How Is Liberty Mutual’s Non-Owner Car Insurance?
Last Updated on October 16, 2023
You don’t need to own a vehicle to buy car insurance. Liberty Mutual is one of many insurers offering non-owner car insurance.
What is Liberty Mutual’s non-owner car insurance? How does Liberty Mutual’s non-owner car insurance work? Keep reading to find out.
Table of Contents:
- How Does Liberty Mutual’s Non-Owner Car Insurance Work?
- Who Should Buy Liberty Mutual’s Non-Owner Car Insurance?
- What’s Covered by Non-Owner Car Insurance?
- How Much Does Liberty Mutual Non-Owner Car Insurance Cost?
- Non-Owner Car Insurance Is Secondary Coverage
- What Isn’t Covered by Non-Owner Car Insurance?
- Liberty Mutual Non-Owner Car Insurance Reviews
How Does Liberty Mutual’s Non-Owner Car Insurance Work?
Liberty Mutual’s non-owner car insurance provides liability insurance that follows the driver – not a specific vehicle.
You buy car insurance from Liberty Mutual like you normally would. However, instead of adding a car to your policy, you add a driver. You give Liberty Mutual your personal details and driving history, and Liberty Mutual creates a quote based on your perceived risk.
Once you have non-owner car insurance with Liberty Mutual, you have liability insurance when driving a vehicle – even if you don’t own that vehicle.
Who Should Buy Liberty Mutual’s Non-Owner Car Insurance?
Non-owner car insurance is ideal for certain drivers in certain situations, including:
- Anyone who rents cars regularly
- Someone who frequently uses vehicle sharing services
- Someone who needs insurance to reinstate their license
- Anyone who needs to file an SR-22/FR-44 form even if you don’t own a car
- Someone who wants to maintain continuous insurance coverage while in between vehicles
- Anyone who occasionally borrows cars from friends or family
What’s Covered by Non-Owner Car Insurance?
Liberty Mutual’s non-owner car insurance covers similar things to other non-owner car insurance policies. You get liability insurance and other coverages that follow you – not the specific vehicle.
A typical Liberty Mutual non-owner car insurance policy covers the following:
Bodily Injury Liability Coverage: Most states require you to have bodily injury liability coverage. It covers medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses for anyone you injure while driving – including other drivers, passengers, and pedestrians. If you crash into someone’s vehicle and the other driver requires $100,000 of medical treatment, for example, then your non-owner car insurance’s bodily injury liability coverage will help.
Property Damage Liability Coverage: Most states also require you to have property damage liability coverage, which covers the cost of repairing property after an accident. If you crash into someone’s vehicle and are at fault, for example, then your property damage liability coverage will cover the cost of repairing the vehicle to pre-loss condition.
Personal Injury Protection or Medical Payments Coverage: Some non-owner car insurance policies include personal injury protection (PIP) or medical payments coverage (MedPay). Some states require these coverages, but most do not. These coverages function similar to health insurance, covering certain medical bills and related expenses after a loss.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage: Some states require you to carry uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Liberty Mutual’s non-owner car insurance policies may come with uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage for that reason. Or, you may be able to add these coverages to your policy. You get added protection against drivers who don’t have insurance – and drivers who have too little insurance.
How Much Does Liberty Mutual Non-Owner Car Insurance Cost?
Liberty Mutual does not provide non-owner car insurance quotes online.
You must call the company or speak with an agent to find out how much non-owner car insurance will cost you.
According to our research, the average non-owner car insurance policy costs $275 to $725 per year.
As with all car insurance, pricing varies based on risk. Drivers with a higher risk of making a claim pay more for non-owner car insurance than drivers with a lower risk.
If you have multiple accidents on your driving record, for example, or other incidents like speeding tickets, then you’ll pay more for car insurance.
Factors that impact the price of non-owner car insurance include:
However, non-owner car insurance does not consider the value of a vehicle when calculating premiums. Because it’s liability-only insurance, it does not provide any protection to the vehicle you’re driving, so the value of the vehicle is irrelevant. Whether you’re driving a $50,000 SUV or a $2,000 sedan, you’ll pay the same rates for non-owner car insurance because there’s no specific vehicle on the policy.
Non-Owner Car Insurance Is Secondary Coverage
Non-owner car insurance is secondary insurance coverage – not primary coverage.
Any vehicle you are driving should still have insurance. This insurance functions as the primary coverage, and your non-owner policy functions as the secondary coverage.
If you get into an accident, then you use the primary coverage first, and your secondary coverage covers all remaining expenses.
What Isn’t Covered by Non-Owner Car Insurance?
Non-owner car insurance doesn’t cover everything, and it’s not ideal for all drivers in all situations.
Here are some of the things not covered by non-owner car insurance:
Collision & Comprehensive Coverage: Non-owner car insurance does not cover the vehicle you’re driving. It doesn’t cover the cost of repairing the vehicle after a loss, nor does it cover fire damage, storm damage, or other damage you cause to the vehicle. A typical car insurance policy has collision and comprehensive coverage, but non-owner car insurance has no underlying vehicle, which means you can’t buy these coverages.
Coverage for Vehicles You Own: You can’t buy non-owner car insurance and drive a vehicle you own. It’s specifically designed for drivers who drive vehicles owned by other people and want added liability protection. If you own a vehicle, you should buy a car insurance policy specifically for that vehicle instead of buying non-owner car insurance.
Coverage for Vehicles You Frequently Borrow: If you frequently borrow a friend’s vehicle, then non-owner car insurance may not be the right choice. In this situation, your friend should list you as a secondary driver on the vehicle’s insurance policy. In fact, this may be much cheaper than buying your own policy.
Coverage for Vehicles Owned by Someone in Your Household: If you have access to a vehicle owned by someone in your household, then you may not be eligible for a non-owner car insurance policy. Liberty Mutual may not sell you a non-owner policy if you have regular access to a specific vehicle belonging to someone in your household. Instead, you need to get listed on that vehicle owner’s policy.
Liberty Mutual Non-Owner Car Insurance Reviews
Is Liberty Mutual’s non-owner car insurance good? Should you buy Liberty Mutual’s non-owner car insurance?
According to the 2021 United States auto insurance study from J.D. Power, Liberty Mutual ranked below average in all subregions but two in terms of customer satisfaction. J.D. Power speaks to policyholders who have recently made a claim, then asks for their opinion. Liberty Mutual has performed below-average on recent rankings, which means many customers are dissatisfied with Liberty Mutual’s claims process or overall handling.
Liberty Mutual, like other large insurers, has competitive pricing. The company tends to charge competitive rates on its non-owner car insurance policies compared to other major providers like GEICO.
Overall, customers have average satisfaction with their Liberty Mutual non-owner car insurance policy. Some customers are satisfied, while others are not, and Liberty Mutual is roughly average compared to competing providers.
Final Word on Liberty Mutual
Liberty Mutual’s non-owner car insurance lets you buy coverage without owning a vehicle.
Depending on your state, Liberty Mutual may be the best option. The company offers competitively-priced non-owner car insurance with average claims satisfaction ratings.
To learn more about Liberty Mutual’s non-owner car insurance or to request a quote today, contact Liberty Mutual. Liberty Mutual does not provide non-owner car insurance quotes online.