If you drive someone else’s vehicle then you will not be covered by their (the main driver) motor insurance policy – you must become a named driver on their policy.
As a named driver you will be given the same level of cover as the vehicle's main driver.
Named driver policies are only appropriate if the named driver is not the main driver (main user) or the owner of the vehicle.
Named drivers should be careful to avoid 'fronting', a form of insurance fraud.
Driving Another Person’s Car
In some cases your own motor insurance policy may cover you for driving another person's vehicle (providing they also have insurance). This is normally called Driving Other Cars or DOC cover.
But, with this, you may only have third party cover when driving someone else's vehicle, even if you have third party fire and theft or comprehensive cover for your own vehicle.
Therefore, you should always check with your insurer what level of cover you have before driving another person’s car.
Named drivers and insurance fraud
‘Fronting’ is where a parent or older person pretends that they are the main user of a car when a younger person is actually driving it on a regular basis.
People sometimes do this to try to reduce the cost of premiums as main driver policies tend to be more expensive for young drivers than for older, more experienced motorists.
If an insurer discovers that a person is guilty of fronting, their policy could be declared invalid and they could be forced to pay any costs that arise as a result of an accident.
Fronting is illegal, and could lead to criminal convictions for those involved. People found guilty of fronting, or any other type of insurance fraud, will also find it more difficult to buy insurance in the future and their premiums will be more expensive.