Motor Elderly couple, renewal for named driver

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone has any experience in the following matter - an elderly married couple have been insured on the same car policy for many years. The woman is a named driver.

Health issues have forced the male to stop driving recently. His drivers licence is up for renewal in a few months, but it will not be renewable as he will not get medical clearance.

The female is still driving, and is medically fit to do so. However, when the insurance comes up for renewal in a few weeks, it is not clear what options are available. The existing policy cannot be renewed due to the licence expiry - can it? Due to her age (mid 80's) most insurance companies refuse to quote in her name, or the quote is prohibitively expensive.

Are there any other options to be explored before her being forced off the road. She lives alone, independently at the moment, and doesn't drive long distances - but having the car there means she is just that little more independent. Plus it is a measure of security to have a car outside the home etc. The car is of an age that if it is not driven at least those small journeys that it will stop moving altogether.

Any advice or ideas to be explored would be appreciated.

thanks in advance.

Interesting post. This is a concern to a lot of people as they get older. In our case we have two separate cars and separate insurance but named driver on each.
We don't need two cars. We take it in turns to drive each other's car. A waste of money every year. We also have the travel pass.
We keep both cars....just in case the above situation happens.

Jeanmac, when you say most insurers won't quote or are expensive do you mean via online shopping around or have you also tried brokers? Given that the husband is not fit to drive now this would have to be divulged if trying to renew the current policy even if he still has his license. And if/when he no longer has a license this would also have to be divulged. Have you/they spoken to the current insurer to see if they can do anything? Her years as a named driver will count for something but not as much as cover and no claims discount in her own name. I don't know if my earlier thread is of any use here...

https://www.askaboutmoney.com/threads/first-time-cover-for-50-year-old-on-learner-permit.200582/

Hope this helps.

PS not sure if Age Action Ireland might also be able to offer any advice?

https://www.ageaction.ie/news/2016/09/08/older-drivers-struggling-car-insurance-costs

Thanks for the replying and for the information.

Haven't spoken to the current insurer about this yet - the renewal notice is not yet through. I haven't tried any brokers, just online and then phone calls when advised to contact the company as the quote would not be provided online - do you think going to a broker is worth pursuing?
I hadn't thought of contacting Age Action, but it would be a good source of information for this and for other questions I have - so thanks for that.

I would talk to the current insurer either now or when the renewal notice issues - perhaps the sooner the better.
(Bear in mind the usual issues with data protection will apply so you might need to have the couple with you to give permission for you to talk to the insurer on their behalf).
I think it might also be worthwhile talking to a broker or two (sorry - can't make any specific recommendations/suggestions myself) as they might have more experience in this area.
Maybe search online for specific brokers that might specialise in this area.
I'm sure it's a common enough situation/dilemma so there might be some solution - hopefully one that's affordable!
Good luck.

You should not have a problem.

Current insurer can issue policy in name of HIM, but excluding him from driving and still letting HER as a named driver.

Some compassionate insurers, they are dwindling in number, might transfer policy to her.

Thanks.

I spoke with a broker today, who was of similar opinion. He said that it would be fine to renew the policy without mentioning any of this matter; that it would only be an issue if there was an accident and the man was driving - to the man's great sadness, he will definitely not be driving again.
If there was an accident when the woman was driving, that the only license that matters is her license.

He also said that if the man dies before his wife, that the no claims bonus is transferred to her in cases such as this, i.e. where the named driver is the spouse.

Based on last year's renewal, the insurance is very expensive already, but it is great to know that there are options to be explored.

thanks again for your help.

Jeanmac said:

I spoke with a broker today, who was of similar opinion. He said that it would be fine to renew the policy without mentioning any of this matter

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I'm not an insurance expert but that does not sound correct to me at all and I would double check it and maybe get a second opinion.
If the policyholder can no longer drive and/or cannot get a new license then it's surely a material fact that DOES need to be communicated to the insurer?
Most insurers ask if anybody covered has medical issues that might impact their driving ability and that is obviously the case here.

He also said that if the man dies before his wife, that the no claims bonus is transferred to her in cases such as this, i.e. where the named driver is the spouse.

