Category: Motor · Reviewed by Mark Fox, Broker · Renewals · Last reviewed 2026-06-05
The Driving Other Cars (DOC) extension is an optional feature of some UK comprehensive motor insurance policies that provides limited third-party-only cover for the named policyholder when driving a vehicle that is not owned by them, not hired under hire-purchase to them, and where defined conditions are met.
Category: Motor Also known as: DOC extension, DOC cover, Driving Other Vehicles First codified: UK market practice; first widely included in comprehensive policies from the 1960s; significantly narrowed by major insurers from the mid-2010s Related legislation: Road Traffic Act 1988 sections 143, 145 Apex Wiki link: /wiki/driving-other-cars-extension/
The Driving Other Cars (DOC) extension is a contractual feature of some comprehensive motor insurance policies under which the named policyholder is provided with third-party-only cover when driving a vehicle that is not owned by, hired to, or being acquired under hire-purchase by the policyholder [1].
The extension is intended to provide occasional cover for situations where the policyholder needs to drive someone else’s vehicle in circumstances where the owner’s policy does not extend to them. Typical use cases historically included driving a friend’s car home after the friend had become unwell, driving a parent’s car on a one-off basis, or moving a vehicle a short distance.
DOC is not a feature of third party only motor insurance or third party fire and theft policies, and even on comprehensive motor insurance policies it is now far from universal. From around 2014 onwards, the majority of major UK retail motor insurers have either removed the extension entirely or restricted it tightly, typically requiring the driver to be over a defined age (often 25) and excluding the extension where the policyholder is using the other vehicle in regular or business circumstances [2].
Where present, the extension provides only the statutory minimum third-party cover required by section 145 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 [3] — it does not provide accidental damage, fire or theft cover for the borrowed vehicle. A driver who damages a borrowed vehicle while driving under DOC bears the cost of those repairs personally.
The statutory backdrop is the requirement under section 143 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 that every user of a motor vehicle on a road or other public place must have in force a policy of insurance complying with section 145 [3]. The DOC extension, where it appears, is one of several ways in which the section 143 obligation may be satisfied when the driver is not driving their own vehicle. Other ways include the owner’s policy extending cover to the driver as a named driver or as a permitted driver, or the driver taking out a short-term policy on the other vehicle.
The Motor Vehicles (Compulsory Insurance) Regulations 2000 (SI 2000/726) set the monetary minimums — unlimited for personal injury, £1.2 million for property damage — and apply to DOC cover in the same way as to any other section 145 cover [4].
DOC cover, where applicable, is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Handbook in the same way as the rest of the motor insurance policy. The principal rules:
A material development in the case law is Keeley v Pashen [2004] EWCA Civ 1491, where the Court of Appeal considered the meaning of ‘use’ under a motor policy [6]. The case is relevant to DOC because it bears on whether a driver borrowing a vehicle for a particular purpose is ‘using’ it within the meaning of the cover.
A DOC extension typically requires:
Some current wordings impose additional restrictions: that the policyholder has held a full UK driving licence for a minimum period, that the borrowed vehicle is not used outside the UK, that DOC does not extend to vans, motorcycles or specific vehicle categories, and that DOC does not apply on the policyholder’s existing fleet vehicles or company-car vehicles.
A particular practical point: a driver relying on DOC for a journey in a borrowed vehicle is exposed to a number of risks not present under the borrowed vehicle’s own insurance, including the lack of own-damage cover for the borrowed vehicle, the lack of accident benefits (such as personal accident or medical expenses), and the application of the policyholder’s existing claims history to any DOC claim. For a borrowed vehicle of significant value, taking out short-term insurance is normally preferable to relying on DOC.
For brokers, DOC is one of the most commonly misunderstood features of UK motor insurance. The demands-and-needs analysis under ICOBS 5 should explicitly cover whether DOC is included, the limits of the cover, and the alternatives.
The DOC feature varies materially between insurers and over time:
The Driving Other Vehicles (DOV) extension is the equivalent for commercial vehicle insurance, where it is typically structured to allow the policyholder to drive other commercial vehicles of similar specification.
In some EEA jurisdictions DOC has no direct equivalent and the local equivalent of named-driver cover is the default.
An illustrative example: a policyholder over 30 with a comprehensive motor insurance policy that includes DOC needs to drive a friend’s car a short distance to a garage for an MOT. The friend’s car is insured by the friend on a separate policy that does not extend cover to the policyholder. The policyholder checks their own policy schedule, which confirms DOC is included for drivers over 25 driving with the owner’s permission, third-party only.
During the short journey, the policyholder is involved in a fault collision causing £4,500 of damage to a third-party vehicle and £2,800 of damage to the friend’s car. The policyholder’s DOC cover responds to pay the third-party claim of £4,500 (subject to the policy’s third-party limit of £20 million property damage, well above the £4,500 loss). The damage to the friend’s car (£2,800) is not covered by the DOC extension and must be settled between the policyholder and the friend.
The fault claim affects the policyholder’s no claims discount at the next renewal in the normal way. Figures are illustrative only.
This entry is part of the Apex Insurance Wiki. Last reviewed by Matt Bartlett on 2026-06-05. Next review: 2026-12-05.
Apex Insurance Brokers Limited. Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, FRN 724952. Registered in England and Wales, Companies House 07014570. This entry provides general information about UK insurance concepts and is not regulated advice. Consult your insurance broker on your specific position.
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