How do I add another driver to my car insurance policy?
Insuring your car is as much about who is driving at the time, as it is about what actually happened.
If one or more people drive your car, then it’s vital your car insurance provider knows who is getting behind the wheel – otherwise any accident an uninsured driver is involved in probably won’t be covered by your policy.
This is because car insurance companies are all about managing risk. Before they even agree to cover the primary driver, they’ll consider a range of factors to determine your likelihood of making an insurance claim. They’ll do the same thing for additional drivers.
How to add an extra driver to your policy
Typically, it’s a straightforward process. Depending on which provider your car insurance is held with, you may be able to log in to your account and add an extra driver to your policy online.
However, if you don’t see the option to add an additional driver in your car insurance account, then you may have to give your provider a call.
What details do you need to add a driver to car insurance?
You’ll want to have the following information handy when it comes to filling in the details of the new driver:
- The new driver’s licence
- The new driver’s driving history.
Does adding an additional driver to your car insurance policy make it more expensive?
Depending on who you’re taking out your policy with, the insurance premium you pay may increase when you add a new driver to the policy. This is usually due to having multiple drivers with different risk profiles.
In some cases, the new premium may be much more expensive. This usually happens when a new driver is:
- Under 25 years old
- Has had their licence suspended or has lost their licence in the last three years.
Just as your driving history is taken into account, the additional driver’s record will come into play when your provider is calculating your new premium.
In some cases, a car insurance provider may not agree to cover an additional driver at all if their driving history is considered too risky to insure.
What happens if a driver is not listed on your insurance?
Many car insurance providers charge an extra excess when a non-insured driver gets in an accident. The excess for non-insured parties may severely outweigh the cost of having them as a named driver on your policy.
The excess could be upwards of $1,000 (and differ depending on a range of factors like age and driving history), so you’ll need to weigh up the damage and decide if it’s better to insure an extra driver, or pay the excess if you need to.
Looking for a new policy? Or just need more info on car insurance? Check out our car insurance hub for the latest news and guides.
Does an additional driver have the same cover as the main driver?
Provided the additional driver is named on your certificate of insurance, they will have the same cover as the main policyholder. However, there are always cases where the level of cover will be different for additional drivers, so make sure you double check.
Do learner drivers need to be named on your car insurance policy?
Many car insurance policies provide automatic cover under your policy for learner drivers. So, they won’t always need to be named on the certificate of insurance.
In some cases, the main policyholder must be the supervising driver (in other words, present at the time) if a claim needs to be made while a learner was behind the wheel.
But before you slap on the L-plates, double-check your policy’s product disclosure statement (PDS) to make sure.
