Young driver added to parents car insurance

[PercyIsGreen]

My DS is in his first year at university and passed his driving test in October 2011.

He comes home by train about every couple of months for the weekend.

Please could anyone tell me if they have heard of an insurance policy that would insure him on an 'as and when basis' on our 1 car ie for the majority of the year just me and my husband are insured but then when my son comes and visits we phone the insurance company and ask them to add him to our policy for the weekend (pay by debit card over the phone maybe?)

The minimum quote I have got is £3,025 to add him to our policy for the full year - which we don't want as he is away most of the year.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated as we cannot afford anywhere near that price

I was able to add my dad onto my direct line insurance policy for a week when we went on holiday so he could share the driving, maybe see about this?

I think direct line are pretty good about adding "as and whens". But that might be for over 21s..... You won't get anything very cheap for an boy under 21,,,

we're in the same boat pretty much, Percy

DS2 passed his test in January last year, while still in Y13, & our insurer (aviva) wanted around £300pm to add him to either of our policies, so we just never bothered.

He is also at uni now, & asked recently if we could add him over the summer when he's home - poor lad has still never driven unaccompanied! But I suspect it will still be at least £300 pm, & probably with additional admin charges for each time we add him

you can't have more than one policy per car so it isn't possible to get an extra policy for your young driver (although I don't see why not )

It sucks

This BBC article 'Insurance for Young Drivers:How to Reduce the Cost' might be useful. One of the tips is.

Take the Pass Plus course of post driving test lessons. A number of insurers offer premium discounts / accelerated no claim bonus build up if you do.

Otherwise, I wouldn't bother. The vast majority of accidents are caused by young men in the first year after passing their test. A delay in being independent behind the wheel won't harm him.

The pass plus gives a small discount on a policy where they are named or a year no claims (well it did for me) on an independent policy of his own.

You'd have to check with your insurer about ' as and when's' as although alot will do it I think, some have a limit of how many times you can do it.

And as for the last comment, yeh it is more expensive for any young person to get a policy but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be on the road. Her son may b very careful, you don't know and are pigeon holing him!

Surely it's better to get as much experience soon after his driving lessons have finished than not drive at all for some years until insurance gets cheaper.

I enquired with my insurer about pass plus and was told that it no longer attracts a discount. Still, the course covers some useful additional skills (motorways, bad weather conditions, country lanes) so is often worth it anyway.

"Her son may b very careful, you don't know and are pigeon holing him!"

It's not me pigeon-holing the son, it's the insurance companies. Like bookies, they're in the business of risk-assessment. An under 21 male, less than 1 year from passing a driving test is statistically the riskiest thing on the road - so they make the cost of insurance prohibitive, precisely to keep them out of a car and off the roads. I passed my test at 19, couldn't afford a car at the time, didn't live at home, and therefore didn't get back behind a wheel for two years. Used the bus to get places instead. It was fine.

Thank you to everyone who replied.
I took rockchicks advice and got in touch with Direct Line.
You can add an additional driver 7 times over the year up to a total of 90 days. When I want to add him to our policy while he is visiting home I phone them and get a quote (dread to think how much it will be) and pay by debit card.
So now he can be added to our policy on a short term basis without us having to pay for the full year