Can You Add Someone to Your Car Insurance Who Doesn’t Live With You?

You can add someone who doesn’t live with you to your car insurance, but it depends on a few factors.

Sarah Archambault
Sarah Archambault
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  • Background working with banks and insurance companies

Sarah enjoys helping people find smarter ways to spend their money. She covers auto financing, banking, credit cards, credit health, insurance, and personal loans.

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Ashley Cox
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Ashley CoxSenior Managing Editor
  • 7+ years in content creation and management

  • 5+ years in insurance and personal finance content

Ashley is a seasoned personal finance editor who’s produced a variety of digital content, including insurance, credit cards, mortgages, and consumer lending products.

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Konstantin Halachev
Data reviewed byKonstantin Halachev
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Konstantin HalachevVP of Engineering & Data Science
  • 7+ years experience in data analysis

  • Ph.D. in Computational Biology

Konstantin has led data teams across multiple industries, including insurance, travel, and biology. He’s led Insurify’s engineering team for more than three years.

Updated December 19, 2024

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Most of the time, the people listed on your car insurance policy will reside in your household, like your spouse, partner, or children. But in certain circumstances, you can add someone who doesn’t live with you to your car insurance. For example, you might want to add your children’s caregiver to your insurance because they often drive your car. 

Here’s what you need to know about adding people outside your household to your car insurance policy.

Quick Facts
  • It’s important to list anyone who drives your car regularly on your car insurance policy, whether they live with you or not.

  • Peoples’ driving history can affect your car insurance premiums — in both positive and negative ways.[1]

  • Not all auto insurance companies cover permissive use, so you may not be protected if you let a friend borrow your car and they get in an accident.

When it makes sense to add someone you don’t live with to your car insurance policy

In a few circumstances, it makes sense to add someone to your car insurance policy if they don’t live with you. A car insurance company might not allow you to add a friend who lives at a different address to your insurance policy. But the insurer might accept a caregiver who comes to your house regularly and drives your car to bring your children to their extracurricular activities.

If someone who isn’t properly insured through your or their own policy drives your car, you run the risk of not having coverage for a claim. Each insurer is different, and so are insurance policies. If you have questions about what situations and who your policy covers, ask your insurance agent what they recommend.

Here are examples of people outside your household who you can typically add to your policy:

  • A nanny or babysitter who drives your car

  • A nurse or caregiver who is in your household regularly and might borrow your vehicle

  • A family member who visits and wants to drive your car

  • Neighbors who may borrow your car on occasion

  • Children who are away at college

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Types of drivers to add to your policy

Your insurance company will typically require you to list household members of driving age on your car insurance policy. But different driver categories affect your insurance rates in different ways.

  • illustration card https://a.storyblok.com/f/162273/x/64a2fc54c7/good-driver.svg

    Rated driver

    A rated driver is a person who lives with you and drives your car. Rated drivers are typically family members or someone who lives with you, like a live-in partner or roommate. This is different from a listed driver, and rated drivers influence your premium rates.

  • illustration card https://a.storyblok.com/f/162273/150x150/91ba6cf35a/insurify-icons-auto-orange-96x96_045-document.svg

    Listed driver

    A listed driver is someone who is on your insurance policy but doesn’t usually drive your vehicle. Insurance companies will typically ask you to list all household members who are drivers on your policy, but listed drivers won’t affect your premiums. For example, if your spouse has their own car that they drive regularly instead of yours, they may be a listed driver.

  • cut card

    Non-driver

    A non-driver is someone who lives at your address but doesn’t drive and doesn’t have a license. For example, this might include a grandparent who lives with you but doesn’t drive and doesn’t plan to renew their license.

  • illustration card https://a.storyblok.com/f/162273/x/38dc81ba93/drive-1.svg

    Other insurance driver

    An other insurance driver is a person who has their own insurance policy. Your insurance company might want proof of their insurance if they live in your household and may drive your car.

  • illustration card https://a.storyblok.com/f/162273/x/c8ad9d5019/driving-accidents.svg

    Excluded driver

    An excluded driver is someone you specifically leave off your insurance policy because of the effect their driving history may have on your premiums. For example, if a member of your family has a history of speeding tickets, adding them to your policy because you live in the same home might cause you to pay higher premiums.

    If you exclude them from your policy, they won’t be able to drive your vehicle and have insurance coverage. But it’s possible to lower your car insurance rate by not including them on your policy.

How to add someone to your car insurance policy

To add a friend to your car insurance policy, follow these steps:

  1. Contact your car insurance company or agent. Before you gather your friend’s information, contact your insurer or insurance agent to make sure you’re allowed to add your friend to your policy. If you are, move on to the next step.

  2. Gather personal information. To add a friend to your policy, you’ll likely need their full name, date of birth, driver’s license number, and anything else your insurer requests.

  3. Ask about discounts. You may be eligible for discounts after adding your friend to your car insurance policy. For example, you might be able to secure a safe driver or a good student discount if your friend meets those qualifications.

  4. Keep open communication. Once your friend is on your car insurance policy, keep open communication about who’s paying for the policy and how you want them to handle your vehicle if they drive it.

  5. Ask about permissive use. Some insurers cover your vehicle after an accident if the driver has permission to borrow the car.[2] Before lending a car to a friend, it’s a good idea to check with your insurance company, as coverage may be limited or not available.  

