Can you build up claim-free years through your parents?

But what happens if you do drive a car regularly, but the auto insurance isn’t in your name? This is often the case with children. They regularly drive their parents’ car, but the auto insurance isn’t in their own name. Unfortunately, in this situation, you don’t build up any claim-free years. As a result, you won’t be eligible for a discount when you eventually take out your own auto insurance. In this article on Alpina.nl, we’d be happy to tell you more.

It is not possible to accumulate claim-free years through your parents

A major drawback of having car insurance in your parents’ name is that you don’t build up any claim-free years yourself. Only the person in whose name the car insurance policy is held accumulates no-claims years. Currently, it is not yet possible to transfer no-claims years to children, even if they are listed as regular drivers on the policy. There is a desire from various quarters to make no-claims years transferable to children, to help young drivers get started. As of 2021, however, this is not yet possible.

Getting Car Insurance Without a Claims-Free Record

Don’t have any claim-free years yet? That doesn’t mean you won’t get a discount on your auto insurance. The level on the no-claims discount ladder you start at varies by insurer. If you don’t have any claim-free years yet, an insurer will often consider your age when placing you on the ladder. With many insurers, if you have no claim-free years, you’ll start at level 6 or 7, depending on your age. However, this can vary by insurer. The amount of the premium discount can also vary by insurer. You can find your insurer’s no-claims discount scale in the terms and conditions of your auto insurance policy.

Claim-free years since January 1, 2022, are transferable

As of January 1, 2022, claim-free years are transferable in certain situations. In the event of death, for example, they can be transferred to the surviving spouse. It is now also possible for lease car drivers and drivers who have lived abroad for many years to transfer their claim-free years. This way, they do not lose the claim-free years they have accumulated. You can read more about this new regulation in our blog post.