Can I Drive Another Car On My Insurance
Can I Drive Another Car On My Insurance
It’s that time of day again when I’m juggling a thousand thoughts, from figuring out what’s for dinner to answering random insurance questions. But let’s focus on the important one today—can you drive a friend’s car without the insurance gods getting mad at you?
As a driver, it is up to you to ensure you are lawfully qualified to drive someone else’s car before starting the engine. In many cases, though, you’ll be unable to drive someone else’s car using your insurance — and if you are, it’ll be unlikely to be of the same level of cover you’d have when driving your own vehicle. This guide walks you through what insurance you’ll need to drive someone else’s car and some options for insurance that may be available to you.
What Is Driving Other Cars (DOC) Insurance?
DOC insurance lets you drive someone else’s car without being named on the insurance or having to take out a car insurance policy. Driving a car that does not belong to you is often only included on a comprehensive car insurance policy. You will not be insured to drive other vehicles if you have third-party policy.
Some people, particularly drivers under 25, may have difficulty obtaining DOC coverage, as they will be considered high risk by insurers.
How Can I Get Covered To Drive Someone Else’s Car?
There are a few different legal ways to drive someone else’s car:
Become A Named Driver On Someone Else’s Policy
This is a popular option for covering a spouse, partner, civil partner or children on one vehicle for long periods of time, such as a shared or family car. In most situations, it offers the cheapest option for insuring someone who might occasionally use the vehicle but isn’t the primary driver.
When it comes to your own car, the principal holder must add your details as a ‘named driver’ to their insurance policy. They can either do so during the policy set up process or contact their insurer later and provide your details, including driver’s licence details and past driving history.
In either case, if you were at the wheel when an accident happened you would be making a claim on the main driver’s policy and would receive the same level of cover as they do.
In case you are not the principal or main driving force of the automobile, you should think about being added as a named driver only.
Finding Insurance That Offers DOC Coverage
If you shop around, you may be lucky and find fully comprehensive insurers that still provide a driving other cars (DOC) option.
(DOC extensions — becoming ever harder to find these days — usually just add liability coverage that pays for damages and medical bills for those injured in a crash you have caused.) Translation: Your injuries or damage to your vehicle won’t be covered.
What Are The Risks Of Driving With The Wrong Insurance?
Registered keepers requiring removal from the road do need to apply for a Statutory Off-Road Notice (SORN). A SORN vehicle does not need vehicle tax or insurance. The DVLA website has more detail or you can apply for a SORN.
As stated above, they will carry six penalty points, which will result in you losing your licence if you have held it for fewer than two years. A fine will also be involved, and in certain enforcement situations the vehicle in question may be seized.
What Happens If You Get Caught Driving Another Car Without The Right Insurance?
If you’re iffy about it, you shouldn’t be sitting in the driver’s seat of anyone else’s car. Driving without insurance is illegal, even if you believed you were insured and you can be fined £300 or receive six points on your licence. They would remain on your record for five years. If you have previous convictions on your licence, the punishment will be even harsher.
What Are Your Other Options?
If your insurance policy does not cover you driving someone else’s car, there are a couple of ways you can obtain coverage on a second vehicle.
- Add yourself as a named driver to the owner’s insurance policy, that way you both are clear you are aggregated. As long as you and the owner are sure that all information provided is correct you should not have any issues if you ever need to file a claim.
- Insure your Temporary Additional Vehicle with your auto policy So, for instance, if you’re taking a road trip and want to share the driving among a few people, you could each take out a short-term insurance policy for a day or a week. That means you would all be equally insured to drive the car and you would pay a single fee upfront.
Still unsure which option is best for you? Contact your provider for more details. They should be able to go through your current policy and tell you what options you have based on your situation.
Conclusion
FAQ
No comprehensive insurance does not give you the ability to drive any car. You would need to look at the details of your policy, as some policies have a “Driving Other Cars (DOC)” clause, but many do not. Always check with your insurer before getting behind the wheel of someone else’s vehicle.
A fully comprehensive insurance policy doesn’t automatically qualify you to drive someone else’s car. But most policies have a clause for “Driving Other Cars” (DOC) which usually offers third-party liability coverage only. What’s more, the clause typically kicks in only if you’re older than a certain age (typically 25) and are using the car for personal, as opposed to commercial, purposes. Always refer to your policy for the details.
Named driver insurance is when you add an extra person to a car insurance policy who is allowed to use the insured vehicle. They typically receive the same coverage as the main policyholder.
