Insurance for young drivers

[tense]

Hello, I'm sure many of you will have experience of this so am hoping someone may have some advice!

My DD will be 17 soon & I am thinking about whether to add her to my car insurance so that she can get some practice outside of lessons. When she passes (& it might take a long time!) she would be able to drive my car occasionally, but certainly not to school or on a regular basis - I will genuinely be the main driver. However, I've read about 'fronting', ie, pretending you (the adult) are the main driver when the DC really is, which invalidates your insurance. How can you prove you're not doing this??!

Lots of sites seem to recommend getting your DC their own insurance - but then say the car should be in their name too. This is all well & good if you are buying your DC a car of their own, but I'm not, so I don't think this would be appropriate? (kind of reverse fronting?).

I was interested in ikube type things which restrict the hours a young driver can drive, but a DC needs to own their own car & be the main driver. Is there anything similar I could get for my car? I suppose it would be impossible to tell who was driving

It just seems a bit of a minefield, and obviously it is very expensive, so I'd appreciate any tips anyone has picked up. Thanks.

[hermanmunster]

Have you had a look at marmalade?

... no seriously- http://www.wearemarmalade.co.uk/?gclid= ... tAod1U8A4A" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (learner insurance)

[Amber]

It is all eye-wateringly expensive - someone is on a nice little earner I think. The minimum seems to be about £3/day (I think this was Collingwood, which works on the same principle as Marmalade). We've decided to separate it from our own insurance as I didn't fancy hassles over no-claims bonuses etc. Can't say I am in a huge hurry for her to pass her test (which is just as well, it seems) - it just raises a whole lot of potentially even more expensive questions, as well as scary issues about safety, which I am happy to keep my head in the sand over for the time being.

[laretta]

Hi
I wouldn't worry too much about trying to prove you are the main driver as you "are actually" the main driver. If there is a claim it would not be too difficult to demonstrate the truth by asking the neighbours or your work colleagues or her school friends - they could easily determine who uses the car more. There is no problem as you are not breaking the law. Insurance companies have no problem with this - it's only the false claims of the parent being the main driver they are trying to stamp out.
I am planning on doing tha same with my daughter for the first year at least - I will use the car daily for work and errands while she gets the train to school - if she goes out in the evening a couple of times a week, I know she can get home safely. Her monthly season ticket could also be used to demonstrate that she does not use the car during the day.
Good luck with whatever you decide.

[scary mum]

It is all eye-wateringly expensive - someone is on a nice little earner I think. The minimum seems to be about £3/day (I think this was Collingwood, which works on the same principle as Marmalade). We've decided to separate it from our own insurance as I didn't fancy hassles over no-claims bonuses etc. Can't say I am in a huge hurry for her to pass her test (which is just as well, it seems) - it just raises a whole lot of potentially even more expensive questions, as well as scary issues about safety, which I am happy to keep my head in the sand over for the time being.

My thoughts exactly - I'm slightly frustrated that DD is in no hurry, on the other hand it's one less thing to worry about!

[Sally-Anne]

- There is no definition of "main driver", but a teenager on a Provisional Licence is never going to be seen as the main driver of a car that you physically share. It is only when there is an extra car for the teen that things get tricky. You are the main driver for now, so the Policy should be in your name and no one will accuse you of "fronting".

- Even though she doesn't have insurance in her own name and won't build up a no claims discount, she will also get reduced premiums on any future policy for having been a claim-free named driver on your policy after 1 year, 2 years, etc.

- If you add her to your policy, do protect your NCD!

- One thing to look at carefully is the likely hike in premiums once she passes - it can vary by hundreds, if not thousands of pounds. Once you find a policy that seems reasonable for now, change the dates and licence type to reflect that and see what happens ...

- Fancy policies with black boxes are not necessarily cheaper than ordinary policies, but they can give peace of mind. Teenage girls are less likely to drive recklessly than boys, although that is no longer reflected in the premiums, of course.

[tense]

Thank you all for your thoughts & comments. Hermanmunster - Marmalade certainly seems a good option.

I'm dreading my DD driving too. I meet so many idiots out & about when I'm collecting her at silly o'clock, can't stand the thought of her being 'out there' really