Foreign named driver on insurance problems?

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Tue 2 Sep 2025 10:32
Foreign named driver on insurance problems? - badbusdriver

I'm helping Son and Daughter in law to get themselves mobile by buying a car for them. Son does not currently have license (other than provisional), DIL does but she is Estonian.

Not sure what the best course of action would be regarding insurance. My initial thoughts was that because i'd be picking the car up and driving it home, plus i'd be traveling from my home to theirs (60 mile round trip plus whatever miles we did in Aberdeen) in order to take DIL out and get her familiarised with driving on the left, I'd register and insure it in my name initially, with her (and possibly Son depending on cost) as a named driver. Then transferring ownership and insurance responsibility to therm once she is happy and confident driving on the left (prob no more than two months). Is this a sensible course of action, or would I better off registering it and insuring it under her name and making myself a named driver?. Also, is her being a foreign national likely to make insurance very expensive (either to insure themselves, or as a named driver if I insure it)?. Not sure at the moment how long she has held her license (she is similar age to my Son though, so about 24/25) if she has any NCB (and if that would be transferable anyway).

Any thoughts or suggestions greatly appreciated :-)

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Tue 2 Sep 2025 13:37
Foreign named driver on insurance problems? - Chris M

Keep it simple.

Get your DiL's driving history and head over to a comparison site using fake names and an address in the next street. I'd be registering the car in either her's or your son's name from the start with you as a named driver. What you are proposing sounds like fronting. Your son's provisional licence shouldn't make much difference, it'll make more of a difference once he passes his test.

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Tue 2 Sep 2025 14:56
Foreign named driver on insurance problems? - bazza

An Estonian licence is valid in UK , despite Brexit, so I would go ahead in your relatives name, shouldn't be a problem.

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Tue 2 Sep 2025 16:50
Foreign named driver on insurance problems? - Bromptonaut

Register and insure it in her name with you and son as named drivers.

Leaving it insured in your name but car in her custody and her as main user risks being seen as 'fronting'.

How long has she been in UK for?

If she's accustomed to how roads etc look in the UK I'd be fairly laid back about adapting to driving on the left but perhaps more cautious about driving from the right seat.

I find driving my own RHD car in France easier than left hand drive hire cars in Portugal, Spain or the US.

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Tue 2 Sep 2025 17:57
Foreign named driver on insurance problems? - badbusdriver

The reason I had been thinking about initially insuring (and registering) it in my name is because it would be in my custody and parked outside my house until such times as DIL was comfortable behind the wheel. And while I wouldn't expect that to take long, i'm not really sure. Not sure exactly how long she has been in the UK, but pretty sure she has mentioned being here during COVID. She hasn't driven at all since leaving Estonia though, and she is quite an anxious person, which is why getting her used to driving on the left may take longer than expected. On top of that, in between my work, Son's work, and them having a 12 week old baby, scheduling time for my taking her out in the car may be tricky too!

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Tue 2 Sep 2025 18:26
Foreign named driver on insurance problems? - Brit_in_Germany

The number one criterion for the insurance companies is country of residence. From experience, most will require UK residency, which she appears to have. The companies may require a UK licence but it sounds as though she needs some practice before taking the test. Check on how long a foreign licence is valid for in the UK after becoming resident - it may be only 6 months. If not valid, going through the standard provisional licence may be the simplest solution.

Edit: the foreign licence is valid for 12 months after coming to the UK.

Edited by Brit_in_Germany on 02/09/2025 at 18:27

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Tue 2 Sep 2025 18:35
Foreign named driver on insurance problems? - Brit_in_Germany

Interesting- the West Yorkshire police site says a foreign is valid for 12 months but the.gov site says EU licences remain valid. That surprises me somewhat in view of the need to register a change of address if you have a UK licence.

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Tue 2 Sep 2025 19:16
Foreign named driver on insurance problems? - badbusdriver

Well that throws a spanner in the works, I'd never assumed that DIL's license may no longer be valid!.

Having just come from the Gov website, it states that her license would last three years from the point she became a resident. Not really sure what that means for her, she came here to study and completed her degree a year ago. Was working for maybe 6 months before taking maternity leave. Assuming she'd be classed as a resident while studying, her license would definitely not be valid any more.

Will have to discuss this further with them, but thanks for the comments, suggestions and advice!

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Tue 2 Sep 2025 21:31
Foreign named driver on insurance problems? - Brit_in_Germany

The .gov site says 3 years if you are aged 67 or over, so it shouldn't be an issue, providing the EU licence wasn't obtained through exchanging a non-EU one (e.g. Russian).

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