Car insurance new driver - totally clueless, help please

[KateTrain]

Hi,

At the grand age of 49 I've just passed my test for the first time. We have a family car as my husband drives, so I can start using it as soon as I have sorted some insurance.

Just a quick question as feel totally inexperienced with car insurance. Am I better off getting myself put on as a '2nd driver' on husband's insurance? Or should I look for my own policy?

Obviously I'll get quotes but just not sure where to start. Feels a bit overwhelming . Thank you in advance.

Kate

It'll be cheaper if you're the named driver.

But if you'll eventually get your own vehicle, you may want to take out a new policy so you can rack up those no claims bonuses! You don't get those as a named driver.

Edit: Congratulations BTW! Enjoy your new-found freedom!

You can’t take out insurance on a car your husband is insuring to rack up your own no claims discount - you’d have to go on as a named driver on his insurance policy. You could also look at insuring the car in your name when it comes up for renewal but the insurance premium would sky rocket because you wouldn’t be benefitting from your DH NCD anymore. An NCD only stays valid for two years without being used as well, so your DH would have to reinsure the car the following year in his name to make sure he kept the discount and you’d have to swap each year.

best thing to do would be to insure the car in his name with an insurer that offers named drivers a no claims discount discount so you can build it up. Quite often those second driver NCDs can’t be ported to another insurer straight away so if you ever got your own car, you’d probably have to take out insurance with them for year 1 and then could shop around in year 2.

Congratulations by the way!

Congratulations 🎊

If you've only got the one car it can only be insured once. If your DH is main driver legally he has to have the policy in his name and you as named driver or vice versa if you are going to be.

Easiest scenario will be for your husband to add you as a named driver on his policy. You normally don't accrue no claims via this route. Expect a fee for making a change plus an increase in cost of policy, or worst case having to cancel existing policy and open a new one with a different provider.

If you get your own car go for a smaller engined one and add DH on as a named driver - adding him will likely make it cheaper unless he's got an awful driving / claim history. You will then accrue a no claims discount in your own right.

Ahh that's really really helpful and informative - thanks very much everyone. :)