Switching main/named drivers on Insurance policies....

blue_monkey_2

I wonder if someone can answer something for me - it's a bit complicated. We have:

Main car, registered to me with me, I am the main driver, my husband is named driver, Insured with Esure for 10 years but changed to Tesco in Jan.

2nd car, registered to me, husband main driver, I am named driver, he has a work van so insured this way to build up his NCB - Esure have given him a starting 3 years NCB. Due for renewal May/June time. Intended for this car to be used as his 2nd car and 50% business use by me and is insured as such.

2nd car is not running right and I am too scared to drive it as I often in rural areas with no mobile signal - it is getting too costly to fix as it is very old and is just taking up space on the drive and costing us money in insurance and not being used. We are looking to replace it with a 2005 year car - the intention is that I will be the main driver of this car and will use it for at least 80% business as I can get more work if I can get around, I need a big or estate car because I can carry work stuff - my husband & I will drive car 1 50/50.

So, my question is this - are we able to switch main/named drivers of cars part way through policies? We have different NCB levels.

If we register the new car in my name because I will be using it for work and just change the car insured he will no longer be the main driver as we have declared. I will also be putting 80% expenses through the business so it will be clear he is not the named driver.

Can someone please advise on the best way forward with this situation. We do not want to invalidate the insurance by saying he is the main driver when he is not however he would like to build up his NCB. My husband will not really need to drive car 2 because he will use car 1 now.

Thanks.

barriejohn69

Myself and my wife did this. The insurance company had to set up two new policies but said they wouldn't charge admin fees.
It was £550 cheaper to cancel the policies and shop around for new ones.

blue_monkey_2

Thanks for your post barrie, can I ask if your policies were with the same company - I am wondering if we have stuffed ourselves with that option now that I moved from Esure to Tesco with car 1 (premium was £170 cheaper with £25 giftcard and Tesco points and Esure would not price match, a huge difference).

barriejohn69

Original policies were both with egg but we have moved to chaucer direct. I think they will say that you need a total new policy although that may have just been a miney making ploy that backfired on them

kk20

Speak to the insurance company. One of our policies is in my wifes name but i'm declared as the main driver (to keep our NCB's intact) we just pay an extra loading for the sake of keeping NCB.

Lum

Given that you're husband and wife, rather than mother and son, I wouldn't bother switching around main/named driver in the middle of a policy. As stated above they'll have to cancel it mid policy and issue two new ones, thus losing you the NCB you would have earned had you let the policy finish.

Insurers are well aware that people in your situation will be sharing your cars and as you're both similar risk profiles they aren't even going to question it.

Someone will be along soon to accuse you of "fronting", which is where a low risk driver takes out a policy in their name, with a high risk driver, such as a teenager, as a named driver because it's cheaper. If the teenager then crashes the insurance will go looking for evidence that the teenager was actually the main driver. If they can prove this then they wont have to pay out.

As husband and wife, no matter which of you is involved in an accident it's not suspicious that it was the named driver driving and it's not worthwhile for the company to investigate this. If anything, as a man, your husband is likely the higher risk driver in their eyes.


Obviously this is assuming you both have relatively clean licences and accident histories, if you have 9 speeding points, a couple of drink driving convictions and/or an IN10 then my comments don't apply.

kk20

I only mentioned it because "business" was involved (didnt say what type of insurance was necessary). It can get nasty when business driving is involved as this could load the policy somewhat. (It did with ours hence declaring our policy correctly each year.)

It also isnt worth getting voided when you rear end a ferrari.

Lum

You can add business use for one or both of you.

blue_monkey_2

I have to admit that declaring I used it for business travel did not put our premiums up at all - I have it on both cars because I did not want to drive it and get in trouble for it. In fact my husband has it for business travel as well but he does not use it for any business, they just said they would add it for both drivers.

My husband got the 3 years NCB as a named driver because we are safe drivers no convictions, I had a pheasant fly into the wing of my car about 5 years ago and done loads of damage to the electric mirror, N/S wing, passenger door and back wing so I claimed for that but it has always been declared.

Thanks, I was worried that we might get in trouble if he was hardly driving it, we have not done it to deceive anyone, just that the car was 50/50 and he wanted to build his NCB up again but if I use it for business I hardly nee to use for the main car so he might as well be insured on that. I've been out today for example and done some work stuff and been to see friends on the way back so I do not usually do anything without doing some work at the same time. Even at the weekends. Funny enough, I've been emailed by someone who is interested in some of my stock to sell in their stores in Clearwater - and we are going to St Petes Beach in 6 weeks time.....

shortdog

Silly idea - can you not just call Tesco and change the policy to cover the new car, then call Esure and change the other policy to cover car 1? You'll probably pay two lots of admin fees, but it might be easier than changing drivers?

blue_monkey_2

Hmmm, that's not a bad idea as it goes. LOL, why did I not think of that...? Thanks.