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Can anybody else clarify if this is true?

Not quite the same but weird insurance practice I've experienced. Before my father died his insurance premium became quite high due to his age. Myself and my sister were both put on the policy as named drivers by my dad (as there was no additional cost he thought he was getting better value). Following his death I notified his insurance company and the policy continued and was even renewed while we sorted out probate. At the time of renewal I remember arguing the high premium cost - their answer it was based on the risk profile for the premium holder - ie my dad and his age. When I suggested the risk of him being in an accident was pretty low - considering he was dead they said that didn't matter he was the main policy holder.

So I'd well believe that the insurance company could continue your dad's policy even if he's not driving. However I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with not notifying them of that fact.

I vaguely remember reading that the main policy holder has to be the main driver. As ClubMan says get a second opinion.

Its probably down to the individual insurer. You'll get the best deal probably through the same insurer.

Northie said:

So I'd well believe that the insurance company could continue your dad's policy even if he's not driving. However I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with not notifying them of that fact.

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I would not be comfortable about withholding a material fact from the insurer that may render the cover null and void.

Hi all.
The renewal notice has since come in and I contacted the insurer to let them know the details of the situation.
The upshot is that there are two options with the current insurer:
Option 1
The policy can be renewed in the same name (i.e. name of the current primary driver), with a clause that the primary driver is no longer covered to drive. The secondary driver becomes the primary driver. A photocopy of the new primary driver's license has to be sent in etc..

Option 2 was to get a quote for a completely new policy with the no claims bonus transferred.
I didn't go through the process of doing that, as I imagine with the loss of loyalty discounts etc., it wouldn't be cheaper and possibly would be more expensive. But perhaps I should?

The quote for option 1 is slightly cheaper (10 euro) than the original renewal.

Now that there is an option, I have some more questions please.

What are people's opinions on continuing to get a protected NCD? It costs almost 100euro, and my feeling is that if the driver was involved in an accident she would not drive again (being so elderly etc). Also, I am wondering about the merits of some other optional extras, such as "Journey Wise Cover" and "Motor Legal Protection" in these particular circumstances. It is an expensive renewal as things stand (but vital for their independence) - so any opportunity to save costs would be great, without exposing them etc.

thanks in advance.

Interesting thread - I am in a similar position. I am the named driver on a elderly relative's policy. Her licence is coming up for renewal shortly. She has issues with vision (extreme sensitivity to glare) which didn't cause her to fail the eyesight test for the last licence renewal and may not cause a failure this time either. However this vision issue means that she would be lethal on the road. Thankfully she realises this and has stopped driving. I drive her around in her car. Have my own car and policy as well.

Technically I suppose her policy would be void if there was to be an accident while I was driving her car if it was determined that she is no longer the main driver.

I am covered by my insurance to drive other cars not owned by me but not sure if those other cars have to have a valid policy in place on them. In any case, displaying an insurance disc is I believe a legal requirement so even if I was covered I might still be breaking the law.

Can anyone name the insurance companies that allow a policy holder to retain their policy (and NCB) with a clause that they are unfit to drive/have an expired licence etc. If i remember correctly, an AXA representative mentioned this as an option when I asked before.

If she passes the eye test and gets her licence renewed, why doesn't she continue getting insurance and just not drive the car?

I'm not sure if she'll pass the eye test this time around. In any case, it is going to be a pain getting the licence renewed.

Me: You need to get your driving licence renewed. I'll bring you to the doc and the NDLS office.
Her: Why, I'm not driving.
Me: Because I need you to have a valid licence so that I can keep driving you in your car as a named driver.
Her: I don't want to go to the doctor
etc. etc.

What do you need to drive her car for at all if you've got your own? Why not take her where she needs to go with your own car?

If she threw you a few euro for fuel that would be the best solution.

She'll also get a few bob in when she sells the car.

How much is the car really needed? If one takes into account insurance, tax, petrol, wear and tear, service costs, and costs of the car itself: this will pay for a lot of taxi trips.
Not say same as having the car ready at will of course, and more difficult in rural locations.