Additional driver insurance

One of the most common phrases you’ll come across when applying for car insurance is additional drivers also known as ‘named drivers’. These are other drivers, usually friends or family members who are added to your policy for a number of reasons.

It could be because you share a car or you’re a younger driver who wants to reduce the cost of their insurance by adding an older, more experienced driver to their policy.

Being able to have another person legally insured to drive your car can be great for long drives and in emergencies but you might not need them on your insurance the whole year round.

The cost of adding a named driver to your existing insurance

Adjusting your annual cover

Adding a driver to your policy or even purchasing multi driver car insurance could have a big impact on the cost of your premiums. Depending on the age, experience and even occupation of the driver you want to add, the price you pay each year could increase dramatically.

Not only could the price you pay increase every year but if you want to add an additional driver during the middle of your annual policy, you could be charged for making a change to your cover.

Known as an MTA (mid-term adjustment), a change to your policy comes with an admin fee of between £20-40.

When you factor in all these costs, having multi driver car insurance can be an expensive option that’s rarely worthwhile – especially if you only want to add the driver to your policy for a short period of time.

You’d be spending a lot of time, effort and money to change your policy for just a few days of cover.

Driving other cars clause

Sometimes you might find that the other driver has a ‘driving other cars’ clause within their own insurance, in which case they would already be covered to drive.

Whether they have ‘DOC’ in their policy or you’ve added them to yours, you will face a huge headache if they have an accident while driving your car.

It’s very rare for named drivers to get the same level of comprehensive cover, so if they have an accident that was deemed to be their fault, your insurer would only pay out for the costs of the other people involved, not you’re the costs to repair your vehicle. It’s also very unlikely that a named driver can drive a courtesy car if you receive one after the accident.

This can end up costing you a lot of money, plus on top of that, your No Claims Discount would be affected without you even being in the vehicle.

If that wasn’t bad enough, more and more annual insurers are removing this ‘driving other cars’ clause without people knowing. This means that they could be using vehicle illegally and you could see your vehicle crushed.

Just because you or any other driver has comprehensive insurance on their annual insurance does not automatically cover you to drive other cars. You must ensure this clause is within your policy documents.

Additional driver insurance

Thankfully there is an easier, most cost and time-effective way of insuring a friend or family member to drive your car on a short term basis.

A temporary car insurance policy lets them drive your vehicle at any time throughout the policy and because it’s separate, standalone cover, you won’t lose your No Claims Discount if the driver has an accident in your car.

Not only can a short-term policy save your No Claims Discount but by only paying for the cover you actually need, you could save yourself time and money in the long run.

If your named driver only uses the car occasionally or you just want to add them so a set period of time, temporary cover is the ideal option. Temporary policies are available from 1-12 hours or daily from 1-28 days.

Don’t spend time and money paying for insurance you don’t want or need, with additional driver insurance, you pay for the duration you want and because you can even select the time you want your policy to begin, down to the minute, you get the best value possible.

When could it help me?

Driving holidays

If you’re planning on getting away from it all for a few days, or even head across to mainland Europe for a longer trip, then you should try to share the driving responsibility.

This means that no matter how long you’re driving for, you’ve always got an alert, well-rested driver behind the wheel.

Temporary car insurance for additional drivers is a great way to insure another drive on your vehicle so you can share the driving.

It also means you only pay for the duration of your trip and because you can purchase a short-term policy up to a month in advance, you can make sure everything is ready for when you leave.

You also don’t have to worry about what happens if they have an accident because everyone is covered.

In an emergency

You might find that you need to drive a friend or family member’s car at short notice, or they might need to drive yours.

In an emergency, the last thing you want to think about is sorting out insurance but if you’re caught driving a vehicle that you’re not insured to drive, you could face unlimited fines and penalty points, which could make a bad day, even worse.

Rather than waste precious time and effort on the phone adjusting your existing policy, you can get a temporary policy that covers you to drive the car you want for the duration you need.

Getting a quote takes just a few minutes and you don’t need to answer any difficult or invasive questions.

Once you’ve chosen the policy you want, your cover will begin the moment you need it to.

Your policy documents are emailed to you instantly, so you can drive the vehicle without having to worry about being stopped and safe in the knowledge that you’re covered for the duration you’ve selected.

Summer holidays

Adding young drivers (usually aged 25 and under) to your policy is either impossible or incredibly expensive. If your child is back from university, for example, they might want to borrow your car to get around.

Most insurance companies are unlikely to allow you to add a young driver to your policy so temporary insurance could be a real lifesaver.

Drivers aged 17 and above can expect to get insurance if they meet the acceptance criteria. You can also get cover for a learner driver to use your car, this time up to 3 months at a time/

If you want named driver insurance for up to a month, temporary insurance is the ideal solution.

Only pay for the cover you want and relax knowing that if something happens, even if you’re not in the car, your no claims and existing policy are unaffected.

Start a quick and easy quote now and get temporary insurance in minutes.