Named driver is now the main driver

brianfall

Hello,

A good few years ago I added my partner on to my car insurance as a named driver. Over the years my car use has gone down and hers has gone up, to the point where she is now using the car much more often than I am (i.e. she uses it Mon-Fri, I only use it at weekends).

I have a few questions;

1. Should I change the policy so that she is now the main driver (I am still the registered owner)

2. If I switch her over to being the main driver, will she get no claims for all the years she's been on my policy?

3. What will happen to my no claims if I become a named driver rather than the main driver?

Thank you in advance,
Brian

Quentin

With most policies the NCD is awarded to the policyholder irrespective of who is the main driver. But you need to read your own policy to be sure - eg RAC award NCD to the main driver (irrespective of who is the policyholder).

You do need to inform your insurer that she is now the main driver.

brianfall

Thanks for this. I contacted churchill and they changed my partner to be the main driver for £38. I thought this was pretty good as she's 8 years younger than me. They said that when I renew I should take the policy out in her name and that she would "inherit" my no claims bonus. If I ever wanted to get a car of my own though, apparently I might end up starting from scratch with my no-claims because of this.

Soubrette

Something similar happened to my OH and myself but when I renewed and mentioned it, the price for him as the main driver increased the premiums.

We've decided that he will use the car to go to and from work and I will drive for pleasure purposes and so our premium remains lower as I will drive slightly more miles than he and so remain the main driver.

Sou

Quentin

brianfall wrote: »

They said that when I renew I should take the policy out in her name and that she would "inherit" my no claims bonus. If I ever wanted to get a car of my own though, apparently I might end up starting from scratch with my no-claims because of this.

Take this with a large pinch of salt!

The policyholder does not have to be the main driver at all. If Churchill insist on this, and you prefer to keep your NCD in your name then move elsewhere at renewal time.

darich

Quentin wrote: »

Take this with a large pinch of salt!

The policyholder does not have to be the main driver at all. If Churchill insist on this, and you prefer to keep your NCD in your name then move elsewhere at renewal time.

I would also have thought that each driver would have their own NCD - and "inheriting" someone elses would not be feasible or allowed.
The named driver would earn their own NCD which they would then be able to declare when they became the main driver.

I'm sure if you asked the insurance if you could "inherit" NCD from someone else in other circumstances they'd tell you that you had to earn your own.

Soubrette

It could be that the main driver has, for example 8 years no claims with Churchill and the other driver has been a named driver all that time. Therefore neither driver has made a claim on the policy.

When I was a named driver with Churchill and then wanted my own policy, they allowed me to have the no claims that had been accrued even though I was not the main driver or registered owner in the original policy. I assume the main driver also kept the same no claims when he renewed.

I don't know if inherited is the right word though.

Sou

Evilm

darich wrote: »

I would also have thought that each driver would have their own NCD - and "inheriting" someone elses would not be feasible or allowed.
The named driver would earn their own NCD which they would then be able to declare when they became the main driver.

I'm sure if you asked the insurance if you could "inherit" NCD from someone else in other circumstances they'd tell you that you had to earn your own.

when I tried to do this recently with mine (hubby has been a named driver on my car for a few years) I was told that only I had been building up the no claims and he does not get any credit for being a named driver on a policy. It may depend on insurer however.