What is any driver car insurance?

Imagine a scenario in which anyone can jump in your car without you anxiously wondering: Are they insured? That’s what any driver car insurance promises – for a price. Find out why you might need it and how you can keep costs to a minimum.

What is any driver car insurance?

Any driver car insurance is a type of insurance that lets almost anyone drive the vehicle, or vehicles, covered by the policy – with your permission. As long as drivers meet the minimum criteria required by the policy, you won’t need to supply their names, personal details or driving history to the insurer.

The downside is that, because insurers don’t know who will be at the wheel, they can’t tailor the premiums accordingly. So they tend to err on the side of assuming high-risk drivers might drive the car, and set the premiums accordingly high.

Are there any restrictions on who can drive under an any driver policy?

Putting the lie to the name, some insurers might place restrictions on who can drive under an any driver policy.

The most common exclusion you might come across is age. Some policies might only cover those aged over 21, or even over 25, for example. This is because younger, novice drivers are statistically more likely to have an accident and make a claim.

It’s not a blanket rule, though. Driving schools might struggle to get cover for their 17-year-old learner drivers if it was.

Who can take out any driver car insurance?

Many insurers won’t let anyone under 25 be covered on an any driver policy, so it (almost) goes without saying in many instances they can’t take out the policy either.

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

How much does any driver car insurance cost?

Let’s just say you should take a few deep breaths before getting a quote. Any driver car insurance is far more expensive than having either insurance just for yourself, or even adding named drivers to your policy.

And the more vehicles you want the insurance to cover, the higher the costs will be.

What affects the price of any driver car insurance?

One of the main things that affects the price of regular car insurance is the risk profile of the driver. This doesn’t apply in quite the same way for any driver insurance, as the insurer won’t know the risk profiles of the potential drivers.

What can still affect the premium you’ll pay includes:

• The insurance provider. Never take the first option you find. Get quotes from several insurers and see which is cheapest for your needs. If you struggle to find an affordable quote, consider using a broker, which might make the process easier and help you find the cheapest available policy.
• The vehicle(s) to be covered. As with regular insurance, more valuable or more powerful cars are likely to cost more to insure.
• The minimum age of potential drivers. If it’s viable, opting for a policy that only covers over-25s might work out cheaper than one that covers younger drivers.
• Optional extras. Consider whether you really need cover for add-ons such as driving to Europe or windscreen damage.

How else can I insure someone else driving my vehicle?

While an any driver policy might be ideal if you have a fleet of cars and drivers, there are more practical solutions for most people that want to let others drive their car.

Named driver car insurance

Named driver insurance lets you add (typically) up to 5 additional drivers to your main car insurance policy. Perhaps your son or daughter needs to use your car during university holidays, or your partner needs to borrow it from time to time. Whoever you add as a named driver will get the same level of cover as you.

For most people, adding named drivers will be a far cheaper option than taking out an any driver insurance policy. You can add named drivers when you take out the policy, or part way through the term. There might be an administration fee for the latter.

You will need to give your insurer relevant details for the named drivers, including things like age and driving history, so they can adjust the premium accordingly. And, unlike any driver insurance, only the drivers specifically named on the policy will be insured to drive your car.

Importantly, though, you cannot add someone as a named driver if they will drive the car more than you. The main person named on the policy must drive the car the most. If not, you could be found guilty of a form of insurance fraud known as “fronting“.

Temporary car insurance

If it doesn’t make sense to add someone as a named driver, perhaps because they will only be driving your car for a very short period or it’s prohibitively expensive to add them to your annual policy, temporary car insurance could be an option. With this, they take out their own, short-term insurance specifically for the time(s) that they will use your car, anything from a few hours to a few weeks.

Per-day, it will probably cost more than adding them as a named driver, but because they will only be charged for the periods they use the car it may well be cheaper overall. It could be a good call if you want a friend to share the driving on a road trip, say.

Is adding a named driver to my policy expensive?

Not necessarily, it depends on the named driver in question. If a low-risk driver adds a higher-risk driver, a parent adding a newly-qualified son or daughter, for example, their premium may rise substantially to take account of the additional risk.

However, if a higher-risk driver adds a lower-risk driver as a named driver, it could even reduce the premium. That’s because the insurer will assume that the lower-risk (and theoretically safer) named driver will be driving the car at least some of the time.

Pros and cons of any driver car insurance

Bottom line

Any driver car insurance can be the most straightforward way to cover multiple drivers on a vehicle, especially if you’re not sure when you take out cover exactly who will be driving it. This can make it a good bet for businesses with a fleet of vehicles and a pool of drivers. But it will cost you a pretty penny, and is likely to be overkill for most individuals. If you only need a small number of friends or family members to be able to drive your car, consider named driver insurance or temporary car insurance instead.

Frequently asked questions

• What types of insurance will let me drive any car?

  Any driver car insurance allows anyone to drive the vehicle that has that insurance cover. It doesn’t do the reverse, and allow a specific driver to drive any car. For that, you’ll need “drive other cars” (DOC) insurance. This isn’t a standalone policy; instead, it comes rolled in with some, but not all, comprehensive car insurance. Find out more in our full DOC guide.

• How many drivers can you have on a car insurance policy?

  If a car is covered by any driver car insurance, there’s no limit on how many people can drive the car. If you want to add named drivers to your policy, the limit varies by insurer. A maximum of 5 is fairly typical.

• Does it matter who is listed as the main driver on a car insurance policy?

  Yes. The person listed as the main driver must be the person that drives the car the most. Any named drivers must drive the car less frequently. If, for example, you deliberately put a lower-risk driver as the main driver to keep costs down, even though they’ll drive the car less often than a higher-risk named driver, you’re committing insurance fraud. It’s known as “fronting” and is illegal. It could invalidate your car insurance policy and at worst mean you’re prosecuted for a crime.

• Where can I get any driver car insurance?

  Finding this type of policy may be less straightforward than getting standard insurance, as it’s a fairly specialist requirement. However, there are plenty of specialist insurers that specifically work in any driver car insurance policies.

• I have comprehensive car insurance. Can I drive other cars?

  It depends on your specific policy. Some comprehensive policies only include third-party insurance for when you drive other cars. A handful may even offer comprehensive cover as standard. However, in many cases, cover to drive other cars is an optional extra that requires an additional premium. Check the terms of your policy before getting behind the wheel of someone else’s car.