There are lots of situations where you might want to drive someone else’s car. Perhaps you’re going on a holiday road trip with friends, and you want to share the driving. Or maybe you’re helping someone out with a house move or want to share your partner’s or parents’ car.
But will your insurance cover you to drive someone else’s car? Here’s how to find out, plus the insurance options for driving other cars.
EASY AS HACK
Before you get behind the wheel of someone else’s car, make sure you check that you’re insured to drive it. Driving without insurance is an offence, which could get you a £300 fine and six points on your licence [1].
At a glance
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How do I know if I’m insured to drive someone else’s car?
Look at your certificate of motor insurance. It will say whether you’re covered for driving other cars. If you can’t find your certificate, or you’re still unsure, contact your insurer.
Does comprehensive car insurance cover other cars?
You can’t assume that it will. You might think that if you have comprehensive car insurance you can use it to drive other cars. And it’s true that driving other cars (DOC) cover, which allowed you to drive someone else’s car with their permission, was often included in car insurance policies in the past.
But now your policy might not give you any cover for driving other cars. Even if it does, it might only do so under limited circumstances and will be subject to terms and conditions. If you do have cover for driving other cars, it’s likely to be third party only. That means if you have an accident, only damage or injury to the other drivers involved and their cars will be covered.
So, what are the other options if you want to drive someone else’s car, or you want someone else to drive your car?
Named driver insurance
Most car insurers will allow a family member or someone else to be added to a policyholder’s insurance as a named driver. This may be your best option if you want to drive someone else’s car regularly, or if you and your partner want to drive each other’s cars.
Although there might be a fee for adding a named driver, it won’t necessarily raise the cost of the policyholder’s premium. In fact, it might even bring it down if the person added is an experienced driver. But it’s likely to have the opposite affect if a young, inexperienced driver is added.
Also be aware that a named driver can’t be the person primarily driving the car. This is a type of insurance fraud called ‘fronting’ which could invalidate the policy and even make it difficult to get car insurance in the future.
Temporary or short-term car insurance
You can buy temporary car insurance to drive someone else’s car for anything from an hour to around a month. If you take this route, make sure you understand exactly what the insurance covers.Just search temporary car insurance for the different timeframes to meet your needs.
You may also have the choice of being added as a named driver to an existing policy on a short-term basis. For example, Ageas standard cover offers a total of 45 days temporary cover.
Can I drive someone else’s car abroad?
It’s vital to check you’re covered to drive abroad if you want to share the driving on holiday.
If you’re added to someone else’s policy as a named driver, they may need to extend the cover to give you comprehensive cover for driving their car abroad.
And if you’re taking out temporary car insurance, make certain it covers you in the countries you want to drive in.
What is any driver car insurance?
'Any driver' car insurance, which allows anyone to drive a car provided they have permission, does exist. It’s usually used by:
- Businesses, such as driving schools or haulage companies, where people drive multiple vehicles
- People who have multiple carers using their car to drive them around.
Any driver car insurance isn’t usually used by other individuals. While it might be very handy to have a policy flexible enough to let anyone drive a car, it’s also expensive. That’s because it’s riskier for the insurer who won’t know who’s driving the car at any time.
This type of car insurance is also likely to restrict drivers to those aged over 21 or over 25.
How Does driving other cars affect no claims discounts?
If you’re driving someone else’s car as a named driver and there’s an accident, it will affect the main driver’s no claims discount. This isn’t the case with temporary car insurance, as it’s a separate policy.
Find out more about Ageas car insurance.
Sources
[1] https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-insurance/driving-without-insurance
