When one of the children of an insured person obtains a driving licence and intends to use the policyholder's vehicle on an occasional basis, the following dilemma arises within the household: what to do?
The alternatives that are normally presented are three:
- Include them as a driver in the policy
- Include them as an occasional driver
- Not include them in the policy
Before explaining the pros and cons of these decisions, we advise you to consult all the information on coverage and benefits of the different insurances on the market, and for this nothing better than visiting us in our office or calling us by phone, which will save you time and help you find the precise information and the policy with the best quality-price ratio.
Now, we will begin to explain the option that causes the greatest inconvenience in the event of suffering an accident, that is, when the driver who suffers or causes the accident does not appear as such in the policy.
In principle, a "third party" insurance should cover damage or injury to third parties, regardless of who the driver is. We say in principle, we will see why.
The "own" damage would be borne by the policyholder, as would be the case if it were the policyholder who suffered the loss. However, we must bear in mind that the claims report will be detrimental to the policyholder from that moment onwards, as he/she will lose any bonuses or discounts he/she may have, and even if there are no claims, the person who drives without appearing in the policy will never acquire any type of future bonus when it comes to being a policyholder.
However, things could be worse, as there are many companies that may understand the matter as a "deceit" to the company, and therefore "acting in bad faith", evading any liability and the policyholder having to bear the costs of the damage caused to the vehicle and occupants, and in the worst case scenario will be unprotected against legal action by third parties.
Of course, in the case of "all risk" insurance, they will not be responsible for any type of damage, neither their own nor others', because they have clauses that stipulate who the insured driver must be and that they will only be liable for the driver's conduct.
When the driver appears on the policy as "occasional driver"
The novice driver is listed as an occasional driver on the policy, yet drives the vehicle regularly.
There are many companies that "accept" this option, even though they know (don't think we are misleading them) that the occasional driver is not that much of an occasional driver. The premium increase will rise, although not in the same way as if he/she were a frequent co-driver. However, we should be aware that this situation should only be temporary, as it is not all advantages.
The occasional driver will not acquire a bonus, and any accident report he or she produces will directly harm the policyholder, but in addition, companies have certain clauses in this case whereby the policyholder will have to pay the first or second tranche of the damage caused by the occasional driver.
Appearance of the new driver as a regular driver in the policy.
In other words, doing things as they should be done, with legality first and foremost.
It is true that many companies will not want to insure you " all risk ", and if they do, the cost can be exorbitant. The most typical thing to do is to insure the car as a third party until you acquire a certain "curriculum" of lack of incidents, and increase the coverage of your insurance.
Despite the disadvantages that this option may have in principle, it ensures that you are always covered by any type of civil and criminal liability for a possible accident and that, over time, you will acquire bonuses that will discount your premium.
Whichever option you finally choose, remember, first of all, inform yourself and decide wisely.