Can someone else drive my car?

Does one of your children want to borrow your car for the weekend? Or would you like a friend to use it to take you to the airport? There are many reasons you may want someone else to drive your vehicle.

The good news is that it’s perfectly legal for someone else to drive your car, provided they are properly insured to do so. In this article we will cover the additional insurance requirements you’ll need to be aware of.

Can someone drive my car if they are not on my insurance?

In most cases, no. Typically, for someone to be legally allowed to drive your car they need to be named on your own car insurance policy. Depending on the exact type of insurance that they themselves have however, they could be covered to drive your car.

Can somebody else drive my car if they have fully comprehensive insurance on their own vehicle?

In the past, Driving Other Cars (DOC) cover was a standard feature in fully comprehensive policies, but today this is less common. If the person you would like to drive your car takes out an optional DOC add-on, they should check what sort of cover is included. Even if their policy is fully comprehensive, DOC usually only provides third-party cover for the person driving the car.

Third-party cover is the most limited form of car insurance. This will only cover damage or injury caused to other people, vehicles, or property in an accident. Under third-party cover you would receive no compensation for your vehicle or support with medical or legal costs. Check out our article for a full explanation of the different types of car insurance.

Effectively, the person you want to drive your car needs to check their policy to see if DOC is included, and whether any additional criteria need to be met. For example, insurers may require that the policyholder is aged 25 years or older.

If DOC isn’t included, either you’ll have to add the person to your insurance, or they’ll have to arrange short-term insurance cover. It’s the same process if you want to drive someone else’s car.

Adding a named driver

The most straightforward way to let someone else drive your car is to add them to your policy as a named driver. That way, they can drive your car whenever the need arises.

It’s usually straightforward, but there are named driver insurance rules to take into account:

• There is likely to be an impact on your insurance premiums. The degree to which the named driver is considered high or low risk could affect the cost of your policy. Age, gender, years of driving and claims history are some of the factors determining risk level.
• You must be the main driver of the car. If the other person spends more hours driving your car than you do, your cover may be invalidated.
• Typically, they will receive the same level of cover as you. So if your cover is fully comprehensive, your named driver’s will be, too.
• Accidents, even when someone else is driving, could affect your no-claims discount or insurance costs.

Temporary or emergency car insurance

Short-term insurance cover (also known as temporary or emergency car insurance) can be the best option if you only want someone else to drive your car for a short period of time – which can be anything from an hour to a month.

For short-term arrangements, this may be simpler and more cost-effective than adding them to your policy as a named driver.

Temporary insurance is usually comprehensive and has no impact on your no-claims discount, so if there is an accident while someone else is driving your car, this will typically not affect your personal no-claims bonus.

Age Co, in partnership with LV=, offers three different levels of car insurance: third-party, third-party fire and theft and comprehensive. Breakdown and motor legal cover are among the add-ons available to customers.

Can a learner driver use my car?

If a driver with a provisional licence wishes to practise driving before their test, there are a few solutions. If they need to use your car for a short time only, you can take out specific provisional insurance or learner driver insurance – for which the cover could be as short as a couple of hours. For longer-term cover, you could add them as a named driver. You will have to be in the car with them while they practice.

What is the penalty for letting an unlicensed driver drive your car?

Letting someone drive your car who is not properly insured is an offence. If they’re caught, you could face a fine of up to £300 and six penalty points on your licence. The police could even seize your vehicle.

The best way to let someone else drive your car

If you want to let someone else drive your car, they need to be properly insured.

• If it’s a long-term arrangement, the most sensible option is to add them to your insurance policy as a named driver. Insurers are usually happy to work to meet your specific needs, tailoring add-ons to your situation.
• For shorter-term arrangements – such as a single trip or a few weeks – short-term insurance cover is often the most cost-effective solution.
• It’s your responsibility to make sure anyone driving your car is properly insured. Even if they have taken out a fully comprehensive policy on their own vehicle, it may not cover them to drive other cars.