Part-Year Car Insurance (or changing primary driver)

Legacy_user

I passed my driving test a few weeks ago, and I'm now waiting for a company car, which I should have in about 3-4 months. The thing is, I'm so ready to have a car now - we live in Cornwall and the public transport is rubbish. It takes me over an hour to get to work in the mornings, when I could drive there in 15 minutes. I'm also feeling a bit anxious about going so long between passing my test and actually driving.

I'm very tempted to get an old banger for under £500, just to keep me going for the next few months. This is very non-money saving, and pretty much just down to me being impatient, but we have the money in savings so I feel partly justified in considering it!

I'm not sure if it's possible though, with regards to the insurance. I don't really want to pay for a whole year's insurance when I'm only going to use it for a few months. I've had a look, but all I can find is temporary 1-28 day insurance when you're driving someone else's car. Is part-year insurance available, or can you not get it? Alternatively, my husband is also learning to drive. I was wondering about getting the car and insuring myself on it, with him and my MIL as named drivers (so he can practice with her in the car when I'm not using it). I could then make him the named driver when my company car arrives, so he can keep using it for practice. Is that possible/legal? I don't know the rules about transferring insurance mid-way through the policy.

Any advice would be appreciated

ETA: I'm turning 27 in a few days and my husband is 28, just in case that makes a difference.

forgotmyname

Temporary car insurance is generally very costly.

You are usually better off taking out a full policy for a year and then cancelling when you need to.

Charges for the term and cancellation fees will need to be paid. But you should be able to get your insurance for much less than a short term policy.

Even a £500 car may cost several thousand to insure...

System

Thanks. I've been looking at cars on autotrader, and realistically I don't think it's going to be worth it. I've realised it's not just the cost of the car and insurance - it's also the MOT if it needs one, any work that needs doing, tax etc. For the amount of time I've got to wait, it would be a massive expense. At least writing it out on here has made me realise that!

System

Sorry to drag this up again, but it didn't seem worth starting a new thread when I'm asking about the same situation. I was expecting my company car at the beginning of March, but I've just found out that it's now not estimated for delivery until the end of April. That will make it 5 months without a car, by the time it arrives. I realise it's only another month and a half, but I've had the beginning of March in my head for so long that the idea of waiting longer still just makes me miserable! The thing is, I live in a really awkward area and it takes me over an hour to get into work on public transport, compared to the 10-15 minutes it would take if I could drive. So, I'm back to considering whether or not it's worth getting a cheap run-around for the next couple of months. I realise it's not a cost-effective option (although in hindsight it would have been quite a good option if I'd done it straight away, given how long it's taken for the car to arrive).

I'm not going to try and get temporary insurance, as I agree that's probably going to work out as way too expensive. But my husband is still learning to drive, so if I got a car and insurance for the both of us, he could use it to practice driving with my MIL, and could use it once he's passed when I've got the main car (if I wasn't able to cancel the insurance part-way through the year). I've got two questions. Firstly, how difficult is it to cancel insurance part-way through the year? Secondly, how easy is it to swap the primary driver on an insurance policy?

Quentin

Both your questions have the ame answer - dead easy.

You contact your broker/insurer and instruct them, and pay any charges your instructions trigger.

System

Thanks, Quentin; that's really helpful. Aside from the obvious increase in insurance that would come from changing the primary driver from someone with a full license to a learner, would I be looking at any big charges/fees for making the change? And can anyone give me an idea roughly how much insurers tend to charge when cancelling your insurance before the year is up?

Quentin

Insurers charge different fees for making changes - eg. some don't make any charge for changes done online, and the norm is around £25. Check with your chosen insurer before buying what they charge.

Cancellation charges also vary - so again check with your chosen insurer before buying.

sithemadmonkey

One thing to also bear in mind is that if you have a 'fault' claim (i.e. one where the insurer's outlay can't be recovered from anyone else) whilst you're driving then you may have to pay the full year's premium even if you cancel. I know it's unlikely, but it's worth being aware of the possibility.

System

Quentin wrote: »

Insurers charge different fees for making changes - eg. some don't make any charge for changes done online, and the norm is around £25. Check with your chosen insurer before buying what they charge.

Cancellation charges also vary - so again check with your chosen insurer before buying.

Alright, I'll have a look. Thanks again

sithemadmonkey wrote: »

One thing to also bear in mind is that if you have a 'fault' claim (i.e. one where the insurer's outlay can't be recovered from anyone else) whilst you're driving then you may have to pay the full year's premium even if you cancel. I know it's unlikely, but it's worth being aware of the possibility.

Thanks for the warning. I don't think it would be too awful if that happened; I'd just keep the insurance for the year and let my OH drive it for practice. It's good to know about the possibility, though.

While I'm posting, does anyone have any tips for buying a second-hand car? Is it generally better to look at private sellers or car lots? I'm going to look at cars with a decent amount of MOT on them, but as I'm looking right at the bottom end of the market (£400-500) I want to make sure I don't end up with something that doesn't run or something that's been stolen! I don't know anyone that has a lot of experience with cars who I could take with me, although my FIL would probably be good at making sure I don't get fleeced. This was part of the reason why I decided against it back in December - I wanted to avoid the stress of buying a second-hand car.

hollie.weimeraner

x-caitlin-x wrote: »

I passed my driving test a few weeks ago, I'm also feeling a bit anxious about going so long between passing my test and actually driving.

I could then make him the named driver when my company car arrives, so he can keep using it for practice.
Any advice would be appreciated

The best thing you can do before getting your company car would be to take some refresher lessons with your instructor. I'm sure he/she would be happy to accept your money:rotfl:
Secondly, should you decide to buy a car just remember that YOU cannot supervise a learner driver until you have held your licence for 3 years, so he would need to find someone else to supervise him.
Oh and if you do decide to buy one I'd also suggest getting some insurance quotes before committing yourself.
Hope this helps

System

Thanks Hollie. I was planning on taking the Pass Plus, but I think if I end up buying a car I'll save the money and go out with my MIL for a refresher instead. I know I can't supervise my husband, so the plan is to put his mum on the insurance so she can take him out. I'm going to look at a car this morning and I checked out insurance last night. I've found a quote for just under £600, which is better than I was expecting as a first-time driver.