Can You Add Someone Who Doesn’t Live With You to Your Car Insurance?
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Written byMandy Sleight
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Mandy Sleight has over 15 years of insurance knowledge and expertise in auto, home, life, health, pet, supplemental benefits, and other insurance products. She’s a sought-after insurance expert, appearing in Bankrate.com, Moneygeek.com, U.S. News & World Report, Reviews.com, CNET, and other publications, and she's been writing for Compare.com since 2023.
Mandy uses her background and experience working for well-known insurance companies like State Farm and Nationwide Insurance to create engaging and easy-to-understand content that helps readers make smarter insurance choices that have a positive effect on their budgets and finances.
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Edited byLequita Westbrooks
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Lequita WestbrooksSenior Editor
Lequita Westbrooks is an insurance editor at Compare.com. Her writing and editing experiences span several industries, including insurance, personal finance, higher education, and more. She excels at explaining complex topics like auto insurance in simple, easy-to-understand language and is passionate about helping readers save money. Lequita graduated from the University of South Florida, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English.
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If someone else regularly drives your vehicle, you should list them as a driver on your insurance policy, even if they don’t live in your household. For example, if you have a relative who visits often and borrows your car, adding them as a driver gives them permission to drive your car and extends your insurance coverage to them if they get into an accident.
Keep reading to learn why you should insure people who don’t live with you, how to do so, the pros and cons to consider, and the steps to take before adding a driver to your car insurance policy.
People You Should Add to Your Car Insurance
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Auto insurance companies typically require you to add people who live in your house to your insurance policy — how it affects your premium depends on their driver category.
Here’s an overview of the different types of people you should consider adding to your auto insurance.
Someone who drives your car regularly
If someone lives you with and drives your car regularly — such as a partner, spouse, roommate, child, or family member — you should list them as a rated driver. But keep in mind that doing so means their driving record can affect your insurance premium.
Someone who drives your car occasionally
A listed driver is someone who occasionally drives your car, such as a relative or friend who’s visiting you for a week. Listed drivers usually don’t affect your insurance rates.
Someone who doesn’t drive or have a license
Even if someone doesn’t have a driver’s license, your insurer may want you to list them on the policy. A non-driver, such as a grandparent who no longer has a license or your teenager who only has a learner’s permit, typically doesn’t affect your premium.
Someone who has their own policy
If someone lives in your household but has their own insurance policy, your insurer may ask for proof of insurance and list them as a driver since they have access to your vehicle.
Someone you exclude from your policy
Some companies will allow you to exclude a driver from your policy, such as a high-risk driver. Though they live with you, you can remove them from your policy to prevent your insurance costs from increasing because of their driving record. But keep in mind that they won’t have coverage under your policy — if they drive your car and get into an accident, your insurance won’t cover it.
Insuring Someone Who Doesn’t Live With You
Your auto insurance policy can cover drivers who don’t live in your home but occasionally drive your car. You can insure non-household members through permissive use or non-owner car insurance.
Let’s take a look at how each works:
Permissive use: This is when you give someone permission to drive your vehicle but don’t list them as a named driver (a listed and authorized driver) on your policy. Doing so extends your liability insurance to them if they get into an accident. If someone drives your car without consent, there’s usually no coverage.
Non-owner car insurance: If the other driver neither lives with you nor owns a vehicle but regularly borrows or rents yours, non-owner insurance can provide liability coverage if they cause an accident. Your policy would provide physical damage coverage for your car, and the non-owner policy would provide secondary coverage.
Pros and Cons of Adding Someone to Your Auto Policy
Adding another driver to your policy covers them while they drive your car, but their driving record can raise or lower your premium. You also share responsibilities for claims, so it’s important to discuss what might happen if they get into an accident while driving your vehicle.
Weighing the pros and cons can help you decide if it’s in your best interest to add another driver to your policy.
Pros
Adding an extra driver with a clean driving record could lower your premium.
Your policy can provide insurance coverage to a listed driver without additional premium costs.
If they have insurance with the same insurance company, you could be eligible for more discounts, such as a multi-car or multi-policy discount.
Cons
As the registered owner of the vehicle and policyholder, you may be financially responsible for any injuries or damage they cause, including to your own car.
Listing a rated driver with an at-fault accident or traffic violations in their driving history can raise your insurance premiums.
If someone else causes an accident while driving your car, you could lose accident forgiveness benefits.
