There are a multitude of reasons why you might want to add another driver to your car insurance policy, and although the idea may be daunting, the process is a lot more flexible than most people think. You can easily add a friend or relative, should they come visit, or your child if they want to start driving – as long as they are eligible to drive and be insured in Ireland.
Add an experienced named driver to your policy
If you are under 25, you may feel like you’re paying more than others for your policy. This is due to a lack of experience and a tendency for younger drivers to hold provisional licences. Adding an older, more experienced driver to your cover can bring the price of the policy down.
Add a young driver to your policy
A lot of parents name their children on their own policies which can increase the cost of their premiums. A benefit though, is that your child’s driver experience on your policy can be included when they get their own policy.
Temporary additional drivers
This can be useful if you have friends or relatives coming from abroad or if your college-going kids are home for the holidays. Temporary cover like this usually runs for a maximum of 30 days. If you want to take advantage of this on your policy, you must be over 25, and be claim and conviction free.
Open Driving
An open driving policy allows for drivers between 25 and 70, who meet the claims and convictions criteria, to drive your car with your permission. Again, this can be very useful if you have friends or relatives from overseas coming for a visit.
Driving Other Cars differs from Open Driving in that the person driving your car must be insured under their own policy and not yours. Always double check your policies before allowing someone else to drive your car.
How much does adding another driver cost?
When weighing up the costs of adding another driver to your policy, there are some key factors to bear in mind:
- The age of the other driver
- Their relationship to you the policyholder
- Do they drive or own another car?
- What’s their licence type? Did they pass the test in Ireland? Do they have an EU licence?
- How good is their driving record? Do they have penalty points pending or any claims and convictions recently?
