Car Ownership & Insurance for Newly Licensed Driver

CliveOfIndia

byronwells said:

If my wife is added to my policy for the first year, will she be able to get cheap car insurance on her own in subsequent years?

As mentioned previously, if she's a named driver on your insurance then she won't earn any NCD herself.  As a new driver, her insurance will inevitably cost more than an equivalent driver who has many years of claim-free experience.

Yes, once she's got a year's claim-free driving under her belt she'll be a slightly more attractive prospect than a brand-new driver.  But the difference won't be huge - all you can do is shop around each year and get the best deal you can for her.  And of course, insurance goes up every year anyway, due to inflation if nothing else.

GrumpyDil

byronwells said:

Goudy said:

Only the policy holder gets to earn a discount.
Discounts last around 2 years, so you can swap who is the policy holder each year or two.
She would then build up some NCD but at a slower rate obviously.

No worries, Goudy. Thanks for your help!

When I first insured a car 12 years ago (a 2001 Peugeot 206), the cheapest option was fire and theft insurance. A year later, I bought a 2011 Fiesta and was able to get full comprehensive coverage for a good price, which I've maintained until now. I thought drivers with 10 years of No Claims Discount (NCD) would have significantly lower premiums. I didn't realize NCD resets every two years.

If my wife is added to my policy for the first year, will she be able to get cheap car insurance on her own in subsequent years?

NCD doesn't reset every two years. What Goudy is saying is that most companies won't accept NCD which is more than two years old so switching between drivers in your scenario keeps each NCD active. 

That said I'm not sure I'd get too hungry up on that if you are only planning to run one car between you.