Maybe your mum needs you to drive her to the shops. Maybe your girlfriend has had a drink at the rugby and you need to drive home in her car. Maybe your mate has a new sports car and you’re dying to have a go in it. There are loads of reasons you might want to drive someone else’s car. As long as they say yes, it’ll be fine, right? Well, no.

You can’t just jump behind the wheel and assume you’re insured. There are a few boxes to tick before you can drive other cars (sometimes abbreviated to DOC or DOV for 'drive other vehicles').

Are you insured?

Even if you yourself have comprehensive insurance, it might not cover you to drive your cousin’s SUV or the neighbour’s hot hatch. It used to be that most comprehensive policies would provide third-party cover for DOC, but that’s not the case any longer. You need to dig into the small print of your policy to find out.

It’s also important to know that even if you have comprehensive car insurance with DOC cover, it probably won't cover you for driving your spouse or partner's car. Unless your policy states otherwise, you'll only be able to drive your partner's car if they've added you as a named driver or have a family or any-driver car insurance policy

Is the car you’re going to drive insured?

Your own policy might cover you regardless of whether the car you’re about to get into is insured or not. It might specify that the car has to have insurance too. Again, check the small print.

Have you got permission?

If you’re planning to drive your gran’s vintage convertible, you need to make sure she’ll lets you. Even though she’s your gran and loves you without question, you can’t just take her keys and motor off into the sunset. You need her say so.

What do you need to know?

Even if you are covered, it’s only likely to be third-party and you need to bear in mind the implications of reduced cover. If you’re involved in an accident driving someone else’s car, you won’t be insured for any damage to the car you’re driving.

And if you don’t tick these things off before you drive away in someone else’s car, you could be in for a shock. You might end up with six points on your licence and a minimum £300 fine, and the car you’re driving could be seized. And if that happens, your gran might not be so fond of you any more.

If you’re going to be driving someone’s car regularly, then it’s better to be named driver on their insurance, rather than relying on your own policy. You’ll get better cover and can be confident that you’re definitely insured. That means you’re happy, your gran’s happy and her vintage convertible is happy (well, if cars had feelings, of course).