As a responsible car owner, you always want to make sure your vehicle always has insurance coverage. While you may have an auto insurance policy in place that covers you and any other regular drivers, you may want to know if this coverage extends to a temporary driver. In this case, you may be working out how to add someone to your car insurance temporarily. Read on to learn how it works.
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How do you add someone to your car insurance for a week?
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It’s not that difficult to temporarily add someone to your car insurance, but you first need to work out if it’s even necessary. In this case, consider whether the insurance company would classify them as a “permissive user” or not and if the company will automatically cover them for that short period.
What is a permissive user?
Oftentimes, there are drivers covered under your car insurance called permissive users. A permissive user is a person who is not named on the policy but has permission to drive your car for a short time. If your policy allows this, then your permission is all that’s needed to ensure the other driver is covered.
The rules can vary from state to state and by provider, and some insurers don’t offer this automatic coverage. Be sure to check your current policy to find out exactly how it works. If you do have a permissive-user option on your coverage, you can simply allow someone to drive your vehicle on a rare occasion without formally adding them to your policy.
Are there any restrictions?
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Many insurance companies will allow you to give permission to another party to drive your vehicle for a week. The company doesn’t consider this to be a long-term arrangement, so it’s viewed as reasonable. However, you will need to refer to your specific policy to see if there are any age or experience restrictions. If a driver typically has regular access to your vehicle, you should think about adding them as a listed insured party instead.
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Does the other driver have to have their own insurance?
The other driver may have their own insurance, but it’s not typically required to drive your car. In this situation, insurance will “follow the vehicle” to cover your car if they have an accident while driving it. In this case, your insurance would be primary, but theirs would be secondary.
Adding Someone to Your Insurance Temporarily
If you want to be particularly careful and insist that you cover another driver so they can use your car for a week, you need to get in touch with your insurance company and talk with an agent. In this case, you will need to provide the other driver’s full name and date of birth, along with their license number. You should give the driver’s occupation and the date their license came into force.
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It is even possible to add somebody to your policy for a day. Whatever the length, be sure to check to see if your policy would classify them as a permissive user or if there are any restrictions involved. You may not need to go to the trouble of adding them to your policy.
Does it cost anything to add someone to your car insurance?
If someone has long-term access to your car, and you add them to your policy, the insurance underwriters will look at the details and may increase your rates. Talk with your insurance company to find out how much it would be to add someone temporarily.
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How to Add Someone to Your Car Insurance Temporarily
It is possible to add someone to your car insurance for a day, a week, or longer by giving their information to your insurance agent in advance. Check to see whether a permissive user clause would cover them anyway, and always look at the fine print. The rules can vary from state to state and by provider.
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