Named driver insurance

Enjoy fantastic rewards, on us*
Compare prices from 175 provider products to find the right cover for you^[1]

Start a quote Go to your account

^[1]Correct as of June 2025.

What is 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.

Adding a named driver is a great way to allow someone else to drive your car. This can be especially handy if you want to help a young driver save money, as premiums can be steep for teenage drivers 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.

What are the pros and cons of adding a named driver?

Pros

Potentially lower insurance costs – if you’re a new driver, adding a more experienced named driver could help bring down the cost of your car insurance.
The same cover level – if you have comprehensive cover, this is usually extended to your named drivers. They may also be covered for extras on your policy like breakdown cover.
Convenience – it can be useful to have someone else drive your car. For example, for sharing the driving on long journeys, or popping to the shops for you.

Cons

Higher premiums – adding a young driver to your policy could make your car insurance more expensive.
Impact on your NCD – if you or your named driver has an accident, it’s likely to affect your no claims discount (NCD). That’s because, regardless of who’s driving, you’ll be making a claim, and your insurance provider may need to pay out.
No benefits for safe driving – Policies hardly ever allow your named driver to build up a no claims discount of their own. So a young named driver won’t typically be able to start building their no claims discount until they take out a policy in their own name.

What are the named driver insurance rules?

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.

What is fronting?

Car insurance fronting is when a named driver uses the car more than the main driver on a policy. It’s a type of car insurance fraud and is illegal.

Fronting can often happen when an older, more experienced driver claims to be the main driver when, in fact, they’re not. A parent, for example, may do this to help their child get a cheaper car insurance premium.

If your insurance provider finds out you’re guilty of fronting, they could invalidate your car insurance policy. So, technically, you’d be driving without insurance, which could lead to a criminal conviction. You could get a £300 fine, six points on your licence and even be disqualified from driving.

How can I be sure I’m not fronting?

The best way to be sure you’re not fronting is to be totally honest. The main driver on a car insurance policy must be the person who drives the car the most.

If you share the driving equally, speak to your insurance provider. They’ll be able to advise you, and ensure you’re properly covered and not at risk of breaking the law.

Can I add a driver to my car insurance to save money?

Yes, you can add a driver to your policy to save money while staying within the law.

If you’re a student, or a young or inexperienced driver, insurance providers consider you high risk. This means your premium is likely to be far more expensive.

51% of young drivers could get a premium of up to £1,435^[2] when they compare with us.

But if you share your car with an experienced driver, it could help lower the cost of your policy. This is because insurance providers may consider the vehicle less of a risk if someone with years of experience and a clean driving record is also driving it.

Just make sure that you, as the main driver, use the car more than the named driver does.

If you’re looking to cut down the cost of your car insurance, you might also want to consider a telematics policy. A ‘black box’ is fitted to your car and monitors your driving, sending the information to your insurance provider.

If you can show that you’re a safe driver, you could get a discount on your premium.

^[2]51% of young drivers between 17-24 years old could achieve a quote of up to £1434.43 for their car insurance based on Compare the Market data in June 2025.

Can I add a young driver to my policy?

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

For example, you might be a parent adding a driver to your car insurance who hasn’t got a car of their own. Or maybe they’ve just passed their test but can’t afford their own insurance.

Just be aware that your premium will probably go up, as you’re adding a higher-risk driver to your policy.

What should I consider when choosing a named driver insurance policy?

There are a few things you might want to consider before choosing a named driver insurance policy.

Add named drivers at the start of a new policy

You might be charged an admin fee for adding a named driver to your existing policy. You could avoid these extra fees by adding any named drivers at the start of a new policy.

Compare policies

The price of named driver insurance can vary between insurance providers, so it makes sense to shop around and compare deals.

Check the Ts&Cs

Reading the small print isn’t much fun. But it’s important to understand exactly what your named driver insurance covers and what exclusions there are.

Protect your no claims

If the named driver is involved in an accident, it could affect your no claims discount. But you can usually protect the years you’ve built up for an extra fee.

Be honest

Be truthful about who the main driver is. It’s not worth getting you both into trouble for fronting.

Get comprehensive cover

A comprehensive policy will give you and your named drivers the highest level of protection. And it can often work out cheaper than third-party only insurance.

How do I add a driver to my insurance?

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 be thinking of adding a driver to your car insurance temporarily – if, for example, you have friends visiting from abroad and you offer to lend them your car. In this case it might be cheaper to get short-term car insurance rather than change your own policy.

Depending on the insurance provider you choose, temporary car insurance cover can range from just one hour up to 84 days.

What do I need to get a quote?

To get a car insurance quote, you’ll need to give us some simple details, including:

Your car – its registration, make, model and age
Where you keep your car overnight
Average annual mileage
Whether you have a no claims discount
Your driving history
Your age, address, and type of job you do
Details of any additional drivers you want to add to the policy.

Once you’ve chosen the level of cover you want, we’ll send you a list of suitable quotes to compare.

Based on 93,685 reviews, customers who bought car insurance rated our comparison service 4.6 out of 5.

Quick, easy and found a good, cheap car insurance

Josephine • 20/07/2024

Good choice of insurers and gives prices for extras

Joanne • 22/06/2024

Obtained good insurance for car which was better than other comparison sites

Colin • 18/06/2024

Easy to use this site

Sandra • 08/06/2024

What our expert says...

“Adding a named driver can have a direct impact on the cost of your car insurance. So, you should think carefully before adding someone to your policy. It’s not just young drivers that can increase your premiums. Named drivers with penalty points or convictions could also push up the cost of your car insurance.”

- Julie Daniels, Motor insurance expert

Why use Compare The Market?

We compare prices for 175^[3] car insurance products

51% of consumers could save up to £473^[4]

^[3]Correct as of June 2025.

^[4]Based on Online independent research by Consumer Intelligence during June 2025, 51% of customers could achieve this saving on their car insurance through Compare the Market.

Start a quote

Frequently asked questions

How many named drivers can I add to my policy?

The number of named drivers you can add varies between insurance providers and their policy terms. But you can typically add up to five or six named drivers on a single policy.

Can I drive someone else’s car if I’m not a named driver?

Some comprehensive policies will cover you for driving someone else’s car without having to be added as a named driver on their car insurance. This is known as Driving Other Cars, or DOC, cover. However, you’ll usually only get third-party cover when driving another person’s car, even if your own policy is comprehensive.

There are usually restrictions with DOC cover too, so it’s important that you check your policy wording. Strictly speaking, DOC cover is only supposed to be used for emergency situations. It shouldn’t be used if you’re driving another car regularly.

Can a named driver drive another car?

If a named driver doesn’t have their own insurance with DOC cover, they should only drive a car they’re listed on as a named driver.

Can I drive someone else’s car in an emergency, even if I’m not a named driver?

No, it’s illegal to drive someone else’s car without being properly insured, even in an emergency.

Can I remove a named driver from my insurance policy?

Yes, you can remove a named driver from your insurance policy at any time. Once you’ve done this, they’ll no longer be legally allowed to drive your car. However, you might be charged an admin fee for removing them mid-policy. It might also lower or increase your premium.