The rule that surprises everyone
When you give someone permission to drive your car, your policy is the one that responds. An at-fault crash by your friend becomes your at-fault claim — on your record for 6 years, surcharging your premium exactly as if you'd been driving. Their own insurance (if they have any) generally sits behind yours, not in front of it.
What decides whether you're even covered
- Permission — a driver you allowed is covered; a taken-without-consent vehicle is a different (police) matter.
- Their licence — lending to an unlicensed or suspended driver can void coverage entirely. Check before the keys leave your hand.
- Regular use — an occasional borrow is fine; someone who drives your car regularly must be listed on your policy. An undisclosed regular driver is misrepresentation, the thing that gets claims denied.
- Impairment and exclusions — an impaired borrower can leave you exposed in ways no owner expects.
If it already happened
Report within 7 days as always — with the borrower's version of events in writing while it's fresh, since they were the driver but your insurer needs the story. Fault is assessed on the crash, not on who owns the car. If it's small, single-vehicle, and injury-free, the pay-out-of-pocket math matters even more than usual, because the surcharge lands on your policy while the repair bill can land on your friend.
The honest lesson most people learn the hard way: lending your car is lending your claims history. For anyone beyond a trusted occasional borrower, either list them on the policy or don't lend the car.