Do I need insurance on a vehicle if using a friends car?

8 comments

1. Typically the owner’s insurance will cover anyone they allow to drive the vehicle.

2. If they have insurance you should be fine.

3. Laws vary from state to state, whatever state you’re going to be in may require you to get a permit (IDP). Insurance is required by the owner of the vehicle, not you. Be mindful if you’re staying in a rural area and get pulled over I doubt local police will have the right information on if you are legally allowed to drive. You should reach out to the states licensing or motor vehicle department for the correct information

4. For incidental/occasional use, their insurance should cover you. As a short term visitor using their car while visiting, you should be fine. If you were significant others/living together and used the vehicle regularly, you’d need to be added to the policy as an additional driver. Insurance is attached to the vehicle, not the individual, so there’d be no way for you to buy car insurance without owning a car to insure.

5. Depends who they’re insured with. Insurers who specialize in high risk drivers have policies that cover only the person who purchased the policy. It would be good for your friend to call their agent just to confirm this.

6. You can and should have insurance for you, even if you don’t own a vehicle, it allows you to have your own coverage on top of the insurance coverage of the car owner has. But, make sure that your friends insurance allows for non listed driver’s to be covered while driving their car.

7. The registered owner is responsible for insurance.

   That said… insurance companies want to know who is regularly driving the car. So, if you’re going to take the car on a 2 month road trip, they need to know.

   If it’s just 1 day, no problem. Somewhere inbetween, there’s a point where you have to add the additional driver to the insurance.

8. Late to the party, but claims adjuster here. There are two types of auto policies: the ones that include drivers unless excluded and the ones that exclude drivers unless included.

   It may be worth a call by your friend to their agent to see what kind of policy it is. Usually big name insurers underwite the inclusive policies. Small insurers underwrite the exclusive policies. This is by no means a rule, just my observation.

   If the policy doesn’t cover you, then it may not be a horrible idea to look into getting a liability umbrella policy while you’re here. It’ll assume excess coverage in the event the auto policy denies liability coverage