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Q&A: Can I Add Someone To My Car Insurance That Doesn’t Live With Me? Find Out

You just got a new driver who doesn’t stay in the same place with you. By right, it is always advisable that you list all your drivers in your car insurance policy, but the question now is, “can I add someone to my car insurance that doesn’t live with me?”

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The situation above may not really be the only scenario that may trigger the question, “if you add someone who doesn’t live with you to your car insurance? There may be a situation whereby someone that uses your car is not living in the same location with you. For example: let’s assume that your son is in school with your car, meanwhile the school is very far from home.

In this case, since he is in school with your car and uses your car frequently, it may be necessary to list your son in your car insurance policy so that your car will be protected against any damage. But the question is, “can I add someone to my car insurance that doesn’t live with me?”

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Insuring A Child Who Does Not Live With You


At  a certain stage in the life of your child, they may no longer be staying in the same house with you; it could either be that they are out for studies, out for businesses, or any reason at all.

When your child matures and moves out of your house as an adult and lives on their own, it is important that they have their own auto insurance policy.

Since your child is no longer staying in the same location with you, it may be difficult for your child to still be considered in your insurance policy, as most insurance companies don’t allow this.

If Your Child Drives Your Car Occasionally


Though your child is no longer living in the same place with you, he can still be covered by your insurance policy is he drives your car occasionally, that is, if he doesn’t use your car frequently.

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If your child doesn’t use your car all the time, he can still drive your car and be covered by your policy even if you did not list him in your insurance. 

This works just similar to a situation whereby you have a friend who occasionally borrows your car. In each case, your insurance policy still covers them anytime they use your car, since they don’t use it all the time. 

If Your Child Drives Your Car Frequently


This situation is quite different from what we addressed above. If your child has moved out of your home and now stays in a different location from you, but he drives your car frequently; then it may be very difficult for him to still be covered or to list him in your insurance.  

In a situation like this, all you have to do is to go and table it with your insurer (the insurance company that is covering you). Talk it out with your insurance company, they will definitely reach an agreement with you, or advise you on the best way to go about it.

The situation is a little different if your child has a car. If you own the car and your child primarily lives with you, your child’s car should be on your car insurance policy.

If Your Child Owns His Own Car


Let’s assume that you bought a car for your child who does not stay in the same location with you, but the car’s registration was done in your name.

In this situation, it’s either you change the name in car’s registration to your child’s name, and get an insurance policy for him. Or you simply add him to your car insurance policy, if your insurance company allows that.

The best way to go about this is by discussing it with your insurance agent or company as the rules around it can vary by company.

However, some insurance companies may allow adult children to remain on their parents’ auto insurance policy when they go off to college and take a family car.

Insuring A Driver Who Doesn’t Live With You

 

Let us assume that you have a driver who lives in a different location from  you, and you are now asking, “can I add someone to my car insurance that doesn’t live with me?”
Well, this is almost very similar to the situation we described above about getting automobile insurance policy for your child who is staying in different location with you.

If The Driver Uses Your Car Occasionally


Here, it means that the driver doesn’t use your car frequently; that is he doesn’t use it all the time. The interesting thing here is that most insurance companies made special provision for this scenario of occasional drivers. Most insurance companies classify an “occasional driver” as someone who drives your vehicle less than 25% of the time.

And in this case, vehicle’s car insurance coverage is not completely limited to only the drivers listed on your policy. The coverage may also extend to people or drivers who occasionally use your vehicle and don’t live with you.

This means that if you have a driver who doesn’t live you, and he only uses your car occasionally, your car insurance policy will still stand to cover him.

However, whether your car insurance policy will cover an occasional driver that is not listed in the insurance, depends on if they have your permission to drive the car. This might be quite different if the driver uses your car frequently, and doesn’t live with you.

If The Driver Uses Your Car Frequently


You have a driver who uses your car frequently but does not stay with you, and you are now asking, “can I add someone to my car insurance that doesn’t live with me?” well, let’s see how the situation goes.

Most insurance companies usually don’t allow you to add a non-related driver who doesn’t live with you, to your car insurance policy.

Typically, car insurance covers the vehicle’s owner and family members in the same household. Adding a driver who doesn’t live with you gets complicated and often depends on your insurer (insurance company covering you) and state insurance laws.

Can I Add Someone To My Car Insurance That Doesn’t Live With Me?


