There are countless times where you might find yourself needing to hop behind the wheel of a friend’s car – whether it’s a quick trip, an emergency, or just helping out. But before you hit the road, there’s one really important thing to check: are you covered with your insurance?
This is where the ‘driving other cars’ (DOC) section of your own car insurance policy comes into play. With DOC, you, as the policyholder, can drive a private car that isn’t yours (you don’t own or hire it). If you have the owner’s permission to borrow the car, the DOC section of your insurance policy will give you a nice layer of protection.
As part of the Know Your Policy series, we’ll explain the Policy Expert DOC cover so that you can feel fully confident when getting behind the wheel of another car.
Only private cars owned by others are covered
DOC comes into action when you’re driving a private car which belongs to someone else. It’s important to know that you’re only covered for driving a car designed for personal use, not for business. Depending on your job, DOC is usually included in our Silver and Gold car insurance policies. It’s important to check your certificate of insurance to make sure DOC is available to you as not all occupations are covered. It will clearly say on your certificate if you do have this.
It’s only available for drivers over 25 and it only covers the main policyholder. DOC does not cover you for driving these:
- Vans
- Motorbikes
- Other types of vehicles
- Cars used for business
- A ‘new to you’ car that you just bought
- Cars you rent
If you’re driving a new car home, you’ll need a separate policy for that vehicle. Your current policy will not cover it. DOC cover is only available for drivers over 25 on silver and gold policies
The borrowed car must tick the right boxes
In order for you to use your DOC cover, the car you are borrowing must:
- Be fully insured by the owner: This means the car itself has its own insurance policy in place. Your DOC cover is typically only for third-party liability, acting as a secondary safety net.
- Have up-to-date road tax in place: The car needs to be legally taxed for use on public roads.
- Have a valid MOT certificate: If the car is old enough to require an MOT, it must have a current and valid certificate. This makes sure the car meets minimum roadworthiness standards.
Only the main policyholder is covered
Sometimes you have other drivers named on your insurance policy. However, the DOC cover only works for you as the main policyholder. If any named drivers decide to drive another car, they won’t be covered under your policy.
Your main car needs to be fixable
For DOC to be valid, your own insured vehicle must not be “too broken to repair”. This means if your car is off the road and cannot be fixed, you cannot use this cover to drive someone else’s car.
DOC provides Third Party cover only
If you cause an accident when driving someone else’s car, your DOC will only pay for the damage to other people, their cars, belongings or property. This means it will not pay for any damage to the car that you borrowed and you would need to cover these costs yourself.
Want to check something on your policy?
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