How to insure a second car without breaking the bank?

I don't believe there's anyone doing NCB mirroring currently, which was the way around this before. Try the usual set of brokers - there's a list in a sticky in the Insurance forum I believe - and see what comes up; that's the only way really.

There aren't that many countries where the driver is the sole insured entity.

Do what everyone else does, put in someone else's name and drive it on you driving other cars extension 🫣

With the car being 17 years old your stuck between a rock and a hard place. It's deemed too old for a lot of insurance companies to offer regular cover and it's deemed too young to qualify for a classic insurance. Normally to put it on a classic policy with limited annual mileage, the car needs to be at least 20 years old and you already need to have a normal policy on another regular car.

Maybe keep ringing around the various brokers.

Its either this or a classic policy

I have 2 cars insured under my own name, and now both are with the same broker (123.ie)

1st car is a 2006 BMW which I've owned since 2011, and it had a claim on the policy in 2017, so I had to start my NCB again from scratch..

In 2020 we bought a Tesla and had to start a completely new policy with XS Direct as we wanted to keep the BMW on the road, and decided to leave it as it was in it's own policy with the 3yrs NCB built back up on it... at the time XS direct were the only show in town for a brand new policy on a fairly powerful Tesla with 0 NCB... Can't remember what we paid but it was steep enough, and we renewed with XS again for the 2nd year... by the time year 3 rolled around XS had left the market so we had to shop around and went to 123.ie (for €885). Into year 4 now in the Tesla and paying €998 fully comp which is still fairly steep but it is what it is... was too busy to shop around so just renewed at their price....

about a year ago we moved the BMW also to 123.ie who quoted us about €600 3rd party which we were happy enough to pay at the time..... I guess with the BMW its easy to get cover as we've had it insured since 2011, but starting a completely new policy on a 17yr old car might be difficult..

If you're with Aviva, Liberty or Zurich, somebody needs to have a policy in place for the car in order for your policy's 'driving other cars' to cover you. This applies regardless of whether the car's policy covers you to drive it or not.

For example, Liberty has this in the terms and conditions for driving other cars ...

• there is a current insurance policy in place in another person’s name that covers the other car;

This started off as an urban myth and it did the rounds for years, even though it was a false rumour. Trouble is, the insurance companies heard about it and thought it was a great idea. Because it's precise purpose is to prevent the practice decribed above. Sooner or later, every insurance company will have this condition in the 'driving other cars' section of their policies.

So, if the OP is in the same situation and you expect him to follow your advice ...

He still has to take out a policy on his second car. Or give your hypothetical 'someone else' the money to buy a policy.

If a claim is made the insurance companies will check to see who drives the car most. Then you'll have a claim and cancelled insurance which is a bigger issue.

Better than advising people to commit insurance fraud.

Agree I confirmed at last renewal that I'm covered to drive other cars fully comprehensive even if cars are not covered by another policy so long as car is not owned by spouse/partner

You are driving your SON's car not YOUR car. You are advising someone to register THEIR car in someone else's name so they can drive it using the "driving other cars" extension, that's the insurance fraud.

To be fair, he’s not wrong. Just because a car is registered in someone else’s name doesn’t mean its not owned by you.

If I buy a car with my own money, purposely register the car in my fathers name, so that I can drive it on the weekends, that is insurance fraud.

Now do I give a bollox that its insurance fraud? No, I done it anyway.

Heck I even drove cars that don’t have an active insurance policy on them because I knew if I was stopped I’d still get away with it. All you need to show is your insurance certificate. Garda aren’t interested in the terms and conditions of your policy.

Am I condoning it? No. But thats what I done before I got motor trade insurance

Let me put it to you in another way then.

You purchase a car for yourself, with your own money, and you put the car in somebody else’s name.

You drive the car, and you crash. You call your insurance company and explain what happened, and when they ask about the car you were driving, you tell them the above.

Do you think they would cover you in that scenario? Of course they wouldn’t, because it’s insurance fraud.

Just because they don’t regularly ask for receipts doesn’t mean it isn’t fraud. But like I said, I really don’t care what it is. I’ve done it myself in the past, and would still do it if I didn’t have motor trade insurance.

Maybe your just trying to make yourself feel better by convincing yourself that what you do is all above board?

I did clarify this specific thing with my insurance company a few years ago as I was doing the same thing as you and wanted to be absolutely sure I was covered.

The lad at first said as long as it wasn't in my name I was grand but he actually rang back a few minutes later after he'd checked with someone and said no if the car was 'owned' by me, which was the specific wording on the policy and in my possession then it was mine and wouldn't be covered.