You may think, because you have fully comprehensive car insurance you're covered to drive someone else's car, or because a friend has car insurance of their own they can drive your car.
Well, in the interest of avoiding points on your driving licence or a driving ban, the only thing you should ever assume about car insurance is that every policy is different and all insurers offer different types of cover.
Age, car type and occupation can all affect whether you're covered to drive another car.
Who can I add to drive my car?
The only people Admiral will cover to drive your vehicle are the people listed under section 5 of your Certificate of Motor Insurance.
This is the policyholder and any additional drivers you choose to include on your policy.
You can insure up to four drivers including the policyholder on an Admiral Single Car policy. On a MultiCar Insurance policy, you can add six additional drivers per car including the policyholder.
If anyone else needs to drive your car in an emergency, they would need to check their own insurance policy to confirm they have third party cover to drive other cars.
Can I drive anyone else's car?
If you're the policyholder and you're aged 25 or over, then Admiral may be able to arrange third party cover for you to drive someone else's car.
However, just being over 25 doesn't guarantee you'll be able to hop into a friend's car and take it for a spin. You will still need to check section 5 and 6 of your current Certificate of Motor Insurance which tells you whether you have the cover or not.
And you should bear in mind, if Admiral is able to offer you third party cover it's only supposed to be used in an emergency. If you regularly use another person's car it may be worth getting added to their policy as a named driver.
Just think, if you were driving your best friend's flash new car using the Driving Other Cars (DOC) extension of your policy and had a bump, we would only be able to repair the third party's vehicle. That means you could be liable for any damage to your friend's car. That wouldn't be a great end to a day of driving.
Can I add my son or daughter to my insurance?
Yes you can; if you're looking to name your son or daughter as an additional driver on your car insurance policy, simply call our customer services team to arrange this for you.
You may not be able to add young drivers to certain types of cars and there will be an additional fee, but our friendly agents will be able to advise you on this.
If your son or daughter needs to practise in your car while they are learning to drive, take a look at Veygo by Admiral's flexible Learner Driver Insurance. The comprehensive, short-term cover can be added onto the main insurance policy of a parent or family member's car.
It protects the provisional licence holder while they learn to drive in the car and the owner's No Claims Bonus won't be affected if they need to make a claim. You can add them from two hours to 90 days.
What happens if one of my named drivers crashes my car?
If an accident happens in your car, you must report the claim as soon as possible. Provided you have the relevant cover, the Claims Department can make arrangements for your car to be assessed for repair.
In the event of a fault claim you'll need to pay the excess to the garage once the repairs have been completed. If the car is declared a total loss then the excess would be deducted from any claim settlement along with any outstanding insurance premiums.
If the accident is the fault of one of your additional drivers, your No Claims Bonus would be affected on the renewal of the policy. Both you and the driver would need to declare the claim for any future insurance quotes.
A friend or family member wants to borrow my car for a few days - should I add them as an additional driver?
While you can add them as an additional driver, any claims made will affect your No Claims Bonus. If they only want to borrow your car for a short term - anything from one hour to 30 days Veygo by Admiral's Car Sharing Insurance may be a better option for you.
The fully comprehensive cover is perfect for someone who wants to borrow a car from a friend, colleague or family member or for someone who wants to loan their car. Any claims made with Car Sharing Insurance will not affect the car owner's No Claims Bonus and the temporary driver can be insured as soon as payment is processed.
