can my son insure a car if he is not the registered keeper

Glad

At the beginning of lockdown my Dad had just bought a new car and not sold the old one. My son who had to return home from abroad needed a car but is hoping when possible to return abroad.
Dad said that son can use the old car for as long as he needs it and son was going to look for insurance. However Dad has now said that he's read online that as registered keeper of the car it always has to be insured in his name, then my son has to insure it as well, he can't remember where he read this online and I can't find anything. Can anyone help please.

chrisw

No it doesn't have to be insured in Dad's name, yes son can insure it despite not being the registered keeper. Or son can be added to Dad's insurance as a named driver. Or vice versa.

You just need to be honest with the details and upfront about who the main driver of the car will be.

in_my_wellies

Some insurance companies will increase the price on the basis that as it isn't his car he won't be as careful but shop around not all do. 
I drive, tax, insure and service my mothers car but she is the registered keeper and my old insurance company told me the above.

Glad

chrisw said:

No it doesn't have to be insured in Dad's name, yes son can insure it despite not being the registered keeper. Or son can be added to Dad's insurance as a named driver. Or vice versa.

You just need to be honest with the details and upfront about who the main driver of the car will be.

thanks, that is what we thought,
Dad had already insured himself on his new car so doesn't want to insure the old one as well. He says he read this on the DVLA site but I can't find anything that tells us for definite either way

AdrianC

Your dad's half-remembering something and turning it around.

No, there's nothing at all to say that the policyholder MUST be the keeper. Some insurers may prefer it - in which case, why not just change the keeper to son's name?

452

Glad said:

chrisw said:

No it doesn't have to be insured in Dad's name, yes son can insure it despite not being the registered keeper. Or son can be added to Dad's insurance as a named driver. Or vice versa.

You just need to be honest with the details and upfront about who the main driver of the car will be.

thanks, that is what we thought,
Dad had already insured himself on his new car so doesn't want to insure the old one as well. He says he read this on the DVLA site but I can't find anything that tells us for definite either way

Make sure your dad had made a SORN on the old car if it's not insured.

facade

Your dad has probably seen the  dot Gov information about SORN.

Probably the webpage was written as "You must either insure your vehicle or declare it SORN". 

The Law says that a vehicle must either be insured (and taxed) or declared SORN and kept off the roads.

Your son can insure the car (not try and drive it under "any other vehicle" cover), and then your dad can tax it, but your dad is responsible for the car either being insured or declared SORN again.

Checking the insurance at https://ownvehicle.askmid.com/ will show that it is insured.

Herzlos

in_my_wellies said:

Some insurance companies will increase the price on the basis that as it isn't his car he won't be as careful but shop around not all do.

I think I paid about £20/year more to insure a car registered to my dad, I figured that was better than adding 2 owners to it's history.

in_my_wellies

Herzlos said:

I think I paid about £20/year more to insure a car registered to my dad, I figured that was better than adding 2 owners to it's history.

Adding an owner is partly why I keep the car in mum's name. But also because she has Alzheimer's and has had to give up her home and relocate to my home, leaving friends behind, her car is the only thing she owns so it seemed wrong/sad to take that away. And if I'd transferred a 3 year old car the value for IHT would have been more than it will be at 6 years, or hopefully 10 or more years 

AdrianC

Keepership has nothing to do with ownership. It can be an asset of her estate while being registered in your name.

Alexd52

We have a car driven and insured by our daughter, but registered in my wife's name. We have made sure that the insurance company know this, in fact they gave us a cheaper quote based on this than if we had transferred registration!