Which is the better option?

That depends on your individual circumstances.

Generally though, the pro’s and cons of the 2 options are as follows :

Named Driver on Annual Policy

  • Inflexible : for example if you want to borrow the car say once every 3 months
  • Could be expensive : some insurers charge a hefty admin fee every time they make an alteration to an annual policy
  • On the other hand though for regular borrowing, may be the most cost effective method
  • May not be feasible : the annual insurer may refuse to add an additional driver, say if it’s an Over 50 policy or a company car
  • The annual insurer may be difficult to contact, especially out of office hours
  • Consider the Claims angle : any claim you make as a Named Driver will affect the No Claims Discount of the vehicle owner
  • As the annual policyholder controls the insurance, they can be certain that their asset is fully protected when they lend you their car

Temporary Insurance

  • Most likely cheaper for one-off borrowing, not such good value for regularly repeated borrowing
  • Easy to arrange and administer – no need to contact the annual insurer of the vehicle
  • Available online 24/7, 365 days a year
  • Claims on the temporary policy usually have no impact on the vehicle owner’s NCD
  • Some of the additional service options available on the annual policy may not be available on the temporary policy – such as provision of a Courtesy Car in the event the borrowed vehicle is damaged
  • Temporary insurance may be difficult/very expensive to source for certain drivers, for example young drivers in mnajor city centre postcodes looking to borrow a relatively powerful vehicle

Category: Car Sharing

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