Is it illegal to drive another person's car if they have insurance and you don't?
Is it okay to drive another person's car if I don't have insurance? I sometimes need to drive my boss's car. I know she has car insurance (or I'm pretty sure she does), but I don't since I don't own my own car.
Answer
“In most cases, insurance follows the car, not the driver. As long as the car owner permits it and has active insurance, you can legally drive their vehicle—so long as you have an active driver’s license.
However, there are some additional factors you should be aware of:
- Every insurance company has its own guidelines. This means that some providers may not recognize permissive use (being insured when someone says you can use their car).
- Some car insurance companies have policies that only cover drivers listed on the declarations page. If your boss has a policy like this, then you may not be covered when you use her car.
- Some providers may allow for excluded drivers. An excluded driver is someone who’s named in the policy as specifically not being covered by insurance in exchange for a lower premium.
Whenever you borrow a car, it’s smart to have a conversation with the owner about which kind of coverage they have. That way, everyone knows whether or not they’re protected.
If you need to drive your boss’s car, let her know that Jerry is the easiest and most effective way to find a car insurance policy customized for both of your needs. A licensed broker, Jerry does all the hard work of finding the cheapest quotes from the top name-brand insurance companies and buying new car insurance.”
Shannon Martin
Answered on Sep 09, 2021
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