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There’s a whole host of reasons you might want to add a named driver to your car insurance. Maybe your son or daughter is learning to drive? Perhaps your friend or partner needs to use your car occasionally? Whatever the reason, it’s good to know that other people can use your car. And, should anything happen, you’ll be covered.
Named driver insurance – also called additional driver insurance – refers to the cover someone gets when they’re added to your car insurance policy. It means you’ve told your insurance provider that someone other than you might drive your car.
That depends on what kind of policy you choose. If you have comprehensive insurance, your named driver will almost always have comprehensive cover too. Check the policy details to make sure you have the level of cover that you both need.
Your no claims bonus will still accrue as normal. So, if neither of you have an accident, you’ll still be on track for your discount.
But if your named driver has an accident, it’s likely to affect your bonus. That’s because, regardless of who’s driving, you’ll be making a claim and your insurance provider may need to pay out.
Policies rarely allow your named driver to build up a no-claims bonus of their own. This is worth bearing in mind if you’re adding a young driver to your insurance, as it means they won’t receive a no-claims discount until they take out a policy in their own name. However, your insurance provider may offer the young person a discount to take up a policy with them, based on their driving history in your car.
If you’re a student, or a young or inexperienced driver driver, insurance providers consider you high risk. This will probably be reflected in the price of your premium. But if you share your car with an experienced driver, you could reduce the cost of your premium by adding that driver to your policy. This is because you’ll be spending less time driving the car, which means your chances of having an accident and making a claim are reduced. That could mean cheaper insurance.
But if you’re keen to have your own insurance, there are options. You could consider a telematics policy, which monitors your driving and rewards safe drivers with more competitive premiums.
Adding someone to your car insurance is quite straightforward. 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, date of birth and occupation. You’ll also need to provide details of any driving convictions and accidents they’ve been involved in. If you’re taking out a new car insurance policy, you can add the named driver from the start.
You may have to pay an admin fee for adding a named driver to your car insurance. The money-saving potential of second driver insurance depends on a number of things, including the person’s driving history and how long they’ve had their licence.
Fronting is when someone claims to be the car’s main driver, but someone else is using it more often. Often a more experienced driver (usually a parent) falsely insures the car in their own name, but a younger, less experienced, driver (their child) is actually the main driver. If you give your insurance provider false information to reduce the cost of your premiums, your policy could be invalidated. What’s more, fronting is insurance fraud and you could be prosecuted – so don’t risk it.
Just make sure the person who drives the car most is named as the main driver on the policy. If it’s genuinely a 50/50 split, talk to your insurance provider.
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