I think I'm committing insurance fraud and need to figure out the best way out of it!!

[KeyboardMash]

Way back in the mists of time, when I was a nervous occasional driver and DH was a new driver, we got car insurance with me as the main policy holder and DH as a named driver. I sort of knew this was a bit underhand, but apparently it's full on insurance fraud! 😱 At the time, the intention was always for me to get back into driving. However, my anxiety has only got worse and I basically don't drive now. DH does - with a pretty massive commute now involved. We've always just continued getting insurance with me as the main and him as the named driver - but I've just learned this is insurance fraud and I need to know how to fix this! (You are welcome to call me a moron if you need to get it out of your system, but I would really appreciate some practical advice - I blundered into this and I'm bricking it now!)

I was getting a quote for new insurance today and asked about how much it would be for just DH to be insured on our car (I wasn't sure it would be any cheaper to have me as main driver anymore) but apparently because he's the named driver he therefore has no no-claims bonus. So it will be nearly triple the cost to have him alone insured. (It was after this conversation that I started Googling and found out about fronting.) If we stay with the same insurer he MIGHT get a no-claims bonus for the years he was named driver, although I'm scared to have the conversation in case someone asks a question I'm not prepared for and I say something stupid and drop us in it! To be clear, I want to be above board from this point forward, but I don't want to say "hello, I think I've been committing insurance fraud for a decade or so". I'm not that honest.

I think the safest thing would be to ask the current insurance company what it would cost to switch us as main/named drivers (and say our work commutes are changing a bit) and hope it's not insane. We could always just go with a completely new company but I don't think there's any chance of no-claims then. I'm not very good at this sort of stuff (and DH is fecking useless) so I'm still slightly hoping I'm over-panicking. But I think I need to get it sorted without doing something suspicious like asking to be removed from the policy so we can please pay three times as much! We haven't actually ever claimed anything but I don't know how much difference that makes.

How bad is this?!?!

I have worked in car insurance previously and honestly as long as you haven't had an accident your claiming for or someone doesn't claim against you the insurance company would never see the need to ask the question. If you are mid way through the policy just swap over the the main driver until the end of the policy and when you are due for renewal put the insurance in either name and be honest about who the main driver is. Insurance companies usually allow a gap of about 2 years before NCD expires so if you and your husband swap the name of the insurance each year into either of your names you will both earn 1 year NCD every 2 years if you only have one car. Hopefully that makes sense let me know if I need to go into more detail with anything. Don't panic tho x

He must have told them you have a licence. Otherwise you’d put the cost up.

You may find it cheaper to add you as a named driver to the policy (seen as less risky than single male and useful for emergencies to be on the policy).

Shop around. I was surprised my relatively new driver husband was cheaper than me though he does drive a car clearly earmarked as 'old person ' and not boy racer in their systems!

Yes definitely put yourself as named driver as it likely will be cheaper and you can still drive the car

Whether you stay with the same coming or move to a different one, there's nothing wrong with setting the policy up in your name (as you're the one who has the NCB) but declaring your DH as the main driver. You're married. It's not the same as a parenting fronting the risk for a child. As you've discovered, taking you off the policy entirely wouldn't be a great idea from a financial POV.

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Thank you so much everyone. There have been some very helpful replies and I'm no longer panicking. Fraud shall be ceasing in due course!

I think things chnagedm when you set it up you were the main driver. Circumstances have changed so DH now drives more than you do so you want to switch.

I did this with DS. When he first passed his test he had very occasional use of my car and I drove it every day for work. Then DH changed his job and stopped using his car for work so I started using that, which meant DS had more use of the other one.

I just explained that we wanted to change the main driver. It was obviously more expensive because of the no claims/new driver issue, but no one had any problem with it.

Even though it doesn't make sense, add yourself as an additional driver with your dh as the main driver. It can make it cheaper.
Then drive once a year and be prepare to drive it very occasionally. It reduced our insurance by 25% compared to dh becoming the solo driver. I told them the truth, I no longer wished to drive dh car, but I would like to have the opportunity to drive if and when needed. I just took the car on a ride, to get to know how the car drove.

