Can You Drive Someone Else’s Car?

Let’s say your car is being repaired at the shop and your mother-in-law says you can borrow hers. Or you’re home from college, but left your car on campus and want to meet your friends uptown for a game of basketball.

Can you drive someone else’s car? And how does it work with insurance?

Generally, insurance follows the car. You can drive someone else’s car if you have their permission, you’re not using the vehicle for business purposes and you’re not listed as an excluded driver on their auto insurance policy. However, specific permissions and coverages can still vary by state and provider. Let’s dig deeper into the subtleties of whether car insurance covers the car or the driver.

Is it illegal to drive someone else’s car? 

No, not usually. Most drivers who aren’t listed on a car’s insurance policy can still use the vehicle as long as they have the owner’s permission. This is known as “permissive use.”

Put simply, permissive use assumes that whomever is behind the wheel of a motor vehicle has permission to be there. It also protects car owners in case the person driving their car absolutely doesn’t have permission — if your vehicle is stolen, for example, or someone takes your car without consent, it’s considered non-permissive use and you’ll not be held liable for any damages they cause in an accident.

There are two ways to obtain permission to drive someone else’s car:

1. Express permission: The owner of the car gives you direct, clear consent to use their vehicle, such as by handing you the keys.
2. Implied permission: You assume you’re allowed to drive someone’s car, perhaps because you’ve been allowed to in the past.

Note that the legal answer to “Can I drive someone else’s car?” varies across insurance policies and states — so be sure the vehicle owner checks their auto insurance coverage details regarding permissive use before you drive their car.

It’s not always legal to drive someone else’s car

If any of the following situations apply, a person may not be insured to drive someone else’s car — and it might even be illegal. Here are a few reasons a driver may not be covered by a car owner’s policy:

• They’re listed as an excluded driver on a policy: The car owner may have specifically excluded certain drivers from their insurance policy due to factors such as lack of a license or a history of driving violations.
• They are not a licensed driver: If an unlicensed individual borrows and crashes the vehicle, the owner’s insurance may not cover the damages.
• They don’t have your permission to drive: If someone steals a car — or borrows it without either express or implied permission — and they crash, the owner’s car insurance policy may not cover the damages they’re responsible for. That said, if the car owner has comprehensive coverage, the vehicle itself will be covered from damages due to theft or vandalism.
• They’re under the influence: An insurance provider may deny coverage if someone crashes a car while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• They should have been listed on your policy and weren’t: Some states require that a car owner’s policy includes relatives who live at the same address or people who drive their car regularly.
• They paid to use the car: If the vehicle is rented out through a service like Turo, the owner’s regular car insurance typically does not apply. A separate peer-to-peer rental car policy is usually required.
• They work for the car owner: Most car insurance policies may exclude household employees who use a car as part of their job, like if a nanny picks up the car owner’s kids from school.
• They’re using the car for business purposes: Business use is a standard exclusion on most car insurance policies. If the car owner or someone else is using the car for work, including for ride-sharing or most delivery services, the driver will likely need a separate commercial car insurance policy.

Do you need insurance to drive someone else’s car?

If you have permission to drive a car and get into an accident, the car owner’s insurance will act as the primary policy for any damages that you caused. That means it will pay out first, and any other applicable policies — like your own car insurance — will be considered excess or secondary coverage that pays for damages exceeding the owner’s policy limits.

Here’s what the car owner’s car insurance policy should cover.

• Liability insurance: The owner’s state-mandated liability coverage should pay for property damage and personal injury claims filed by the other driver up to the owner’s policy limits.
• Collision insurance: If the owner has added optional collision coverage to their policy, it will pay to repair or replace their car after an accident, regardless of who was at fault. A deductible will typically apply.

There are a few types of coverage that may not apply to unlisted drivers. For instance, if the car owner has medical payments coverage (MedPay) or personal injury protection (PIP), it will typically follow them if they drive someone else’s car, but won’t cover you when driving theirs. 

Note that if your policy includes full coverage options like collision insurance and comprehensive insurance, that likely won’t apply if you’re driving someone else’s car. It will all depend on the details of your specific policy’s coverage.

Uninsured drivers driving insured car

If you’re uninsured and borrow a car, you’re likely still covered by the vehicle-owner’s policy. However, any property damages or medical expenses that surpass their coverage limits will be your financial responsibility. So the owner’s insurance will cover large payouts up to their coverage limits, but you’re responsible for everything else. 

Expert Tip
Instead of driving a car without insurance, it’s a good idea for borrowers to buy non-owner car insurance. This keeps drivers protected in an accident even if they don’t own their own vehicle.

Being added as a covered driver may be a better option

If you frequently borrow the same car from the same driver, there are two main options: you can look into purchasing a non-owners policy, or have the main driver add you as a named driver on their policy. Most insurance providers require policyholders to include immediate family members, spouses and other household members on their insurance policy.

You can also choose to list friends, family, or anyone else who is likely to use your car, but you typically can’t add a non-related driver who lives at different addresses. Keep in mind that the more drivers are listed on a policy, the more it will cost. Be mindful of who you add to your policy: High-risk drivers with a history of accidents, traffic violations, insurance lapses or poor credit that are added to your policy can increase your premiums.

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Liz Jenson

Liz Jenson is an insurance writer who specializes in general automotive and insurance topics. Liz’s mission is to produce informative and useful content to help car owners make smart choices when buying cars and car insurance. Since joining Jerry in 2021, Liz has written nearly 4,000 long- and short-form articles on topics including state-specific insurance recommendations, common car insurance questions, and deep dives into vehicle model details. Before they came to Jerry, Liz was a full-time student at Indiana University, Bloomington working on a double major in English and French.