Can I drive someone else's car?
There are a few different in ways in which you can legally drive someone else’s car from an insurance perspective.
These include Driving Other Cars cover, which not everyone will have, being added an a named driver on an annual policy or selecting temporary insurance.
Read on to find out the different ways that you can drive someone else’s car insured.
What is Driving Other Cars insurance?
Driving Other Cars (often called DOC) gives drivers third party only cover when driving someone else’s car with their permission. It allowed drivers to use someone else’s car without being a named driver.
It does however mean that when using Driving Other Cars cover, only other people, property and vehicles are covered, not the car you would be driving.
You are only meant to use Driving Other Cars cover in an emergency and not for regular use.
Do I have Driving Other Cars cover?
If you already have an annual comprehensive car insurance policy in your name, you might be covered to drive someone else's car under the 'Driving Other Cars' (DOC) rules.
However, this is not standard and not everyone has this cover in their Comprehensive policy. If you do have DOC, it is only meant for emergencies and not regular use.
Drivers under the age of 25 will not usually have DOC cover, so make sure you check with your insurer.
You can see if you have Driving Other Cars cover on your insurance certificate or by logging into your online account if you have one. If you can’t find it on either of these then you probably don’t have DOC cover.
Can I add Driving Other Cars cover to my existing car insurance policy?
It will depend on your insurer as to whether or not Driving Other Cars cover is available. If you can’t find it on your existing documentation then the best bet is to contact your insurance provider via phone or email and ask if it can be added to your policy.
What level of cover does Driving Other Cars provide?
It's important to be aware that when you drive someone else's car under Driving Other Cars, the cover changes from Comprehensive to only covering damage to the other car or other people if you have an accident - referred to as Third Party Only (TPO).
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Can I drive someone else’s car with temporary insurance?
You can drive someone else's car by using temporary insurance. You will usually have comprehensive cover unlike when you use Driving Other Cars cover from an annual policy.
Non owner temporary car insurance will also allow you to keep any No Claims Discount that has been built up with annual policies, completely separate.
This means any accident or claim that may occur on a temporary policy, will not have a negative impact on yours or the car owner’s existing No Claims Discount.
How do I add a named driver to my car insurance?
If you don't have your own insurance then you can be added as a second driver or 'named driver' to another person's policy.
Adding someone as a named driver or being added as a named driver does give you the same level of cover as the main driver. So if their annual car insurance policy is comprehensive, then you will have comprehensive cover too as their named driver.
You should be aware that being a named driver means that you should only use the car occasionally, not be the main user of the vehicle. This is referred to as ‘fronting’ and it can invalidate a car insurance policy.
Also, if a second driver has to make a claim on this policy then it would impact the main driver's No Claims Discount (also known as No Claims Bonus). It could potentially increase their insurance premium at renewal.
What happens if someone drives my car without insurance?
If someone is caught driving your car without insurance they could face a £300 fine and up to six penalty points alongside an IN10 conviction. They could potentially receive an unlimited fine and be disqualified from driving. Plus an IN10 conviction could increase future insurance costs.
Can you get any-driver car insurance?
Any driver policies are available but are fairly unusual. They may be found on premium policies with high-value cars or fleets. It’s not a common policy, as insurers don’t know who is driving or their experience before the premium is calculated. Therefore only policies with existing higher premiums tend to allow any-driver.
Can I build up my own No Claims Discount as a named driver on someone else’s policy?
No you won’t be able to build your own No Claims Discount when you’re added to someone else’s policy as a named driver.
Did you know?
Not every Comprehensive car insurance policy allows you to Drive Other Cars; it must be mentioned specifically in your policy.
