Will I get an insurance Cover if my Friend is Driving my Vehicle in Dubai?

Zipping across the roads of UAE becomes very convenient with a car and a luxury car at that. But what happens in case a friend of yours is on the opposite end of the spectrum and could use your car to ride across the town? Or your friend’s car is undergoing repairs at the time and has not received a replacement vehicle yet. There might be another situation where your friend has visited Dubai and you are unable to take him around the town. In all the above-mentioned situation, you want to help your friend by lending your car. However, there is one question that puts a second thought in your head, “Will you get an insurance cover if your friend is driving your vehicle?”

Is my Friend or Relative Allowed to drive my Car in Dubai?

Earlier, the rules stated that anyone who holds a visiting visa and has a valid driving license is allowed to drive around town in a rented or a borrowed car. However, according to RTA (Roads & Transport Authority), now the relatives, friends, tourists, and visitors can drive a Dubai-registered vehicle in the UAE. The only condition is that they need to have an international driver license and a valid passport of countries like Belgium, Germany, Austria, Spain, Switzerland, Greece, Netherlands, Portugal, United States, Canada, Poland, Finland, Turkey, Japan, United Kingdom, South Africa, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, the GCC countries, and a few more. Rest of the nationalities can get an International Permit for Driving from their home country or through Emirates post or any post office situated in the UAE.

Will I Get an Insurance Cover if My Friend or Relative is Driving my Car?

Now that you know that your friend can drive your car in Dubai, let’s get back to the real question in hand. The final verdict on this topic depends upon your car insurance provider. Every insurer has its own particular sets of guidelines and rules, and policy terms & conditions while considering the drivers other than the ones registered, driving the vehicle insured. Hence, it is advised that before allowing your pal for putting pedal to the medal, you should consult your auto insurance provider. Once it is confirmed that such an arrangement with your relative or friend is in compliance with the insurer’s rules, you can let the former take the wheel.

However, after you have the “go ahead” for this, it is recommended that you get this in writing. This will help in avoiding any ambiguity or potential problems which might come up in case of an accident or claim.

Most of the best car insurance companies UAE allow anyone having valid driver license issues in any one out of the 7 Emirates to drive a car. Some insurance providers even ask a non-resident or a foreign driver to obtain a temporary license before allowing them to take the wheel. Only after the above-mentioned criteria is fulfilled, you will get an insurance cover on your car if it is involved in an accident.

There are also some insurance covers which allow the policyholders to drive vehicles other than their own. However, in these cases, they get a cover restricted only to Third-party Liability. Hence, there is no cover for the damage caused to the vehicle they’re driving.

Usually, the insurance policy you buy must cover the damage caused to your car even when you are not the one driving it. However, designated driver should fulfill the following conditions while driving your car.

1. Should have a valid UAE driving license
2. Your verbal or written permission
3. Should strictly adhere to traffic rules & regulations that are mentioned in your policy
4. Should not be a part of illegal activities such as drink and drive and street racing

The Final Verdict

It is important to have a clear knowledge of the auto coverage and how insurance works before buying online car insurance in UAE. Whenever trouble brews, you might want to help your relative or friend in distress who might need a car to go around in Dubai by themselves. It is tough to envisage future, hence, you cannot predict the sure occurrence of an accident while lending your car to your pal. However, if such an incidence takes place, you should be sure beforehand that you will be covered for this situation under your insurance policy. You should know how your insurance will work if another driver crashes your car while driving it.