Car insurance customers have a lot of ‘front’

Written by Editorial Team

17 March 2010 / by Rachael Stiles

British motorists are taking their car insurance providers for a ride, according to moneysupermarket.com, with one in 10 admitting to ‘fronting’ on their policy.

A quarter of people think that the process of putting a car insurance policy in someone’s name who is not the main driver is legal, but the 10 per cent of drivers who admit to doing this are breaking the law.

Parents with children who drive are the biggest culprits for fronting, and do so in an attempt to cut the cost of young drivers’ car insurance. A further one in three parents said they would consider fronting to save money, despite more than half of parents knowing that it is illegal.

More than half of all drivers are confused about fronting, with 57 per cent unaware that it is illegal – 26 per cent think that it is, while 31 per cent say they do not know one way or the other.

Steve Sweeney, head of car insurance at moneysupermarket.com said: “It is staggering to see just how many people are happy to take the risk and ‘front’ on their car insurance.”

The practice would be classed as fraud by a car insurance provider, he said, and can make it difficult to get insurance in the future, or considerably push up the cost of premiums.

“Those considering lying to their insurer to save money are playing a very risky game. A motorist claiming to be the main driver – when they are not – is a dangerous move. It may save you money in the short term on your premiums, but if caught your insurance will be invalidated and a younger driver could face court – charged with driving without insurance.”

Rather than breaking the law, moneysupermarket.com recommends some other methods of cutting the cost of car insurance, such as making sure they compare car insurance quotes, buying online, consider a mileage limit, getting an alarm fitted, and choosing a car with a smaller engine.

Young drivers’ car insurance can be pricey, but they should avoid the temptation of being added to their parents’ policy, the comparison website urges, because this delays them building up their own no claims bonus.

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