Young driver insurance advice please!

cerimorgan68

Hi everyone

I would really appreciate any advice that anybody can give me on finding car insurance that will incorporate my two kids, one who is 20 and the other 17.

Both are at the stage where they are learning and I have bought a cheap car for me to be able to take them out in addition to lessons, but not sure of which is the best and most cost effective way to insure them on the car?

Would it be that I am the main driver and they are down as named drivers on the insurance or for one or both of them to be the main driver so that they can start notching up their no claims  and for me to be a named driver on there?

When my daughter turned 17, I had bought additional insurance where I was paying an amount every 3 months but Covid played its part in her becoming disinterested. But now she is showing interest again as well as my 17 year old son.

Any help or advice would be so greatly appreciated.

CliveOfIndia

The most cost effective is likely to be you as the main driver with them as named drivers.  In the case of learners, the "fronting" business is not such an issue - and with 3 of you driving, it's likely to be difficult to honestly determine who is the true "main" driver anyway.

Adding a learner as a named driver is usually not too horrendously expensive, since by definition they are supervised at all times.  It's when they pass their test that the price tends to rocket.

Of course, they won't be earning a no-claims bonus if they're named drivers on your policy, but I suspect it'll make little difference in the grand scheme of things.  And in fact, some (not all) insurers will take into account any claim-free period while you were a named driver on someone else's policy.

DullGreyGuy

CliveOfIndia said:

The most cost effective is likely to be you as the main driver with them as named drivers.  In the case of learners, the "fronting" business is not such an issue - and with 3 of you driving, it's likely to be difficult to honestly determine who is the true "main" driver anyway..

Fronting (aka fraud) is just as much of an issue with learner drivers as qualified drivers... in fact I'm fairly sure we caught more fronting with learners as it was more evident that the parent was never using the vehicle.

Who the main driver has to be the best estimate of who'll be driving it most... I'd expect it to be one of your kids unless you've found yourself using the car now as a convenient run around or such but expect it to be challenged that you aren't the main driver in the event of a claim

Lorian

There are several companies who offer short term add on learner insurance policies. Marmalade was one we used but there are others  they are just insuring the learner driver, you still need your own car insurance.

GrumpyDil

My son is currently learning to drive. Rather than have the cost of maintaining my car plus a car for him to learn with we have sorned my car and I am using a cheap manual as my car with my son insured under a bolt on policy which is costing 370ish for 270 days which didn't feel too bad and a lot cheaper than maintaining the two cars.

And I am the main driver as I'm using it for my daily commute etc. 

HillStreetBlues

GrumpyDil said:

My son is currently learning to drive. Rather than have the cost of maintaining my car plus a car for him to learn with we have sorned my car and I am using a cheap manual as my car with my son insured under a bolt on policy which is costing 370ish for 270 days which didn't feel too bad and a lot cheaper than maintaining the two cars.

And I am the main driver as I'm using it for my daily commute etc. 

The MSE way.

Goudy

I did this when our lad wanted to learn to drive.
Bought a car, put it in his name and we insured it on a learner policy in his name with Collinwood that specialise in learner insurance.

It's all sounds like a good idea, helping them out with some extra practise but it can go badly.

It's not the easiest thing to sit in with a loved one and that goes both ways, it can all become very stressful for both and often leads to major arguments.

I've had some experience with family members but with getting motorbike licences, but there's a big gap between you both and you only really converse when you stop for a catch up chat.

Sitting in a car next to each other for hour after hour when you've been out of the learning to drive phase yourself such a long time is going to be a major stress on everyone.

It's a lot of money, buying a car and insuring it for a learner when it could go badly wrong in the first hour and then the thing sits there doing nothing while you spend the next months barely talking to each other.

I would be wary doing this and would say it's worth considering spending the money piling on the professional lessons first so they at least get their licence before helping them on the road.

Arunmor

Try https://www.collingwood.co.uk/learner-driver-insurance/  I found them very good when my youngest was learning (during Covid so now doubt like all insurance things may have changed a bit).  Remember once they pass their test they will no longer be insured.

GrumpyDil

Agree about being aware of your relationship. 

I helped my daughter learn to drive and ended up driving daily to her school which was 15 odd miles away for around 5 month. 

My wife managed one journey of 20 minutes and I had to walk to collect the car which she had made my daughter park and leave about 1/2 mile away 😂. 

cerimorgan68

Thank you for the comments and advice everyone. Very much appreciated. They have both had a quite a lot of  lessons so have the basics in place and I consider myself a pretty chilled dad. No arguments so far when I have had them out practicing in quiet car parks. (I suppose urban traffic might change that!)
I will look into the insurers that you have mentioned to see where the land lies.
Many thanks again.

Ceri