Car insurance - main driver/named driver - does it matter?

[Deleted User]

Wife and I have got two cars between us which we both use depending on the need. Ones a big car and ones small so if one of us goes somewhere with limited parking we take small car, long way down motorway big car etc.

So one car is insured in my name with wife as named driver and other car is insured in wifes name with me as named driver. Sound OK?

So why the need to confirm whos the main driver of the car? After all, its not as if the insurance company can say you've driven the car too much so we're not paying the claim since your not the main driver, is it?

Proc

[quote=[Deleted User];discussion/2475975]After all, its not as if the insurance company can say you've driven the car too much so we're not paying the claim since your not the main driver, is it?[/QUOTE]

Actually they can.

Best example is parents insuring a vehicle for their teenage son/daughter to use. They put the parent as main driver with the teenager as "Occasional Use" or something along those lines. From a risk perspective, this will cost less to insure than if the son is the main driver. If it then turns out that the son is actually using it on a daily basis they'll kick it out.

[Deleted User]

Proc wrote: »

Actually they can.

Best example is parents insuring a vehicle for their teenage son/daughter to use. They put the parent as main driver with the teenager as "Occasional Use" or something along those lines. From a risk perspective, this will cost less to insure than if the son is the main driver. If it then turns out that the son is actually using it on a daily basis they'll kick it out.

Yeh. I can see why they'd do this in that case.

However, in our case, its just me and the wife. Roughly same age etc. And we both use the car roughly the same.

How would they tell etc?

stator

I'm not speaking for any insurers but I believe in your case you would be fine. If the car was in an accident at a university in a different city to the parents insurance address then they would probably ask questions.
Do you use either to commute to work? If so then I would make sure the person who uses the car for commuting most often is the main driver.

Andy_L

Only the main driver accrues no-claims bonus. Since you've got a car each not an issue for you, if you only had the one car it might be

[Deleted User]

Andy_L wrote: »

Only the main driver accrues no-claims bonus. Since you've got a car each not an issue for you, if you only had the one car it might be

Yeh. Which is why we have to insure one each because theres two separate no claims bonuses here.

Wife crashed the car I insure a few times one year and lost my two years no claims bonus once. Luckily, one of the accidents went to court and was later ruled as no fault.

Quentin

Andy_L wrote: »

Only the main driver accrues no-claims bonus. Since you've got a car each not an issue for you, if you only had the one car it might be

With most policies this is not so - the policyholder accrues the NCB irrespective of whether or not they are the main driver.