Am I insured to drive other cars?

Do you have a hunch that if you’ve got fully comp car insurance, you can automatically drive someone else’s car third party?

It’s not quite as simple as that anymore – here’s what you need to know.

Can I drive another car on my insurance?

There was a time when yes, it was fairly standard to be able to drive other cars on a third-party basis if you had an insured car yourself.

However, things changed about twenty years ago to clamp down on uninsured drivers, and most insurance providers dropped the all-important clause that gave drivers this protection.

Does my comprehensive insurance allow me to drive any car?

Never assume your fully comprehensive car insurance automatically lets you drive other cars on a third-party basis. It’s not included in a lot of policies, so you’ll have to look closely at your policy details to know for sure.

It’s vital you check as you could end up driving uninsured – and that comes with serious penalties.

Does my third-party insurance cover me for driving other cars?

Third-party policies do not cover you to drive another car at all – there’s no grey area with this type of policy.

This level of cover was never really regarded by the public to be transferable while driving another vehicle, so it doesn’t usually get misunderstood like comprehensive cover does.

How do I know if I can drive someone else’s car?

If you’ve got comprehensive insurance, there’s a chance it might come with cover for driving other cars than your own.

You’ll need to find your policy book. Take a look under the liability section and then for a mention of things such as, ‘driving other cars’, ‘DOC cover’ or ‘other private car’.

If you do have this cover, it will likely say you can only drive another car in certain circumstances and only with third-party protection.

If you are still unsure, check directly with your insurance provider.

I’ve got DOC cover – what else do I need to know?

If you can drive other cars on your comprehensive car insurance, remember you only have third-party cover (and without fire/theft too). This means none of the damage done to the car you’re driving can be claimed for if you’re in an accident.

You probably only want to rely on your ‘driving other cars’ cover on very rare and short occasions, such as moving the car round the corner when the owner’s away.

You really need to consider other options if you’re making longer or several journeys.

How can I get cover for driving another car?

If you need to drive a friend’s or relative’s car more than very occasionally or for longer journeys, you could get added to their policy as a named driver.

This has the advantage that if it’s a comprehensive policy, you’ll be insured to the same level of cover, which protects the vehicle you’re driving as well as liability to others.

Being added as a named driver to another policy is cheaper and easier when the policy is first being arranged.

If the policy is already in place, there may be an admin fee to make changes to it, as well as any increase your details may add to the premium.

You could also look at getting short-term cover if you’re borrowing or driving another person’s car for a one-off occasion or not for a long period of time.

Short-term cover is available by the hour up to a month or so.

Are other people insured to drive my car?

If they have DOC cover on their policy, they can drive your car on a third-party basis. If they hit something or scratch it, you won’t be able to claim for the damage on your or their insurance.

If they don’t have DOC cover or they do and you’d rather not risk paying for any serious damage to your car, you can get them added as a named driver to your policy.

If it’s not going to be a long-term arrangement, they could look at getting temporary cover for the day, week or month.

Can I drive another car in an emergency?

The circumstances will not have any bearing on whether you’re insured to do so – you either have cover to drive other cars or you don’t.

But there is something different with Saga Car Insurance you might be interested to know about – the comprehensive Saga Plus and Saga Select cover levels come with emergency any-driver cover.

This means if there’s a medical or motoring emergency and you’re unable to drive, any licensed driver can take the wheel to get you and your car home safely.