Definitely keep yourself on as a named driver. Two reasons -

1 you still have your licence so could drive in an emergency
2 although it won't be as cheap - you will get some benefit from having you on the insurance too

Is he usually a bit manipulative? I expect he’s told you this for his own weird reasons but if you don’t have a license then it’s pretty much impossible for you to be a driver on an insurance policy.

I used to work in insurance. You can stay as the policy holder for now and simply inform them he is now the main driver. You don't have to tell them why this has changed. The premiums may be a little higher. Then on your next renewal you can ask them to swap the policy in to your DH's name and 'give' him your No Claims Discount. They will ask you to confirm it is not being used on another policy and will simply do it. Alternatively, you can get a quote for Direct Line, who will give an introductory no claims discount to your DH based on having been a named driver previously but with none in his own name. Other insurers may offer this too, but never online. You need to call up for it.

It's really no big deal and only seen as fronting when you are trying to save a significant difference in premium. Usually there is not too much difference between a male/female couple when you swap to the male being the main driver.

Try finding a local bricks and mortar insurance broker (not one of the comparison sotes( and see they can find a company who might allow your DH's good record (assuming it is) to count for some sort of discount.

@NoSquirrels I've seen the policy, I'm a named driver.
Very controlling, abusive relationship, which thank god is now over.

I called up ours last week and said DH has stopped using the car to commute and takes the train/wfh so do I need to change the main driver as it is now me who drives the most. They said no, they wouldn't change it because we are married so it doesn't matter.

But any payout would be legally 50/50 anyway due to their relationship status. So it makes no difference. (Not the case with unmarried couples or parents/children.)

That's not the point. He's got no no claims bonus because he's not proven to be a safe, main driver, so his insurance should cost more. The payout doesn't matter - what they're paying in does.

I don't think it matters if you're married as it appears it's all from one central pot as far as insurers are concerned. We are with NFU and have been for 20 years or so, who insure other things for us (horse, horsebox, farm equipment etc) as well as several vehicles, tractors etc. We have the same initials. Frequently NFU will change who they are addressing the renewal to - we used to have one of each so we had no claims, but the number of times they change who is first named on which policy, frankly it's pot luck whether it's Mr or Mrs, and we've frequently told then but now given up trying to change things as they generally decide for themselves it seems!

Not sure if it's been suggested but try putting DH as main driver and you as named - even if you're never driving.

When I was a teen I had my gran as a named driver on mine and it knocked a chunk of mine, even though she never set foot in that car.

I'm now named on DF's but have only ever driven his car to move it. But it keeps his insurance lower.

Stay on the policy. You never know what might happen and you will be forced to drive. Also consider doing some small runs on roads you know - giving up completely is something you may regret if your circumstances change.

I got really anxious about driving around 7 years ago after an RTA on dual carriageway. With local driving in a familiar car I've just done a 400 mile trip on motorway with minimal angst. So pleased.

I didn't have my own car for a few years but was named driving on several policies during that time including my Dad's car.

When he died I acquired the car which was insured with Aviva. They quoted me something exorbitant for insurance in my own name and I had to shop around quite hard to get an insurer who recognised my named driver experience. Admiral were great and gave me two years but after two years got really expensive so I've moved away. Coincidentally the cheapest quote was with Aviva which did make me laugh!

Leave yourself on as named driver. It will reduce cost. My daughter, who lives at a different address to me, has me as a named driver on her car, saved her hundreds. Added bonus - I can take her car to the garage for her if necessary when she's on shifts. I had my mum on mine for years but she's so old now she got expensive! It doesn't matter if you never drive.

My parents had me as a named driver on their car for some years after I passed my test. I rarely drove it, as I mostly wasn't at home any more, and wasn't bothered about driving and couldn't afford to run a car. But when I eventually did get my iwn car, it meant I had built up a few years no claims with that insurer. It is quite easy not yo claim if you don't actually drive...

So I'd stay with the current insurer and just swap the main driver.

Who are you currently with? DH and I recently switched over to me being the main driver, with 9 years of being a named driver, and because we had never claimed I was treated as having earned my own NCD for those 9 years so the cost was almost identical.