Adding a young driver to a parent's car insurance policy can help make it cheaper.

There are some limitations to being a named driver though and you could miss out on building your no-claims bonus.

We explain everything you need to know!

The main policyholder has a bigger impact on the cost of car insurance

Age is a really important factor insurance companies look at when working out how much your car insurance will cost.

Experienced drivers, over the age of 25, tend to pay less for car insurance because (statistically) they have fewer accidents and are less likely to make a claim.

Insurance tends to be more expensive for drivers under 25 because they are more likely to get into an accident and have to claim. (Around 25% of all claims are made by drivers under 25).

This means it usually works out cheaper to add a young driver to the policy of a parent (or more experienced driver.)

Insurers also look at lots of other things when working out home much you should pay for a policy, including your:

• Vehicle
• Job title
• Claims history
• Postcode
• Annual mileage
• Car modifications

We think your car policy should be based on how you drive rather than assumptions based on your personal details.

At Cuvva, we're working on a new type of insurance to do just that!

Named drivers are limited on how much they can use

Adding a young person as a named driver will limit the amount they can drive.

This is because if you're listed as the named driver, but do most of the driving, you could be committing insurance fraud known as "fronting" - which is illegal.

If you're caught fronting, your car policy may be invalidated which could make it harder for you to get insurance in the future. 😕

Named drivers can't usually build up a no-claims bonus

Some insurers offer a discount on your car insurance policy for each year you drive without making a claim. This is called a no-claims bonus (or no-claims discount.)

Usually, insurers only give proof a no-claims bonus to the main policyholder. (A handful of insurers allow named drivers to build up a bonus too but often the discount can only be used with the same company. )

Although it might be cheaper, as a young driver, to be added to a parent's policy, you could be missing out on building up years of claim-free driving.

In the long term, a good no-claims bonus could help make your car insurance cheaper.

Young drivers can get cheaper insurance by adding a named driver their policy

Adding an experienced named driver, such as a parent, to your policy could reduce your overall risk level and help you get a cheaper car policy.

An experienced driver with a good driving history is statistically less likely to get into an accident.

This makes them cheaper to insure since they're less likely to make a claim.

As the main policyholder, you'll be able to get proof of your no-claims bonus from your insurer.

This could help make buying car insurance cheaper in the future. 🎉