Can You Temporarily Add Someone Else to Your Car Insurance Policy?
Last Updated on October 20, 2020
It’s very simple to temporarily add a new driver to your car insurance policy. If you have a friend or family member that is going to be borrowing your car regularly, it’s important that you add them to your policy to make sure they’re covered in the event of an accident.
How can you add somebody else to your auto insurance policy? Is it even possible to add someone to your car insurance temporarily? Keep reading below to learn how to add someone to your car insurance policy and what you need to know before you do it.
How Do I Add Someone to My Insurance?
It’s very easy to add someone to your car insurance. In many cases, you can do this online, or you can call an insurance agent. You’ll need some basic information about the new driver in order to add them to your insurance policy. The information you need varies between insurance providers, but generally, you’ll need their name, gender, birth date, license number, Social Security number, job description, the length of time they’ve had their driver’s license, and any traffic tickets or accidents they’ve had in the past few years. With this information, you can add a new driver to your policy within a few minutes.
When Should I Temporarily Add Someone to My Insurance?
There are a few situations in which it makes the most sense to temporarily add someone to your insurance. A common example of this is adult children coming home to live with you for a month or two and borrowing your car. They will be there long enough that they should be on your insurance, but not so long that you should consider adjusting the policy altogether. Another instance may be a roommate who uses your car a few times a month. Generally, you should be adding anyone that lives with you and uses your car. In these instances, temporarily adding the new driver to your insurance policy is the easiest solution.
When Do I Not Need to Add Someone to My Insurance?
There are also some situations in which you may consider adding a driver to your insurance policy, but it is ultimately not necessary. For example, if someone is only going to be borrowing your car once or twice, you won’t need to add them to the policy. If they will be borrowing your car more frequently, you should inquire about adding them to your policy.
Most insurance policies have a ‘permissive user’ clause, which will cover anyone who borrows your car infrequently. This could be anyone – a friend, a relative, a partner, a roommate, a coworker, or someone else. If the person borrowing your car does not live with you, you generally won’t need to add them to your car insurance policy.
Permissive users are defined as drivers who are given permission to drive the vehicle by the insurance policyholder. Drivers who fit this definition are granted the same coverage and benefits as the primary driver.
Teen Drivers Learning to Drive
The other case in which you may not want to add someone temporarily to your insurance is if you have a child who is learning to drive. If they are still on their learner’s permit, they will be covered, but once they graduate to full license status, you may want to talk to your insurance agent to readjust your policy. This is because adding a teen driver to your policy can significantly change your monthly premiums. Luckily, most insurance companies offer specific programs and discounts for teen drivers to offset the higher risk that comes with having one on your policy.
How Will Adding Someone to My Policy Affect My Costs?
Adding someone to your insurance policy will affect how much you pay in monthly premiums. However, this isn’t necessarily a cause for concern, as it won’t always drive your rates up, and can sometimes even bring your rates down. Depending on who the additional driver is, they can actually get you a significantly better deal on your policy. When you add a second driver to your policy, the insurance company will assess how likely they are to file a claim. If they are a very safe driver with a good record, the insurance company won’t consider them a big risk, which is why this can bring your premiums down.
How Should I Shop for Multi-Driver Policies?
Just as with any other car insurance policy, you should make sure to get quotes from several different companies when shopping for a multi-driver policy. Each insurance company has their own system for determining the price of their policy. They evaluate a number of different factors to determine the financial risk that each customer poses, including the type of car they drive, their driving record, and other statistical factors. Because each company has their own system for determining prices, your prices may vary widely between companies. This is why it’s so important to get quotes from several different insurance companies. Before committing to a policy, you should also ask the insurance agents what their policy is for adding and removing drivers from your policy.
Final Word on Adding Someone to Your Car Insurance Temporarily
If you need to temporarily add or remove someone from your car insurance policy, don’t worry. The process is very easy with most car insurance providers, and it shouldn’t affect your rates too dramatically. If it’s somebody who won’t be driving your vehicle regularly and is not part of your household, you won’t need to add them to your policy as they will be covered under the permissive use clause. If it’s somebody who will be driving your car regularly, however, it’s always best to add them to your policy to ensure that they will be covered in the event of an accident.