  6. Consider non-owner car insurance. Non-owner car insurance offers liability coverage when a driver gets into an accident operating a vehicle they don’t own. This may be a good alternative instead of adding someone to your policy.

What happens when you add someone to your car insurance policy?

You can add roommates, spouses, and newly licensed teen drivers to your car insurance policy. How it affects the existing policy depends on the driver’s history.

  • If you add an inexperienced teen driver or college-aged student to your insurance policy, your premiums may increase, but they could be eligible for a good student discount.

  • If the driver you add to your insurance has a poor driving history, your premiums could increase.

  • Once someone you add moves out of your home, like a roommate, you can typically take them off your policy.

  • Your premiums may go up if a named driver gets into an accident while driving your car. As the policyholder, you may be financially responsible for any damages or injuries not covered by your insurance.

Each time your policy renews, speak with your insurer or insurance agent to see if you’re eligible for any new discounts that can save you money long term.

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Recent car insurance prices for Honda, Chrysler, RAM, and more. Insurify features quotes from 100+ carriers including CSAA, Just Insure, and Safeco.

*Quotes generated for Insurify users within the last 10 days. Last updated on December 19, 2024. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer’s unique driver profile.

Rates shown are real-time Insurify user quotes from 100+ insurance companies and Quadrant Information Services data. Insurify’s algorithm excludes anomalous quotes and anonymizes personal details, then displays refined quotes by price, date, and insurer popularity up to 10 days ago from December 19, 2024. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer’s unique driver profile.

*Quotes generated for Insurify users within the last 10 days. Last updated on December 19, 2024. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer’s unique driver profile.

Rates shown are real-time Insurify user quotes from 100+ insurance companies and Quadrant Information Services data. Insurify’s algorithm excludes anomalous quotes and anonymizes personal details, then displays refined quotes by price, date, and insurer popularity up to 10 days ago from December 19, 2024. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer’s unique driver profile.

Adding drivers to your car insurance FAQs

If you’re thinking about adding a new driver to your car insurance policy, here’s some additional information that may help you navigate the process. You can also dive deeper by reading Insurify’s guide on adding a teen driver to your car insurance.

  • Can people in the same house have different car insurance?

    It depends on the insurance company. If drivers in the household have good driving records, they could benefit from being on the same car insurance policy. Many car insurance companies offer multi-car discounts.

    But if a driver has a poor driving record or bad credit, you might consider having a separate policy from them or excluding them as a driver if their poor history would cause your premium to be more expensive. It’s important to talk to your agent or insurance company to determine what your insurer allows and what would benefit your personal situation the most.

  • Does your live-in boyfriend or girlfriend need to be on your car insurance?

    Most insurance companies ask that you list all drivers living in your household on your car insurance policy. If you decide to insure all vehicles at your house on the same policy, you could qualify for a multi-car discount as well.[3]

  • Can you add a non-family member to liability car insurance?

    In many cases, yes, you can add a non-family member to liability car insurance especially if they live with you or drive your car regularly. For example, if you have a nanny who uses your car daily to drive your children to activities, many insurers would allow you to add them to your insurance.

  • Can unrelated people be on the same car insurance policy?

    Yes. Unrelated people can be on the same car insurance policy. For example, if you have a non-family roommate or long-term partner, they can be on your car insurance policy if they live at the same address.

  • Do you have to add roommates to your car insurance?

    It depends on your insurance company. Some will require you to list all drivers who live at your residence on your policy. Others might not require roommates to be on your policy if they never drive your car.

    It’s important to have proper insurance, so if you have any questions about your particular roommate situation and whether they have to be on your insurance, call your insurance company to find out.

  • Can your college student stay on your auto insurance policy?

    Yes. Even if your college student moves away to attend school, you can typically keep them on your car insurance policy. Your teenager or young adult child will likely need their own insurance policy once they move out of your home permanently or purchase a car themselves and have the title in their name.

    When in doubt, call your insurance company or broker to determine whether your college student can remain on your auto policy.

Sources

  1. NAIC. "A Consumer's Guide to Auto Insurance."
  2. Nolo. ""Permissive Use" Car Insurance Coverage."
  3. Nolo. "Insurance Coverage for Unmarried Partners Living Together."
Sarah Archambault
Sarah Archambault

Sarah Archambault enjoys helping people figure out how to manage their finances and credit. She covers auto financing, banking, credit cards, credit health, insurance, and personal loans. Her work has been featured on Credit Karma, Experian, LendingClub, Sound Dollar and USA Today Blueprint. She also writes for national insurers, banks and financial institutions like Aetna, MassMutual, Stripe, and UnitedHealthcare. 

Sarah has been a contributor at Insurify since December 2022.

Ashley Cox
Edited byAshley CoxSenior Managing Editor
Headshot of Managing Editor Ashley Cox
Ashley CoxSenior Managing Editor
  • 7+ years in content creation and management

  • 5+ years in insurance and personal finance content

Ashley is a seasoned personal finance editor who’s produced a variety of digital content, including insurance, credit cards, mortgages, and consumer lending products.

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Konstantin Halachev
Data reviewed byKonstantin HalachevVP of Engineering & Data Science
Headshot of Konstantin Halachev, VP of Engineering at Insurify
Konstantin HalachevVP of Engineering & Data Science
  • 7+ years experience in data analysis

  • Ph.D. in Computational Biology

Konstantin has led data teams across multiple industries, including insurance, travel, and biology. He’s led Insurify’s engineering team for more than three years.

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