When you purchase auto insurance are you insuring the driver or the vehicle or both?

Question

Here's the situation. I have a 15 year old son who is about to get his provisional license. His mother, my ex-wife, and step-father want to buy him a car. They will buy it, they will be on the title, they will be the owners. If they insure the car in their own name, is there a separate policy for my son as the driver? In other words, could I add my son to my insurance policy and he be able to drive "their" car? How does that work for my two other vehicles? And how does that work for their other two vehicles? Obviously, there will be times that he'll need to drive something other than this car that they are buying for him.

Answer 1

both driver and vehicle are covered on policy
your son should be covered on the car that he will drive most often and added to the family policy of his mother and step-father because they are the custodial parents and their name is on the title of the car
since he does not live with you, he will be covered if you give him permission to drive your vehicles

Answer 2

Accident With a Borrowed Car: Whose policy pays?
If you lend your car to a friend and your friend has an accident, it might be your insurance that's on the hook. It all depends on the insurance company that issued your policy. One company’s policy may state:"the insurance follows the car"; while another company’s policy says the driver’s insurance is the primary coverage even though you own the vehicle involved.

Let’s take a look at the two different scenarios:
If the insurance follows the car and you lend your car to a friend, your coverage is considered the primary coverage. If your friend has an accident, it’s your insurance that will pay the claim. If the accident is serious enough to use up all of your policy’s coverage, then your friend’s coverage, which is considered secondary, might also be used.

If the insurance follows the driver, coverage is provided the other way around. If you lend your car to a friend and they have an accident, it’s their policy that is considered primary coverage, meaning their insurance company will pay the claim. In this case, your policy would be secondary and wouldn’t pay for anything unless your friend’s policy limits were used up.

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Answer 3

I have two daughters who drive. Their cars are titled/registered to me and my husband. We insure the cars under our policy and all drivers in the household are named. Now, when I insured everyone they asked who drove what most of the time, but everyone is insured driving all the vehicles. Now from what I understand, even if they were to get their own policy, if they still live in my home I must tell my insurance company. So, I would tell your insurance company about your son's provisional, they will ask you how often he's there, when he's there what he drives, etc...etc...to be safe. BTW,,in NJ

Answer 4

I suggest that you call your insurance carrier and ask them. All companies are different, but in general, your son will need to be attached to a single insurance policy in his name, with a primary vehicle. That vehicle won't be solely his, but he will be covered when driving it. You can do that through your insurance, it shouldnt be a problem. And as long as the other cars he drives are covered by somebody's insurance, aren't his primary vehicle, and he is given permission to drive them, he is covered. But in order to do it as cheaply as possible, you'll want a family rate, so call your carrier. Don't forget about good-grades discounts, which all carriers offer, and which can save you a tremendous amount of money on your policy. Keystone (a division of AAA) offers a 30% discount for a 3.0 or better GPA for students in high school or college.

Answer 5

Insurance companies ask you if any one lives in the house that has a drivers license and they add them to whomever has the car in there name and you would need him covered under your to if he'll be driving yours. This would then cover whomever is driving at the time of a accident and covers the driver and the car. Insurance companies are really good at telling you more information about this because they want your money.

Answer 6

When you buy automotive insurance, the insurance is attached to the car, not the driver. If, however, you want to give your son a little insurance, sign him up for AAA. He will get free towing and lots of discounts.