Adding a Driver to Car Insurance

When You Need to Add Someone to Your Car Insurance

Guidance regarding who does and does not need to be added to an individual’s car insurance policy varies from one auto insurance company to the next. However, a general rule of thumb is to add anyone who meets the following criteria:

1) anyone who lives in the same household
2) who has a license
3) who has regular access to the vehicle in question

Examples of people typically added to policies as secondary drivers include spouses, teenage drivers, roommates, and nannies. If someone only sporadically drives the vehicle, it may not be necessary to add them to your insurance plan. Many car insurance companies include a “permissive use” clause in their customer contracts that may provide some coverage in the event an occasional driver gets into an accident while driving someone else’s vehicle. Given the difference in policies across various automobile insurance providers, it’s recommended that the main driver of the vehicle speak with a representative from their car insurance company to assess when a driver should be added to their policy if they have questions. The online car insurance quote system here can assist as well.

How To Add A Driver To Your Insurance Policy

For many larger auto insurance companies, a primary driver can add a secondary driver to their policy either by calling their car insurance providers directly or accessing the online customer portals and adding secondary drivers to their profile. Auto insurance companies will require some or all of the following information about new drivers being added to an existing policy: the driver’s name, date of birth, social security number, place of employment, gender, years of driving experience, and recent claims history. If the additional driver is going to be on the policy for an extensive period of time (such as a teenage driver who will remain on the policy for several years), the primary driver may want to consider switching insurance companies to take advantage of the best rates available.

The Cost Of Adding A Driver To Your Car Insurance

Adding new drivers to a policy doesn’t necessarily mean an increase in the cost of premiums. For example, if a younger, less-experienced driver adds an older driver to their policy, the younger driver might see a decrease in their auto insurance rates. Car insurance companies view the older driver as an overall lower risk so the company might lower the premium accordingly. 

However, if the additional driver is perceived at a higher risk due to a recent claim, poor credit history, or other risk factors, adding the driver to the policy can raise the auto insurance premium.  

Adding A Driver Can Save You Money

Adding a driver to your car insurance policy can help save you money overall. It can be partially dependent on the driving record of the person you are adding to the policy, however. Having people in your household attached to your vehicle, rather than them being excluded, means that you have more flexible coverage in case they are in an accident while driving your vehicle. Some states have insurance policies where only the people who are specifically named in the policy are covered for driving the vehicle. Most policies, however, have permissive driver insurance. If your friend is borrowing your vehicle, and does it less than 12 times a year, your insurance may cover expenses if they are in an accident. That said, many insurance providers have restrictions against people who are high risk drivers. This can include drivers who have gotten a DUI within the last seven years, though there are other automatic exclusions that can happen. Good communication between you and the person who is driving your vehicle is essential. If you are adding your partner to your policy, and they have a better driving record than you, it can be beneficial to your insurance coverage overall. Keep in mind the multiple vehicles can be listed on one policy, giving a multicar discount to the those listed on the policy. There are other discounts also available.

Look For Other Discounts Too

Some of the other discounts that are available include good student, pay in full, security features, policy bundling, and more. Policy bundling can provide a hefty discount. This occurs when a person purchases their auto insurance along with other types of policies. People can bundle their car insurance plan with homeowner’s insurance, life insurance, health insurance, business insurance, and other types of plans as well. Keep in mind that paying in full can save a person up to 30% or more on their policy, keeping more money in their pocket. The discounts a person can get can vary from one company to the next, as not all companies offer the same discounts. This is one of many reasons a person should get quotes from multiple companies. You can use the free quote tools here to do so.

Get Quotes From Multiple Companies Here

One of the top ways to save money on a policy is to get insurance quotes from a few different companies. Many of the top companies are featured here, giving you access to the best quotes for auto insurance available quickly and easily. Get the top prices for vehicle insurance available now. Bookmark this page, and come back every few years to check multiple companies again. The formulas that companies use can vary from one year to the next, meaning a company that is giving you the best rate this year might not be the top choice next year.