Do You Lend Your Car to Other Drivers?
Much is written about uninsured drivers, with the focus on owners who don’t insure their vehicles. But what about lending your car to a friend or family member?
Research conducted by Churchill Insurance has shown that 5 million car owners lent their car to someone who wasn’t named on their insurance policy in the last 12 months. 13% admitted that they didn’t even check whether the other person was qualified to drive their vehicle.
Here are some insurance facts about lending your car to other drivers:
- If they aren’t named on your insurance, your policy does not cover them for driving your car (unless you have “any driver” cover, which is rare for non-commercial insurance)
- If they have their own car insurance, this may provide third party only cover when driving other vehicles; however this is not standard on all policies – their policy wording should be checked
- If they have third party cover, your car is not insured for damage in the event of an accident while they are driving, only other people’s property
- Your own comprehensive insurance would not pay for damage to your car in this situation
- If the person to whom you lend your car does not have third party cover under their own insurance, they are uninsured and both of you are committing an offence (IN10 conviction) when they drive your car.
The consequences for driving without insurance, or allowing someone to drive your car without checking that they are insured, is up to 8 penalty points and a hefty fine.
The solution
If the person who wants to borrow your car is not insured at all, you can ask your insurance provider to add them to your policy for a temporary period. This may incur a small additional charge. You might also want to use this approach if the other driver has third party cover under their own policy, but you want the reassurance of comprehensive cover while they are driving.
