What is 'Driving Other Cars' cover on a motor policy? : eBay Guides

The Driving Other Cars extension on a Private Car motor insurance policy covers the policyholder for their liability towards third parties for any injury or damage they cause whilst they drive a car that they don’t own, that is not registered to them and is not hired to them under a hire purchase or leasing agreement. The intention of the extension is to allow occasional or emergency use of someone else’s car. 

This extension is usually not granted to policyholders under 25 years of age or to anyone employed within the motor trade or associated occupations, where it would be normal for them to drive cars belonging to other people in the course of their employment. 

The operation of the extension on a policy is not usually dependant upon the policy cover - it is a common misconception that you need to have Comprehensive cover for a Driving Other Cars extension to operate; most insurers include a Driving Other Cars extension on Third Party Fire and Theft and even Third Party Only policies.  Check with your insurer.  If this extension is operative on your policy it will be shown on the Certificate of Motor Insurance under the section headed ‘persons or classes of persons entitled to drive’. 

The car itself does not always need to be insured elsewhere, but must comply otherwise with the law by having a valid MOT certificate and road tax.  Check your policy wording for the extent of cover and exclusions that apply; they do tend to vary from insurer to insurer.

Anyone relying on a Driving Other Cars extension for cover should be aware that:

• The extension does not cover anyone other than policyholder.  This cover does not extend to include driving of other cars by the other named drivers on the policy.

• The extension only applies to driving other Private Cars. Any vehicle not fitting this classification, e.g. motorcycles, car derived vans and vans or minibuses, are not covered by this extension.

• The extension only applies if you have permission from the owner of the car to drive it.

• The extension does not provide any cover on the car itself, its contents or for death of, or personal injury to, the person driving.  If you are borrowing a friend’s car and relying on the Driving Other Cars extension for cover, please make sure your friend is aware that your policy will not cover any damage to their car whilst you are driving it, and their policy will not cover any damage caused the the car whilst you are driving unless your friend has specifically added your name to their policy and has Comprehensive cover. 

• If the car is not already insured, e.g. it has been off the road for a while and the previous insurance had expired, be aware that even if the driver's policy provides a Driving Other Cars extension on a car that is not already insured elsewhere, this will not apply whilst the car is parked and unattended.  If you were to leave a car parked on a public highway without any insurance cover being in force, and the Police ran a check on it and found it had no insurance, your friend could be faced with a prosecution for ‘no insurance’ resulting in points on his licence and a hefty fine. Similarly, if the car was parked and left unattended in a dangerous position and caused someone else to have an accident resulting in damage or injury to third parties for which you were held to be negligent, the Driving Other Cars extension would not cover your liabilities.  Cover only applies whilst you are behind the wheel.

• The Driving Other Cars extension only applies within the Territorial Limits stated in the policy wording, which, for a policy issued in the UK, would be England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.  If you are borrowing a friend’s car to take abroad you cannot rely on the Driving Other Cars extension for cover – it does not apply outside the UK.  You will need to be added to your friend’s existing insurance policy covering the car in question to benefit from any Foreign Use cover granted and your friend should check with their insurers what the extent of that cover is, in case it needs to be upgraded by payment of additional premium to cover your trip.

I hope you found this guide helpful.  For information on whether your insurance policy provides you with a Driving Other Cars extension and what the scope of cover provided by your particular insurer is, always refer to your policy booklet or seek clarification from your insurance company, advisor or broker.