Car insurance - two drivers, one car

bjmese

Hi, I'm looking for some advice about renewing our car insurance. My girlfriend has been driving for ages and has about 12 years of no claims bonus built up, whereas I only passed my test a couple of years ago. We have one car bought in her name, and in our current policy she is the main driver and I am named as an additional driver.

Our work situation has changed in the last year and I now drive the car more than she does, and also am not building up any no claims while our policy remains like this. We'd like to know what our best option is as we come to renew - start a new policy with me as the main driver and her as the additional driver (which I imagine will bump up the price a fair bit, though I'm in my mid-30s and never been in an accident), or have a policy each (again very expensive I would imagine). If I were to be the main driver, what would happen to her no-claims bonus while it wasn't 'in play', as it were, being only an additional driver?

Thanks in advance!

DCFC79

She would still have her ncd but dependant on the future insurer she will have a time limit to insurer the car in her name eg some might be 2 years eg when she becomes the main driver again she would havbe to get insured as the main driver within 2 years from say now.

I believe ive answered the question correctly.

bjmese

Hey DCFC79, thanks for the reply. We've run the details through the comparison websites with me as main driver and it's only come out at 80 quid more than last year despite no NCB for me, so we're going with that. She's unlikely to be main driver for the forseeable future so we'll not worry about her NCB and build up mine instead - from what I can see 5 years worth gets you as much discount as you're likely to get.

Parking_Trouble

Let me step in there quickly and defuse the Fronting issue that the insurance police on here will be pointing out. i.e., make sure the insurer is told who the main driver really is.

LV= allow you to have flexibility without assuming the policyholder is the main driver.

Car one is owned by me, registered in my name, insured in my wife's name with me as the main driver.

Car two is owned by the wife, registered in my name, insured in my name, wife as main driver, me and son named as occasional driver.
Cheapest above board way to allow son to drive whilst wife builds up some of her own NCD.

TSx

Fronting is rarely (if ever?) an issue on policies involving spouses - it is almost always involved in parent-child (or similar) relationships.

One other way to do it (a bit of long term thinking) is to insure the car in your name this year, switch to her next year (to keep her NCD current) and then back to you the year after.

It will take longer to build up your NCD but you'll have 2 full sets of no claims discount, should you ever choose to get a second car.

Parking_Trouble

TSx wrote: »

Fronting is rarely (if ever?) an issue on policies involving spouses - it is almost always involved in parent-child (or similar) relationships.

One other way to do it (a bit of long term thinking) is to insure the car in your name this year, switch to her next year (to keep her NCD current) and then back to you the year after.

It will take longer to build up your NCD but you'll have 2 full sets of no claims discount, should you ever choose to get a second car.

Agreed but the OP is not married. His GF has 12 years NCD and he has none. If he has an accident commuting to work it could easily be construed by an insurer that he is the main driver but using GF's NCD.