Sharing car with 17 year-old learner - Insurance and NCB/NCD

[-Pete-]

We don't own a manual so I’m going to buy one for my use, and to give my daughter extra practice while she has driving lessons. The car will be low insurance group and cost a few grand, I’ll register and insure it in my name until she's 17.

Then we'll insure her as a provisional driver with me as named driver, comprehensive for around £330. I’ll be using the car more than her, in theory she’ll get NCB but I’ve read that when she passes we’ll probably have to cancel it and go to a different company. Would it make sense to delay her test until she’s been driving for a year, so she gets the NCB?

Once she’s passed, we’ll be paying around £1100 for a black box policy in her name, again with me as additional driver and doing most of the mileage. I won’t drive it like I stole it, and she’ll be earning NCB unless one of us has an accident. If I have an accident, I'll have to declare it on other policies. After uni she can get her own car and I'll go through the same thing with my younger daughter.

Am I doing it right? Did I miss anything? Is there a better way? Thanks.

[-Pete-]

Having spent many hours reading all the PH threads on the subject, I wasn't aware that the policy holder has to be the main driver. When I ask for quotes, it allows me to put her as the policy holder and me as the main driver. And as I'm an old duffer with more than 30 years of accident-free motoring, it'd actually be cheaper for me to insure in my own name, and add her as an additional driver. But the PH threads say insure in her name.

What do you think I should do, to get her NCB up as quickly as possible in a shared car?

[-Pete-]

Thanks for all the replies.

She needs something to learn in, my van won't do, my wife's car is an auto. My aim is to get her 2-3 years NCB by the time she gets her own car. The car will be mine, 75% of journeys and miles will be mine. I'll make that clear to the insurers.

In previous PH threads, knowledgeable people said the policyholder earns the NCB, and that a named driver can also be the main driver. Comparison sites seem to agree, I'm getting £300 / £1100 (before / after passing) quotes on a small car. Marmalade seems more expensive Durzel, maybe I'm doing it wrong? Switching to Admiral multicar would be a pain, but I'll look into it omniflow, thanks.

I'm not in a hurry for her to be able to go out on her own, so I might delay putting her in for her test for 10-12 months if it means she'll get NCB. If it means I have to drive a car with a black box then that's no problem, my days of tearing around are long gone... I needed the Ferrari 308 when I was 17, now I could probably afford one but I can't be bothered... probably a Hyundai i10 for me

[-Pete-]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

The policyholder earns the NCB. Regardless of who the main driver is.

Thanks Twig, I was hoping someone who’s in the insurance industry would answer. Are there any other comments you can make, about my cunning plan?

Edited by -Pete- on Thursday 24th June 12:33

[-Pete-]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

Buy the car and insure it in your name as the owner and main driver. When she's 17, keep that policy unaltered and buy her a stand alone policy to drive the car as an accompanied provisional licence holder. Marmalade do a policy that you can buy for periods of 1 to 6 months and it's cheap. That policy becomes null and void when she passes. But your policy is still valid.

At that point, put the car in her name, and get her the black box policy for £1100, with you as an additional driver. cancel the policy in your name, you might get a refund.

Your plan is fine, but if she passed 9 or 10 months after she's 17, you'll have to cancel as she's no longer a prov licence holder, and do a new policy, so you'll get no bonus for that 10 months.

Thanks, I'm interested to know why you recommend two policies in parallel - what's the benefit? Marmalade want £315 for 6 months insurance, in addition to the £230 I'd pay, and she'll earn no NCB. Versus £330 with NCB earned doing it my way.

Edited by -Pete- on Saturday 26th June 00:19

[-Pete-]

TwigtheWonderkid said:

timeism0ney said:

In addition, £330 for your insurance with your daughter added as an additional driver doesn't sound realistic - are you sure that's a real quote you can actually get? It's more likely to be over a thousand (or more).

It's entirely realistic adding her as a provisional licence holder. She will be accompanied at all times, is learning so will be driving cautiously, and the claims stats for prov licence holders are very low. The problems start after young drivers pass their test and are allowed out on their own, which is why the OP was looking at a far higher rate from that point on.

I don't own the car yet, but my insurance would be about £230. Her insurance, earning herself NCB, but with me as a named driver and also the main driver (which is allowed, strange but true!) would be £330 until she passes her test.

timeism0ney said:

Twig,
I see. I tried my insurance provider with provisional and full license for additional young driver and it threw me the same insane figure which makes separate marmalade quite attractive to me. It may well be me that's missing something though, don't know. Thanks for posting, great discussion.

£330 is until she passes her test, then it'll be more like £1100 with a black box... so I'm thinking of delaying her test until she's been driving for 12 months... I hope the £1100 will come down a few hundred pounds because she'll be 18 and have a year's NCB.