Named driver insurance is sometimes referred to as additional driver insurance and covers your vehicle if someone else drives your car. The named or additional driver on your car insurance could be a friend, your spouse, or a family member who might need to use your vehicle from time to time. Businesses may also need to take out named driver insurance when an employee uses a company vehicle. This type of insurance may save you money in the long run.

Why would I need named driver insurance?

If somebody else drives your vehicle and you do not have named driver insurance, your insurance policy will not cover the driver or your vehicle in the unfortunate event of a car accident or damage to fire or theft. You may not even consider getting named driver insurance as you are the only person who has ever driven your vehicle, however your friend or partner may, in an emergency need to drive your car. If anything happens during the time an additional driver is operating your vehicle, insurance will not pay out. Named driver insurance is definitely the safer route to go when taking out a new car insurance policy.

Will named driver insurance push my premiums up?

Many people are hesitant to add an additional driver to their insurance plan as they think it will increase their premiums, however if you are a young or new driver, adding a more experienced drive to your policy could actually bring your premiums down. Insurance premiums are calculated based on risk factors. This would be relevant if the named driver has a good driving record with little to no claims. When adding an additional driver with the aim of reducing your premiums, you will need to ensure that you are the main driver and the additional driver remains secondary.

In the same breath, adding a younger driver to your policy usually increases your premiums as these drivers are seen as higher risk. A learner driver being covered by your insurance policy as a named driver could increase your monthly repayments considerably, however without this cover your vehicle will not be covered for damages should anything go wrong.

Adding a named driver should not be a complicated or confusing matter and we recommend shopping around for quotations from different insurance companies to make sure that you get the best coverage and rate.