Let's talk insurance...
Help your students understand how to stay properly insured
Understanding the importance of proper insurance cover
It’s essential that we start talking to new drivers about car insurance as early as possible. Understanding the importance of adequate insurance cover from day one helps lay the groundwork for safer, more responsible driving.
As a driving instructor, you might be the only trusted adult that a learner hears from about insurance. That gives you a unique opportunity to help close this knowledge gap.
Common mistakes for your students to be aware of
It’s easy for any driver to get caught out by small details, but these are the things that most often lead to youg drivers having invalid insurance and facing serious consequences.
Driving other people’s cars
No one should assume they’re covered to drive another car. Most policies don’t include Driving Other Cars (DOC) cover for people under 25. If your student needs to regularly drive another car, they should be put on that vehicle’s insurance as a named driver. If it’s just an occasional thing, they're best taking out a temporary insurance policy.
Fronting
This is when someone more experienced, such as a parent or older sibling, is listed as the main driver of a car. It might seem like a quick win to reduce the premium, but if your student is actually the one using the car most, it’s fraud and is illegal. Consequences can include the driver being added to the Insurance Fraud Register and future insurance becoming much more expensive.
Incorrect details
Even a small mistake, such as a typo in the students date of birth or the car reg, can leave them uninsured. As well as double-checking everything when they take out their policy, students should contact their insurer if anything changes. Updates such as a change of address or new job can all impact their cover.
Ghost broking
New drivers should be very careful of anyone offering cheap motor insurance via messaging apps or social media. Ghost brokers sell fake or invalid policies, often using stolen details.
Insurance should be bought directly from a trusted insurer or regulated broker to make sure your cover is genuine. They can check if an insurance company is genuine by going to the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) or British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) website.
The wrong usage type
Students should make sure their policy reflects their reason for driving. If the usage isn’t declared correctly, their policy may not cover them when they need it most.
There are four different types to choose from: social, domestic and pleasure, commuting, business, and hire-and-reward.
Undeclared modifications
Any changes from the car’s original specification must be declared, even if they seem minor. This includes cosmetic upgrades like new wheels, tech additions, or performance changes. Forgetting to declare them can invalidate your students insurance.
Find out about more common insurance slip ups that catch out even the most experienced drivers
Get the conversation going
We know insurance isn’t the most exciting part of learning to drive, but it’s one of the most important in ensuring the driver retains the independence they’ve just gained. To make it easier, we’ve created a set of conversation starters to get you going.
There are several different types of motor insurance policies which differ depending on how you use your vehicle. If you are using your vehicle differently to the usage stated on your policy, your insurance will be invalid.
Social, Domestic and Pleasure (SDP) policies cover vehicle use for day-to-day activities, excluding travel to or from a singular place of work.
Social, Domestic, Pleasure and Commuting (SDPC) policies cover travelling to or from a singular place of work, such as an office or shop.
Business use is needed on your policy if you are travelling to more than one place of work, such as multiple site locations, to meet clients, or you work in a trade. Even just one business meeting or travel requirement means you need business cover, but many insurers offer this as a short-term add-on.
Hire and Reward (or delivery) insurance is needed if you use your vehicle for deliveries, such as pizza or parcels. Some insurers offer this themselves, whilst some will need a ‘top up’ policy from another provider.
54% of adults have never even heard of “Ghost Broking”, a scam where fake insurance is sold to unsuspecting drivers, often via social media, that leaves them unknowingly uninsured and often facing criminal charges. The policies are often much cheaper than those offered by real insurance companies but if a deal looks too good to be true, it likely is.
Make sure you’re purchasing your insurance safely. You can use comparison sites to search for the best policy for your needs or go directly to trusted insurers or brokers.
Check the seller has a legitimate website, a UK phone number and address
If buying through a broker, check they’re registered with British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA)
If buying directly through an insurer, check they’re a member of Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB)
Check your insurance provider is registered with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
Once you’ve purchased your policy and it is active, you can use Navigate, the central record of all insured vehicles in the UK to check your vehicle is insured: https://enquiry.navigate.mib.org.uk/checkyourvehicle (please note, policies may not show for 7 days)
Fronting is a type of insurance fraud that happens when someone puts a more experienced driver (usually a parent) as the main policyholder on a car insurance policy, while the actual main driver is actually a younger, less experienced person.
This results in a cheaper premium, because insurers see the parent as lower risk but Fronting is illegal.
If the insurer finds out, they can refuse to pay out on a claim, cancel the policy, or pursue legal action. It can also lead to the consequences associated with uninsured driving (penalty points, fines and a driving conviction), as well as ending up on the Insurance Fraud Register, which results in difficulty getting insurance in the future for both the parent and the child.
If a young driver is the main user of the car, they must be the main policyholder. Parents can still be added as a named driver to potentially reduce the cost without breaking any rules, if they do genuinely have access to driving the vehicle.
Some fully comprehensive policies may have ‘Drive Other Vehicles’ cover (DOV). Depending on the policy, this may mean that you are insured to drive another vehicle with the permission of the vehicle owner. However, this isn’t always the case and is usually provided with third-party only cover. This means that if you had an accident when driving, the damage to the car you are driving would not be covered by the insurance policy.
There are some important restrictions that may be stated in your terms and conditions. You should check the small print of your own policy carefully, but the most likely restrictions include:
Most polices offer DOV cover for emergency situations only – they’re not meant for regular or unnecessary use. If you are regularly driving another vehicle, you must be added to this policy as a named driver – this includes a parent driving your car as well!
DOV cover is usually not offered to those under the age of 25 years old.
Most policies only allow you to use DOV if the vehicle itself is insured, so make sure to check with the owner on whether they hold a valid policy for that vehicle.
As the cover is likely to be third-party only, you may not be able to use it for anything other than social, domestic or pleasure use.
If you want to drive someone else’s vehicle, you can take out a temporary insurance policy which can provide cover from as little as one hour. This ensures that you are fully insured on the vehicle you are driving, and means you can take out the right type of cover for your needs.
Driving uninsured can have severe consequences that stay with you year-after-year, including:
£300 fine
6 points on your licence - as a new driver, this may mean losing your licence
Vehicle seized and potentially crushed
Potential driving ban and unlimited fine if the case goes to court
Harm to job prospects as convictions show in background checks
£1,000 increase to average premiums due to driving conviction
Supporting every new driver
Share our dedicated learner driver page with expert guidance on how to avoid common motor insurance pitfalls with your students. Getting caught out is easy, but the consequences can be severe.