Can't drive - can I get son insured as named driver

That's fronting and not allowed. Your son will have to be the main driver.

Is your wife not driving for a temporary measure or would it be more permanent? If it’s more permanent, it would be questioned, but if it’s temporary I couldn’t see a problem

Please explain how him driving her around in her own car is fronting and illegal.

You need to clarify your statement that she has insurance, yet wants to take out insurance. Is this a 2nd vehicle or just adding your son to her policy?

In the policy assumptions (with Axa it's in the 'statement of fact') it will typically say that the policyholder ('the insured') is the main driver of the car. That will clearly not be the case so she has no business renewing an existing policy or taking out a new policy (in her name) to include the son as a named driver.

She isn't medically fit to drive, so would have to outright lie to renew anyway.

The main driver of a car has to be the first on the list; as their risk and experience is what the main bulk of the cost is based on.

She isn't even able to be the fully licenced driver - you need to be able to take over.

Your advice is terrible.

There is some confusion in the information supplied by the OP.

In his first post, he says that the lady has 'a full license, insurance and no claims'. Then, in post #10, he says that 'her no claims lapses next month'. That second statement suggests that she has no policy in place and hasn't had one for more than a year such that if she doesn't take out a new policy by next month at the latest, she will lose her NCB.

Either way, if she can't drive then she has no business either renewing or taking out a new policy.

The definition of "main driver" is quite difficult in some cases, and may change throughout the insurance policy.

I can add my son as a named driver in my policy, but eventually (say for a couple of months) my son might drive the car much more often than me. Then it might change later, and vice-versa. Who is actually the "main" and the "second" driver here? Not even the person might be able to tell you! This is particularly typical with husband/wife as drivers of the same car.

What would an insurance company do in case of a claim made by the named driver on the policy? How are they going to investigate how often the named driver uses the car? To me this is simply practically impossible.

I know, maybe I'm in the wrong thread but it was more like a wide question.

yes, but probably won't be asked those if she just renews……….

She has gone beyond renewal, but the duty to disclose revives at renewal regardless