{"id":4818,"date":"2024-04-15T06:51:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-15T13:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vernfonk.com\/blog\/?p=4818"},"modified":"2024-04-15T08:52:49","modified_gmt":"2024-04-15T15:52:49","slug":"insure-someone-elses-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vernfonk.com\/blog\/car-insurance\/insure-someone-elses-car\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Insure Someone Else\u2019s Car? Essential Car Insurance Tips\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

No, you can\u2019t usually insure someone else\u2019s car,  even though you probably want to be the Santa Claus of auto insurance<\/a>, buying coverage for everyone who’s on your nice list. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there are some good reasons why you might want to look into the possibility of obtaining coverage for a vehicle you don\u2019t legally own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about the issue and see how you can stay financially protected while behind the wheel (even if that wheel isn\u2019t yours). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Basics of Car Ownership and Insurance<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The law in the Evergreen State, as well as in almost every U.S. state, is that you must have at least a minimal level of auto insurance to drive. The way insurance happens is simple, even if it typically sounds like the most confusing subject on the planet: The owner of the vehicle must have the coverage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s a concept called \u201cinsurable interest.\u201d It means that you can only purchase a policy for a vehicle if you have a financial interest in it. After all, if you don\u2019t own the car, you wouldn\u2019t be hurt financially if it was ever damaged \u2013 unless of course your former friends try to come after you. Therefore, you \u201cshouldn\u2019t\u201d be compensated by an insurance settlement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insurers feel that if you don\u2019t have an insurable interest in a vehicle, you have no incentive to keep it in good condition \u2014 or to drive safely and avoid wrecks… how rude, right?! So, if you\u2019re trying to pay to insure a vehicle you don\u2019t own, the companies tend to suspect you might have some form of fraud in mind. And now you know why many auto insurance companies won\u2019t sell you a policy if you don\u2019t have a financial stake in the matter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Legal Landscape of Car Insurance Companies<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are at least a couple of non-fraudulent situations in which a person might want to get insurance for a car they don\u2019t own (kudos in advance for being a non-fraudulent team player). The first circumstance is if you bought a car for your teen driver and put the title and registration in their name. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that situation, the licensed driver and owner of the vehicle (your teen) is who the insurers expect to do business with, and you may have to just give your child the money so he or she can make the payment in his or her name. Yes, this is one situation where your kids have a legitimate need for funds… the other being candy, of course. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another situation might be if you frequently borrow a non-relative\u2019s car<\/a>, such as a boyfriend, girlfriend, or roommate. You drive it so much that you feel the risk of being in an accident while behind the wheel is increased, and you\u2019d like to be financially protected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In both of those cases, there are solutions that don\u2019t involve insuring a car that\u2019s not in your name.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Father<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Practical Solutions for Insuring Someone Else\u2019s Car<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s generous of you to buy your teenage driver their first car. While putting their name on the car title emphasizes their total ownership, it might not be doing you any favors when it comes to paying for the auto coverage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A better solution might be to put both of your names on the car title, signifying joint ownership. With this approach, you\u2019ll have no trouble paying for your child\u2019s car insurance policy. However, this can be difficult if you\u2019re making payments on the vehicle, so try to make the co-ownership decision before you and your teen sign the paperwork to take out a car loan. You can do it! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the situation where you frequently borrow the car of a friend or roommate, you can get non-owner car insurance that\u2019s liability-only. It won\u2019t pay for the damage to the vehicle if you\u2019re involved in an at-fault accident, but it will help pay for any property damage or medical bills of the other parties involved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s also easy for the car owner to add your name to the policy and, in this way, to assure that you\u2019ll receive the same benefits as they would, if necessary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it Makes Sense to Get Non-Owner Car Insurance<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Non-owner car insurance is a minimal level of coverage<\/a> for those who don\u2019t own a particular automobile but frequently drive it. Most auto insurance policies allow others to occasionally borrow the insured vehicle, but you need this special mode of coverage if a non-owner uses the car on a regular or frequent basis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This form of coverage does not include comprehensive or collision benefits for repairing or replacing the vehicle since the holder of the non-owner policy doesn\u2019t own the vehicle. It\u2019s assumed that the owner of the car will have this more extensive form of coverage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Non-owner car insurance is liability protection only. This means that it offers financial benefits to the third parties involved if you have an accident for which you\u2019re at fault. This coverage will help pay for the damage to their vehicles, their medical bills, and damage to the personal property of others \u2014 but won\u2019t pay for your own medical bills or car damage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since there\u2019s no actual car to insure through a non-owner policy, the coverage is quite affordable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frequently Asked Questions<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Can Someone Else Insure My Car?<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Probably not. Auto insurance companies typically only offer coverage to a vehicle\u2019s owner. This is the person whose name is on the car title and registration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can I Put My Car Under Someone Else\u2019s Insurance Plan?<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you live with a roommate or significant other, you can add your vehicle to that other person\u2019s auto coverage policy rather easily (or add them to yours). Just contact your auto insurance agent… hint hint! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can I Insure a Car That\u2019s Not in My Name?<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This question might come up as you consider whether you can insure a family member\u2019s car. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is generally not allowed by most insurers if your name isn\u2019t on the title and registration. As far as the insurer is concerned, you don\u2019t have an interest in insurability if you\u2019re not an owner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you can get around this by adding your name to the car\u2019s title as its co-owner. Ask your insurance agent how to do this or take the matter to your local Department of Motor Vehicles office. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get Started with Affordable Non-Owner Car Insurance in Washington Today<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At Vern Fonk Insurance, we understand you might sometimes need auto coverage even when you don\u2019t own a car. Come see us \u2013 rain or shine… or just rain – about affordable non-owner car insurance. Think of us as your sun coming up in insurance land. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Simply call us at (800) 455-8276<\/a> or get a quick quote online<\/a>. You can also find a Washington office and agent near you<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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No, you can\u2019t usually insure someone else\u2019s car,  even though you probably want to be the Santa Claus of auto insurance, buying coverage for everyone who’s on your nice list.  However, there are some good reasons why you might want to look into the possibility of obtaining coverage for a vehicle you don\u2019t legally own.  […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-car-insurance"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernfonk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernfonk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernfonk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernfonk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernfonk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4818"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernfonk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4818\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4821,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernfonk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4818\/revisions\/4821"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernfonk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vernfonk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernfonk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vernfonk.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}