Steps to Take Before Adding Someone to Your Car Insurance
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Take these steps to ensure you’re making smart insurance decisions before adding someone to your car insurance policy:
Review your policy terms. Make sure you understand the consequences of adding a driver to your policy, including your responsibilities if they cause an accident.
Be aware of their driving record. Adding a rated driver to your policy can affect your insurance premiums. Someone with a poor driving history may cause your insurance rates to go up significantly.
Consider their age and experience. Young drivers are more expensive to insure because they pose a higher risk of accidents and tickets than older, more experienced drivers.
Think about your policy coverages and deductibles.As the policy and vehicle owner, you’re primarily responsible for paying your deductible or any injuries or damage to others in an accident.Make sure your liability limits are high enough to protect your finances and the driver can afford to — and is willing to — pay your deductible if they damage your car.
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How to Add Another Driver to Your Car Insurance
If you’re ready to add another driver to your auto policy, here are four easy steps to follow:
Contact your agent or car insurance company. Ask about adding another driver to your policy, what happens if you add them, and what information and specific requirements you need to add them as a driver.
Get their most current information. Most insurers need general information, such as their full name, driver’s license number, date of birth, permanent address, and their relationship to you.
Ask if you qualify for discounts. Adding another driver might come with perks like additional discounts. For example, a teen driver or college-age student may be eligible for a good student discount.
Discuss costs and insurance claims. Determine how you’ll handle any additional fees for adding them, who’ll pay the deductible, and how you’ll handle an insurance claim if they get into an accident while driving your car.
Adding someone as a driver to your car insurance coverage and sharing a policy are two different things. If you add someone to your policy, it’ll cover them while they drive your vehicle. Sharing a policy usually means you both have your own cars covered on a single policy instead of each of you having a separate policy for each vehicle.
FAQs About Adding Other Drivers to Your Car Insurance
These answers to the most common questions about adding other drivers to your car insurance can help you understand the process and its effect on your policy and rates.
Will adding someone to your car insurance affect your premiums?
It’s possible. Adding a rated driver to your existing policy can affect your premiums. For example, someone with a poor driving record or a freshly licensed teen driver can cause your insurance premiums to go up. It’s a good idea to discuss how adding a new driver to your policy will change your insurance costs.
Can people at different addresses be on the same car insurance?
Yes, if someone has an insurable interest in your vehicle but has a different permanent address, you can be on the same auto insurance policy. For example, if your relative who lives across town is a co-owner, they have a financial stake in the car, and you should list them on your policy.
Can your college student away at school stay on your auto policy?
Yes, adult children away at college can stay on your insurance. Parents often keep their college-age children on their policy to cover them when they come home and occasionally drive their car. They may even qualify for a student-away-at-school discount if their school is over 100 miles away and they don’t take a vehicle with them.
Can you add a friend to your car insurance?
Yes, and you should if they drive your vehicle regularly, especially if they live at the same address as you. Including them as an added driver or non-resident driver gives them permission to drive your car and provides coverage if they get into an accident.
Do you have to add roommates to your car insurance?
It depends. Some insurance companies require you to list all household members on your policy, even if they aren’t immediate family members or domestic partners. Different insurance companies have different requirements, so it’s a good idea to check with your insurance agent to find out who should be a driver on your specific insurance policy.
Sources:
National Association of Insurance Commissioners, “A Consumer’s Guide to Auto Insurance,” accessed September 20, 2024.
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Mandy SleightInsurance Writer
Mandy Sleight has over 15 years of insurance knowledge and expertise in auto, home, life, health, pet, supplemental benefits, and other insurance products. She’s a sought-after insurance expert, appearing in Bankrate.com, Moneygeek.com, U.S. News & World Report, Reviews.com, CNET, and other publications, and she's been writing for Compare.com since 2023.
Mandy uses her background and experience working for well-known insurance companies like State Farm and Nationwide Insurance to create engaging and easy-to-understand content that helps readers make smarter insurance choices that have a positive effect on their budgets and finances.
Lequita WestbrooksSenior Editor
Lequita Westbrooks is an insurance editor at Compare.com. Her writing and editing experiences span several industries, including insurance, personal finance, higher education, and more. She excels at explaining complex topics like auto insurance in simple, easy-to-understand language and is passionate about helping readers save money. Lequita graduated from the University of South Florida, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English.