Student Car Insurance - Are most young drivers actually insured?

Wendybytheriver

My son is a student, 21, away at Uni, so doesn't need a car term-time BUT he's been fortunate & has a offer of a job during the coming summer holiday - summer jobs look like they'll be in short supply again this year!
Problem is we live in a rural village, work is 2 bus journeys away, our local bus is a 1 hourly service. Last year he had a summer job at the same place but with bus timings, he ended up walking most evenings - a 5 mile walk, after a day doing manual labour.
(He passed his test Dec 2009, was on my insurance whilst learning & then after his test until my insurance renewal - as he was studying away from home, I didn't add him on last year to my cover - he's not driven for last 12 months so no NCB).

My insurance is due mid-March (Ford Fiesta 1.2, 2004) - DH and I are over 50 so insurance quotes with me & DH as only named driver are coming in around £160-£190. Add son as a named driver too & it starts at £953 upwards. He is only likely to use the car some days per week, perhaps a max of 50 days per year.
I only really need to add him on for couple of months in the summer & perhaps 3 weeks at Xmas - so anyone else in the same situation come up with a solution?!

After several hours online getting quotes, besides getting a blinding headache, I'm struggling with options -
(1) we find an insurer to add him on for short periods - but most quote an admin fee £25 for every time we add him then remove him - that would add £100 per year minimum, plus the extra insurance cost.
(2) keep him off my insurance, buy him a car for summer, find an insurance for 2 months then sell the car.
( or if we found a decent car, "sell" the car to DH, who has a company car so wouldn't use it, register it & insure it under DH's name as SORN, keep it in Grandma's garage until next needed & then "sell" it back to son next Uni hol. )
(3) tell him it's the bus & walking still !

anyone know any insurance companies who would do short period cover? Any other ideas?

Quentin

Option 4: Show him how much it will cost and ask him does he want to pay for it himself or use that money to pay bus fares and taxis instead of walking.

hellokitty08

Many answers to different questions,

You can also use bike no claims on cars, i do.

No claims are usually vaid for two years, so not driving for 12 months shouldnt matter.

You can take temporary cover just for the months he needs it, might work out cheaper.

Morph4610

Try A Plan, Only Young Drivers and Adrian Flux. All worth a call. Good luck

MsHoarder

Look at the cost of taxis. When I first graduated I couldn't afford a car, and even getting a taxi every few days when a bus wouldn't work still saved money on car running costs. Keeps a local business going too.