It is perfectly legal to drive a loved one’s or family member’s car. The Highway Code and the Insurance Code do not prohibit it. However, lending a vehicle to a third party must be covered by your car insurance policy. Furthermore, some insurance companies require prior notification if you lend your car to someone else. Certain formalities must be followed, otherwise you will not be covered in the event of an accident caused by the person driving your car.
Right to drive a friend’s car: what does car insurance say?
Every car insurance contract (third party, third party + or comprehensive) includes a list of drivers authorized to drive the vehicle:
– The main driver, i.e. the insured and most often the subscriber to the contract, who uses the vehicle on a regular and recurring basis
– The secondary driver can be the spouse, a child or an ascendant or even a roommate. They are declared in the contract and are also required to use the car regularly (but less than the main insured).
Good to know : Declaring all regular drivers of a vehicle on your car insurance policy is a legal requirement. As a reminder, driving without insurance is a traffic violation punishable by a fine of €3,750 and the suspension or revocation of your driving license. In the event of an at-fault accident, there is no insurance compensation for either the driver or the vehicle.
Can we drive a loved one’s vehicle exceptionally?
Car insurance most often provides for circumstances authorizing the driving of a vehicle by a driver not declared in the contract. A driver other than those designated in the contract can drive the insured vehicle provided that it is used for his or her private use and for an exceptional loan (i.e. on an ad hoc and short-term basis). This type of vehicle loan is referred to as “loaning the wheel” .
Within this framework, an occasional driver may be authorized to drive a friend’s or relative’s car under certain conditions: having a valid driver’s license and within the contractual limits of the car insurance. In other words, a friend or family member may exceptionally drive your car if the insurance contract allows the loan.
Before lending your car to someone else, it is therefore strongly recommended to contact your insurer or check the general conditions of the insurance contract . Indeed, driving a vehicle by an undeclared third party may be strictly prohibited by an exclusive driving clause limited to the drivers designated in the contract. Otherwise, the lending the wheel clause may authorize driving a vehicle by a third party:
– With restriction to family members only (descendants, ascendants);
– Without restriction (to any other driver) with or without excess (increase in the event of an at-fault auto accident).
Can a young driver drive a friend’s car?
A young driver with a license or a novice driver represents a driver profile with a lack of driving experience in the eyes of some insurers. As a result, a young driver can present a significant risk of claims on the road. In some contracts, insurance may therefore exclude a young driver from the “loan of the wheel” clause.
However, loaning a vehicle to a young driver may be permitted on an exceptional basis, sometimes with an increase in the premium or excess in the event of a car accident. The young driver benefits from all the guarantee conditions stipulated in the contract.
Most often, it is recommended to designate the young driver as the secondary driver of the vehicle. The insurer may apply a premium increase, but your child begins to accumulate seniority for the bonus.
Note that the young driver is most often identified in the contractual conditions as: a young driver aged under 21 or under 25 and with less than 2 years of seniority and never individually insured.