Does car insurance follow the driver or the vehicle, or is it case-dependent?
Here’s the situation: my wife needed to get somewhere while her car was being repaired, and I was at work. I suggested she use one of her parents’ three cars, but she mentioned she wouldn’t be covered to drive them. This surprised me because I always thought that as long as I had insurance, I could drive any car with the owner’s permission. I didn’t realize it worked differently.
Car insurance can be a bit complicated, and whether it follows the person or the car can depend on a few factors, including the specific policy and state laws. Generally, most standard auto insurance policies in the U.S. provide coverage to the car rather than the driver. This means that if you have a policy on your own vehicle, it may cover you when you drive someone else’s car, as long as you have permission from the owner.
However, there are nuances. Some policies might have restrictions on who is covered to drive the vehicle, and some may have exclusions for certain drivers or circumstances. Additionally, if the owner of the car has a policy of their own, that insurance might be the primary coverage, which can complicate things further.
In your wife’s case, it’s possible that her parents’ insurance policy has specific restrictions about who can drive their vehicles, or she might not be listed as an authorized driver on their policy. It’s always a good idea to check with the insurance provider to clarify coverage details. If she wants to drive their car, she may need to be added to their policy, or they need to check their coverage to see if she is included.