Insuring a young driver - advice please!

[ahoythere]

Hi,
I need to insure my 17-year old son to drive our VW Golf. I'm not sure whether to insure the car in my name and add my son as a named driver or vice versa. Originally I was planning to add my son as a named driver on my wife's policy but my wife died recently so this is no longer an option. I would welcome advice/recommendations from any parents who have already looked into this area.

Many thanks.

[LittlePiskey]

Gosh ahoythere that's so awful for you i'm so, so sorry for your loss.

With regard to the car insurance, it really depends who will primarily be using it. If its your car and your son is going to drive it occassionally then to start with it's better off in your name with him as a named driver.

However if it's going to be used as your son car and he is going to be the primary driver then it's probably best to put it in his name and have you as the named driver as this will not only help him build up his no claims discount (which will make it cheaper for him in the long run) but also if you did need to make a claim some insurance companys get funny about paying out if the person listed on the policy as the main driver isn't.

Hope this helps.

[Labman]

Originally Posted by ahoythere

Hi,
I need to insure my 17-year old son to drive our VW Golf. I'm not sure whether to insure the car in my name and add my son as a named driver or vice versa. Originally I was planning to add my son as a named driver on my wife's policy but my wife died recently so this is no longer an option. I would welcome advice/recommendations from any parents who have already looked into this area.

Many thanks.

The car should be insured in the main driver's name with the person who is driving the car the least as the named person.

[Stephen Leak]

As advised, there are advantages & disadvantages.

With him as policy holder and you as named driver - expensive, although he will start building his NCD, but yours will "lapse" in 2 years.

With you as the policy holder and him as named driver - cheap, but he doesn't build up an NCD in his own name.

[FlameCloud]

Originally Posted by LittlePiskey

but also if you did need to make a claim some insurance companys get funny about paying out if the person listed on the policy as the main driver isn't.

Hope this helps.

You mean funny as not liking having policy holders who are committing fraud?

Be honest with them. If you really cannot decide who will be the main driver, put your son down. Dont fall into the trap of assuming insurance companies wont void policies because you dont think we cannot prove it or follow through with it.

[misterh]

Originally Posted by Stephen Leak

As advised, there are advantages & disadvantages.

With him as policy holder and you as named driver - expensive, although he will start building his NCD, but yours will "lapse" in 2 years.

With you as the policy holder and him as named driver - cheap, but he doesn't build up an NCD in his own name.

Direct Line will allow build-up of NCD for all named drivers, so they are worth a look!

[Stephen Leak]

D'Oh! I forgot Direct Line.

[MarkyMarkD]

But even with Direct Line, if he's going to be the main driver he should be the proposer and named as the main driver.

If it's your only family car, then it's fine to add him as a named driver.

[lisyloo]

Don't forget about quidco.
I got £120 cashback with Lloyds TSB which was great considering my insurance was £150.

[starsinmycrown]

hey, I'm really sorry to hear about your loss. My brother is in the same boat, he's 21 and his insurance is sky high. Our dad died too last year so us all going on my mum's policy isn't an option really- one of us is going to have to get our own, and its going to be me when i pass, because i'm the older one so i've been having a look. Whatever you choose, i would say go to something like confused.com where they can search insurance companies for you- and there is an option where you can declare the fact that you've been a named driver on another policy and they will sort out appropriate insurance companies for you, that will take that into account. Also if he does go for his own policy, the tip i would give (and i'm looking for insurance on a bmw, so i do need to save) is be careful with what occupation you put on- if youve got more options then all the better.) there was a huge difference for me in quotes depending on what i put in i.e student, mature student, training to be a teacher. its all on how you word it. my 19 year old cousin is a damp proofer and a sound proofer. on a pull down menu, if he puts in "construction" his insurance is more expensive, as they make judgements about what youre going to be doing with your car and what type of person you are. if he gets to type his actual job title of "sound proof engineer" in, his insurance drops, as they dont think hes a builder with loads of kit in his car. I don't know what your son does, but its worth seeing. x

[nico26]

Try Elephant.co.uk for a policy for him as the named driver.My two sons have insurance with them. They were quite resonable. Some insurance companies will not touch young drivers with a bargepole and others charge an arm and a leg.

[ahoythere]

Thank you all for your comments. I heard something recently about some insurance companies restricting the times that a young driver is insured to drive a vehicle as a way of keeping policy premiums down. (E.g. No driving after 10pm in the evening). This would be ideal but I don't know which insurance companies offer this type of policy. Has anybody else heard about this?

[MarkyMarkD]

Norwich Union offer (or were trialling) a scheme where cars are fitted with a tracking device, and premiums are based on the times the car is used (with penal rates late at night).

[Broke Student]

I was in the same situation as your son with our VW Golf. The VW was a second car and the only adult it could be named under was my mother (who has maximum no claims). We decided to have me as just a named driver for the first few years as CIS, our insurance provider, gives its own no claims discount to any named drivers. Then when I am 21 and eligible for further discounts I will put myself as the only main driver and will have 4 years worth of internal no claims discount, the 21+ discount and also be building a 'proper' no claims discount.

This was a second policy under my mother's name, so she couldn't have a full no claims discount again, but still worked out very cheap by putting only my mother as the driver for two months then adding myself at a later date under the excuse that I just passed. The adviser told us that it costs alot more if you open a new policy naming a young male from day1, but if only the adult opens the policy as a second car they get a better discount. The computer then doesn't add as much premium on the young male if you add them onto the existing policy instead of making a new one.

I hope that last bit makes sense. What I am trying to say is the insurance companies can tell that a young male will be driving the car like crazy, if you open a new policy naming them from day 1, and they charge you a premium for it. If you add them on after a while the computer assumes the adult uses the car alot and the new named person is a genuine 'occasional driver' and charges less!

[thepirates]

I don't know really. It's difficult to know who to put as the main driver if it really is split 50/50. I suppose in that case you could run an online quote for you as the main driver with your son as the additional driver, and then run another one with him as the main driver and you as the extra one? Anyway, how can you really know who's going to be the main driver if he hasn't started driving yet? :S I remember when I learnt to drive my folks worked out it was cheaper to buy a 2nd car (clapped out metro) with much cheaper insurance and then sell it once the premiums had started to fall a bit, than to put me on the main insurance for their car (or so they said!)
The DirectLine site http://www.directline.com/motor/youngdrivers.htm was suggesting buying a really old car and only insuring it ThirdPartyFireandTheft which made it really cheap I think. I found a couple of useful ideas at http://www.cheapcarinsuranceforyoungdrivers.co.uk such as asking for the biggest possible excess which reduces premiums but is obviously a problem if there are going to be many claims (hope not). Also ideas on how to stop the premiums going up the 2nd year. Also http://www.raisingkids.co.uk/13_21/tee_in03.asp but maybe less useful.
I like the idea of having a policy that finishes at 10pm - that's when most accidents happen isn't it? Just found the article about MoreThan reducing premiums for young drivers not driving at night http://www.moneynews.co.uk/2248/more...er-death-toll/

[jackieb]

My son has his insurance under his own name, but he's a lot cheaper because he added me and his dad as named drivers. We very occasionally drive his car, but he is the main driver.

He passed his test at 17, but never got his car until he was 22 and could afford his own insurance. He got 3 points when he was only 16 ( he was caught driving his friend's car in a council owned carpark). We didn't add him to our insurance when he passed his test as our premiums would have went up by £400 (so he didn't get to drive at all). After 5 years the points came off, and he didn't have to declare the points. He's under £500 for fully comp for an 03 Focus.