Can I drive another car on my car insurance?

Some people might assume that, because they have comprehensive car insurance, they’re covered to drive other cars as well. But that may not be the case. We’ve looked at what DOC insurance means and how you can get the best cover for your needs.

What does driving other cars (DOC) mean on a car insurance policy?

Drive other cars insurance, or DOC insurance as it’s sometimes known, is the option to drive someone else’s car without being a named driver on their policy, and still meet at least the minimum legal requirement for insurance cover on UK roads (third party only).

Can I drive another car on my insurance?

That depends on the cover you have and what provider you’ve taken this out through.

Some include this type of cover with third party only insurance, and some even offer comprehensive cover as standard. However, in many cases, DOC cover is an optional extra that requires an additional premium.

Can I drive another car on comprehensive insurance?

DOC insurance used to be a standard element of comprehensive car insurance policies, with drivers getting third party cover to drive other vehicles. However, this isn’t true of all policies these days.

For those providers that still offer this type of cover, it will likely only be available as standard with a comprehensive policy. Other insurers will allow you to add DOC insurance to your comprehensive policy (it’s not usually available with lower levels of cover).

What level of cover will I have if I’m insured to drive other cars?

This depends on the insurer. Most would offer third party cover only, though in some cases you would be able to extend this to comprehensive cover for an extra premium.

Some providers offer comprehensive cover when driving other cars, but this is rare.

In some cases, there might be extra restrictions on DOC insurance cover, like the age of the driver and the length of time the policy can last for. Check your policy details carefully to make sure you know exactly what is and isn’t covered.

How do I find out if I have driving other cars insurance on my policy?

You can check your policy documents or speak to your insurer directly.

Never assume this is included in the cover – always make sure before you get behind the wheel to avoid ending up driving uninsured.

What do I need to do to be eligible for DOC?

Eligibility criteria will vary by insurer, but these are some of the typical requirements:

• Some insurers will have age-related criteria, like a minimum age of 25 or over when the policy starts.
• Your car insurance policy needs to be a fully comprehensive one.
• The other car must have insurance already.
• Your car must be in a road-worthy state (not written off, etc).
• Your occupation cannot be in the motor trade (where you often drive other cars).
• Your certificate of motor insurance must state that you have the DOC extension.

How is driving other cars different to adding a named driver?

Adding a named driver means that a specific other person can drive your car, or you can drive theirs if they add you as a named driver on their policy. This is good for couples and family members, as you get fully comprehensive cover to drive the car whenever you need to.

Driving other cars insurance means you can drive any other car, not just one where you are a named driver on the policy. This is best for emergencies, for example, if you need to drive a friend or family member to the hospital. In most cases, you will only get third party cover with DOC insurance, which is the minimum level legally required to drive on UK roads.

What can I do if I don’t have DOC insurance?

If you cannot get drive other cars insurance, either because you don’t meet the eligibility criteria or because your insurer doesn’t offer it, you still have some other options. These include:

• Ask the owner of the car you wish to drive to add you to their policy as a named driver. You’ll have the same level of cover as them.
• The car’s owner can add you to their policy as a temporary driver. There is usually flexibility on the length of time you are included in the policy – it can be a week or a month, whatever is needed.
• You could take out a temporary car insurance policy on the car you want/need to drive – this can be for a period of time as short as just one day.

Frequently asked questions

• Can I drive my partner's car?

  You’ll only be able to drive your partner’s car if they’ve added you as a named driver or if your policy has DOC insurance included. If neither of these conditions is met, you will not be covered.

• Can I get insurance for anyone to drive my car?

  You can take out an any driver insurance policy (or add it to your existing cover). There’s no limit on the number of drivers, so any friend or family member is legally insured to drive your car, as long as they have your permission.
  Any driver insurance is not very common, as it’s expensive. This is because the insurer cannot know who will be driving your car under this policy and so cannot assess their risk. In order to allow others to drive their car, people usually have one or a few named drivers on their policy (like their partner, or a specific friend or family member).

• How does my occupation affect which cars I can drive?

  If your job is considered higher risk or requires you to drive multiple vehicles regularly, this can affect the vehicles that you are authorised to drive. It’s best to check with your insurer or look at your policy documents to make sure before getting behind the wheel of a car which isn’t your own.

Finder survey: Would proportion of us would consider having another driver named on our car insurance?

Written by

Ronny Lavie

Editor

Ronny Lavie was a deputy editor at Finder, specialising in insurance content. She has almost a decade of experience writing about financial topics, including five months spent as the interim managing editor for the Fintech Times newspaper. Ronny has a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from London Middlesex University. See full bio