Most insurance companies usually don’t allow you to add a non-related driver to your policy who doesn’t live with you. Typically, car insurance covers the vehicle’s owner and family members in the same household.

However, this is dependent on certain conditions. There are conditions that it may be possible to add someone to your car insurance that doesn’t live with you. Such conditions are actually what we have addressed in the previous sections of this post.

Can I Add Someone To My Car Insurance That Doesn't Live With Me

For example, a common exception to this rule is that some insurance companies do allow adult children to remain on their parents’ auto insurance policy when they go off to college and take a family car. However, some insurers may tack on additional fees after the adult child reaches a specific age.

It is worthy of note that your insurance policy may not provide coverage if someone borrows your car to perform paid or commercial activities, nor will it cover people you list on your policy as “excluded” drivers.

This means that if your car is stolen while your friend is using it; if he collected the car in your permission, then your insurance company would definitely pay your settlement even if he was not listed in your policy, as long as you carry comprehensive coverage.

But if your friend collected the car without your permission, and it was stolen, then your insurance company may not pay your settlement.


To be on a safer side, it is advisable that the person that borrows your car, also gets their own insurance policy, to be sure that the car has adequate insurance cover.

Can I Add My Boyfriend To My Car Insurance If We Don’t Live Together


Yes, you can add your boyfriend or girlfriend to your car insurance, even if you don’t live together. If your girlfriend or boyfriend doesn’t live in the same location with you and infrequently uses your car, then she or he might already be covered under your insurance policy’s permissive use clause.

The clause covers people who drive your car for less than 10 to 15 times in a year, with your permission. The permissive clause will not cover them if they drive your car infrequently without your permission.


In a situation whereby your boyfriend or girlfriend drives your car frequently, but doesn’t live in the same location with you, it may still be possible to add him or her in your insurance policy.

Most insurance companies can allow you to add your significant other to your insurance policy if they drive your vehicle more than 10-15 times per year, even if they don’t live in the same location with you.

Can My Parents Add Me To Their Car Insurance If I Don’t Live With Them?


If you as an adult child is going to move away to college with your parents’ car, it may still be possible for your parents to add you to their insurance policy. This may be possible because your permanent address will still be your parents home.

But if you have totally moved to a different address a lone, no longer staying with your parents, then it may be difficult for the parents to add you to their insurance policy. However, there may be an option to achieve this, which is adding you as significant other to the insurance policy.

This means that even if you have moved away from your parents and now have a different address, your parents can still list you in their auto insurance, by adding you as significant other.

Can My Daughter Be On My Car Insurance If She Doesn’t Live With Me?



It may be difficult to add your daughter to your car insurance policy if she doesn’t live with you. However, there may be conditions that it may make it possible to add her to the insurance policy if she is not staying in the same place with you.

If she is just a college student who is away from home for studies, then some insurance companies can still allow you to add her in your insurance policy.

Can I Remove Myself From My Parents’ Car Insurance?



Yes, it is very possible to remove yourself from your parents’ car insurance policy, if you no more need it. Most times, the reason some people may want to remove themselves from their parents’ insurance policy, may be because they plan to buy their own car in the near future.

In this case, if you want to remove yourself from your parents’ insurance policy, the way to go about it is to purchase a non owners car insurance.

Non owners car insurance is a kind of insurance policy that provides liability coverage for drivers who don’t have a vehicle.

So, purchasing a non owner insurance policy is most likely to be enough proof for the insurance company to remove you from your parents’ policy.

Can I Add My Grandchild To My Auto Insurance?



Yes, you can add your grandchild to your car insurance policy. However, there are some exceptions where it may not be possible to do that.

Some insurance companies may allow you to add a relative like a grandchild on the grandparent’s car insurance if they are a primary or secondary driver of the vehicle, or if they live with the grandparents who are their legal guardian and drive their vehicles.

Can I Be On My Parents’ Car Insurance If I Live In A Different State?


No, most insurance companies may not allow you to stay in your parents’ insurance policy if you live in a different state from them.

You will only be allowed to be on your parents’ car insurance policy if you live in the same household. But if you permanently relocate to another state, you will need your own insurance policy.

Summary

 

Hopefully you have seen if you can add someone to your car insurance who doesn’t live with you? That’s great, I’m glad you find this article very helpful. You can refer to our related articles for more insurance guide.