Should I add my child to my car insurance policy?
Many parents believe the only way to get their child behind the wheel of their car is to add them to their own insurance policy. While this is an option, it can often be expensive and puts your hard-earned No Claims Discount at risk.
In this guide, we look at the different ways you can insure a young person to drive your car, including adding them as a named driver and the alternative options on offer.
What options are there for insuring a young driver on a parent’s car?
When it comes to insuring your child to drive your car, you have a few options. You could add them as a named driver on your policy or opt for a standalone policy beside your main insurance on the vehicle.
At Marmalade, we offer two types of policies for young drivers on their parent’s car; Learner Driver Insurance, which covers learners practising for and taking their test, and Annual Named Young Driver Insurance, which covers provisional and full licence holders with no price increase upon passing.
Will my No Claims Discount be affected if my child needs to claim?
This depends on how you choose to insure them on your car. If you add your child as a named driver to your insurance policy and they have an accident, there’s a chance this could affect your No Claims Discount.
With our Learner and Named Young Driver policies, however, there is no risk to the car owner’s No Claims Discount as any claims would be made against your child’s own policy which sits beside your main insurance. This leaves your No Claims Discount untarnished.
Can they earn their own No Claims Discount?
Again, this depends on how you choose to insure them. If your child is a named driver on your existing insurance policy, they won’t earn their own No Claims Discount whereas, by taking out their own annual policy, they will be able to earn their own No Claims Discount.
This is important to consider when choosing the right insurance option as a young person – premiums can be expensive for young drivers so being able to earn your own No Claims Discount might sway your decision between taking out your own policy versus being added to your parent’s.
Am I going to be out of pocket if I add a young driver to my insurance?
Adding a young or inexperienced driver onto your insurance policy could impact your premium. Your insurer may see your child as a higher risk and therefore might put the prices up to cover any claims that may happen. If you add them as a learner, you may also find there is a price increase for adding them as provisional licence holder and then a second increase once they pass their test.
Looking to insure your child as a learner to get more practice before their test? Our Learner Insurance is a short-term alternative to adding them as named driver for the entire policy year. With policy lengths of 30, 60, 90, 180 or 240 days to choose from, you can cover them for as long or as little as they need to brush up on their skills.
If I add them as a learner driver, what will happen once they've passed?
If you added your child as a named driver on your policy, when they pass their test, you’ll need to update your insurer that they’re now a full licence holder which could result in an increase to your premium.
Our Named Young Driver Insurance covers young drivers from a provisional to full licence too – the difference is that we don’t increase the price upon passing!
