What Is a Named Driver Exclusion?
A named driver exclusion means that specific drivers won't be covered by your car insurance policy if they were to drive your vehicle.
Written by Olivia Rose
Edited by Melanie Krieps Mergen
A named driver exclusion is an identified driver who is not covered under a particular
car insurance
policy.- An excluded driver named on a vehicle’s car insurance policy won’t be insured if they drive it.
- If you have a family member who’s a high-risk driver, a named driver exclusion might actually save you money on your car insurance.
- Be careful about getting behind the wheel if you’re named as an excluded driver on a car insurance policy, as driving without insurance is illegal in most states.
- An excluded driver named on a vehicle’s car insurance policy won’t be insured if they drive it.
- If you have a family member who’s a high-risk driver, a named driver exclusion might actually save you money on your car insurance.
- Be careful about getting behind the wheel if you’re named as an excluded driver on a car insurance policy, asdriving without insuranceis illegal in most states.
What is a named driver exclusion?
A named driver exclusion is a section on a car insurance policy that specifies people by name who have access to the vehicle but are not insured if they drive it.
Named excluded drivers on an auto insurance policy are not covered by the insured car’s policy.
You should be able to find any excluded driver information on the declarations page or your policy.
How does a named driver exclusion really work?
For the most part, car insurance policies typically adhere to what we call "permissive use."
Permissive use looks like this: If Rhonda has insurance for her SUV and she lets her friend Jimmy borrow the SUV for a backcountry road trip, Jimmy will be covered under her policy. Insurance follows the car, not the driver.
With driver exclusions, however, your policy can name specific people that won’t be covered given the principle of permissive use.
What that means: If Rhonda lends her SUV to Mike—but Mike is a named excluded driver on her policy—Mike will be considered an uninsured driver. If Mike gets into a fender-bender, he and Rhonda will be liable for any resulting injuries or property damage. Her liability insurance won’t cover a dime.
Why would you add an excluded driver to your policy?
Your provider might ask you to name a certain individual as an excluded driver because auto insurance companies aren’t interested in covering
high-risk drivers
. And of course, driving records have a significant impact on premiums.Let’s say you’re a parent with a teen who has totaled 2 vehicles (we really hope you don’t ever have to deal with that). Your teen will almost certainly be considered a high-risk driver.
If you’re named as an excluded driver on an insurance policy: You cannot legally drive that insured vehicle unless you have your own additional policy and coverage.
If you have named excluded drivers on your policy: It’s your responsibility to make sure that those named drivers don’t drive your car.
If you are a named excluded driver on an auto insurance policy: You are effectively uninsured when you drive the vehicle attached to that policy. This is where you have to be careful—driving without insurance is both financially risky and illegal.
Key Takeaway A named driver exclusion excludes a specific driver from your insurance policy, meaning your provider is not liable to cover them if they drive your car. When driving your vehicle, the named excluded driver is effectively an uninsured driver.
No excuses—read your policy carefully
As with any car insurance policy, read the fine print of your policy carefully. You may simply "forget" that a certain driver is excluded from your policy, but that won’t hold up as an argument for your car insurance company.
If it’s in writing, it’s a done deal—so make sure you aren’t letting any excluded drivers on your policy use your car.
Keep in mind: If an excluded driver ends up driving your car and gets into a car accident, it’s possible you could see your own insurance rates rise or even face nonrenewal of your policy.
What do I do if I’m an excluded driver
If you’re going to be driving—at all—purchase your own auto insurance immediately. Driving without car insurance is illegal in most states and can have serious consequences.
If you’re an excluded individual because you are a high-risk driver—which is the likeliest reason for being an excluded driver— you’ll need to find an insurance provider that is willing to
insure high-risk drivers
.Jerry, a
trustworthy insurance shopping app
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does all the comparison shopping for you, so you can spend your sweet time doing better things, like taking a defensive driving course to potentially lower your insurance premiums."Jerry is an amazing app! The reps were super friendly, patient, and worked to get me the best coverage for the most affordable rate! They helped me switch insurance companies while saving me over $110 monthly compared to my previous insurance carrier and lowered my deductible by $250! That is incredible! I’ve been telling everyone about them and I really appreciate all of their help!" —Satisfied Jerry user
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FAQs
What does driver exclusion mean?
When an insurance policy names an excluded driver, your provider is exempt from providing coverage for that excluded driver.
How do I remove excluded drivers?
To remove excluded drivers from your insurance policy, you’ll need to talk with your insurance agent. You might be looking at higher rates when you take an excluded driver off your policy.
If you’re worried about higher insurance rates, check out the car insurance comparison app Jerry. You can see all your best policy options in one place and easily pick the policy with the lowest rates—and Jerry will do all the phone calls and paperwork for you.
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