Insurance options for students leaving cars at home during university terms

[IsThistheMiddleofNowhere]

I have twin daughters age 18 who each own a car and pay insurance monthly with money they earn from Saturday jobs. They are going to university this September (as long as they get required A'Level grades!) and will be leaving their cars at home on the drive, so it seems quite wasteful to be paying for insurance out of their maintenance loans while they are not using them, especially as its quite a chunk and DH and I cant afford to pay it for them. What do others do about this? Is there any type of pay-as-you-go insurance that they could just do when they are home in the holidays, or do they keep paying their insurance.

Google ‘pay per mile car insurance’.

It's worth insuring against theft while the cars are at home.

I'd just insure for 3rd party, fire and theft while they're away, and change to fully comp when they're back if it were me. But I haven't heard of pay per mile insurance, that might be even cheaper.

Sell the cars if you can't afford the insurance or sell one of them because they don't need one each while they are away.

Do forget to SORN them regarding car tax.

Would it be better to sell one or both then insure them on a family car for the holidays?

it may also be cheaper to use taxis and public transport when they’re home rather than keeping two cars, taxed and insured, depreciating on the drive.

mine has use of my car when they’re home. It’s considerably cheaper to add them as a named driver. We make our plans around who needs the car, if two want it one will need a taxi or I’ll give them lifts.

I’d say two cars is a bit unnecessary. Sell one, they share the other, and use your car on the occasion they both want it?

Veygo offer a month by month insurance. They do learner insurance and then new driver insurance. My son is using this and I’ll cancel it in September when he goes to uni, then we will pay for one month at Christmas, one month at Easter etc.