It's a question we hear a lot. Many parent's believe the only way to get their child being the wheel of their car is to add them to their own insurance policy. Unfortunately, this can come at a hefty price and put your hard earned No Claims Discount at risk. Luckily, there's a solution that should save you time, money and stress - here's our guide to getting your child behind the wheel of your car

The world of car insurance is a confusing one, there is no getting away from that, but we are here to try and make it as simple and straightforward as possible. Let's look at adding your child as a named driver, as well as the other options you have for insuring your son or daughter drive you car.

If they have a claim, will my No Claims Discount be affected?

• If you add your child as a named driver to your insurance policy and they have an accident, your No Claims Discount may be affected.
• For learners, our car insurance for learner drivers sits beside your insurance for short term cover, so any claim would be made on this policy - leaving your policy and No Claims Discount untarnished.
• We also have our annual Insurance on a parent's car for provisional and full licence holders. This annual policy protects your No Claims Discount and allows your son or daughter to drive your car on an occasional basis.

Will they get their own No Claims Discount?

If your child is a named driver on your existing insurance policy, it means they won't be earning their No Claims Discount. At the beginning when insurance premiums are so high for new drivers, adding your child to your policy may seem like the perfect solution, but remember, as soon as they decide to get their own policy with zero no claims discount behind them, they are likely to be in the same situation they are now just in a few years’ time.
Marmalade's annual policy on a parent's car means that a claim-free year will result in your child earning a year's No Claims Discount even though the annual policy is on your car!

Am I going to be out of pocket?

Adding a young or inexperienced driver onto your insurance policy can rack up your premium. Your insurer may see your child as higher risk and therefore put the prices up to cover any claims that may happen. It could be one price for when they are a provisional license holder, and another price when they’ve passed! (When your child has passed their test, although it means they are now a better driver, your insurer can increase the price even more, as they are now able to drive without supervision).

If you’re looking for your child to use your car to get in extra practice before their test, our learner insurance may be a useful way to go. Our cover is available for 30, 60, 90, 180 and 240 days and then can be topped up for 7 or 14 days at a time thereafter. This means instead of adding your child as a named driver for the rest of the policy year, just cover them for a long or a little time that they need until they pass their test.

Don't forget those all important L plates!

If your child has a provisional licence, why not plan ahead for lessons by purchasing your L plates directly from Marmalade on Amazon? Perfect for private practice! Unsure of how to fit them? Check out our top tips for applying L plates!

What will happen once they've passed?

When your child passes their test, it should be celebrated, not a time filled with dread about now having to pay more for the insurance! Our Named Young Driver Insurance can cover your child before and after they pass, and there is no increase in price once they do pass, so instead of worrying about the price of the insurance premium. This also applies to our Black Box Insurance policy - it's the same thing, but on a car, your child owns and there's still not a premium increase insight when they pass their test! That way you don't have to worry about paying more for insurance - you can stick to worrying about them driving on their own!

Whether you add your son or daughter as a named driver, or they have their own policy to drive your car, it's a big deal for both of you. Don't forget the rules and regulations around supervising a learner driver!