Generally, car insurance will provide coverage if the insured car is driven by the policyholder or another named driver. So if you let anyone drive your car, do you need to get all drivers coverage? Read on to find out.
Can anyone drive your car?
Practically, anyone can drive your car so long as the driver:
- has a valid driving licence of the relevant class, and is not disqualified to drive by law or for some other reason
- has your permission to drive your car
- complies with all the terms and conditions of your insurance policy (please refer to your insurance policy)
Look again at the second condition: the driver must have your permission to drive your car. What does this mean? This means that you must authorize the driver before they can drive your car, in order for them to be covered by your car insurance.
You can authorize anyone to drive your car through any of these add-ons: (1) named driver coverage, or (2) all drivers coverage.
What happens if you don’t name your driver in your insurance policy?
If you do not get all drivers coverage, or if the person driving your car is not named in your insurance policy, you will have to pay a compulsory excess of RM400 if your car runs into an accident. Your insurance will still cover the repair cost or pay you any compensation, but you will have to first pay the excess as mentioned. Let’s see how it will play out.
Illustration: You do not get all drivers coverage or name any driver in your insurance policy. One day, you let your friend drive your car. As luck would have it, your friend runs into an accident that damages your car. The repair cost of your car amounts to RM10,000.
As your friend is not named in your insurance policy and as you do not have all drivers coverage, you are charged RM400 as a compulsory excess. You will first have to pay RM400 to your insurer before your insurer covers the remaining RM9,600.
Difference between “named driver” and “all drivers” coverage
Simply put, for “named driver” coverage, your insurance coverage extends to the named driver. Meanwhile, for “all drivers” coverage, your insurance coverage extends to all and anyone who drives your car, as long as they fulfil the conditions as shared earlier.
Named driver. This add-on coverage extends your insurance policy to cover the driver named in your insurance policy.
All drivers. This add-on coverage extends your insurance policy to cover anyone who drives your car. You do not have to name anyone in your insurance policy.
How much will all drivers coverage cost you?
It will cost you only RM20 to get all drivers coverage.
In contrast, if you choose to get named driver coverage, you will need to spend RM10 for every named driver (the third driver and so forth). For your information, adding the first two named drivers (including yourself) is free of charge.
Based on the additional cost you have to bear, it is clear that getting all drivers coverage will save you more money if you let more than one person drive your car. You will have to pay only RM20 for all drivers compared to paying RM10 for a third named driver or more.
But here is some good news! Some insurers such as Takaful Malaysia and Etiqa Insurance offer all drivers coverage for free. You are not required to provide any names as all authorized drivers are automatically covered, with no extra costs.
How to add all drivers coverage?
You can add this add-on coverage to your insurance policy when you renew your insurance. Check out our article on how to renew vehicle insurance as a guide.
Easily get car insurance add-ons at Bjak
Remember, before you let anyone drive your car, ensure that the person is named in your insurance policy. Better yet, you can just get all drivers coverage so anyone authorized to drive your car will be automatically covered. Having to pay RM400 as an excess is the last thing you want to do if your car gets into an accident.
Getting this add-on cover is effortless. Simply use Bjak to renew your car insurance online, and add all drivers coverage and other car insurance add-ons before you check out. Start by getting your free car insurance quotes online at Bjak.my.
Bjak is one of Malaysia’s biggest insurance comparison websites, offering policies from over 10 brands. Get your free insurance quote from Bjak today!
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