you have an existing car insurance policy, you’ll need to contact your insurance provider and give them the details of the additional driver, including:

• Their name and address

• Their age

• Their occupation

• Any medical conditions that could impact their ability to drive

• Any driving convictions and accidents they’ve been involved in.

What if I only want to add a driver to my insurance for a short time?

You may want to add a driver to your car insurance temporarily. For example, if you're lending your car to a friend for the weekend.

In that case, one option is to add them to your existing cover. Contact your provider to do this, but bear in mind you may need to pay an admin fee to add and remove drivers mid-policy.

Another option is to take out temporary car insurance. You can get cover from just one hour up to 28 days, so you only pay for what you need.