I am back from school for the holidays, and the car that I own, is currently uninsured. I am the primary insurer of nothing except a mint condition mid 90’s garden gnome named Ted, and I just completely made up the gnome part.
Instead of asking my parents for rides everywhere like my ex, uncool, 15 year old self, I was hoping to be able to drive one of my parents cars. So, what is the deal for temporary drivers such as myself. I vagely recall from a previous investigation with an insurance company that “incidental drivers” are only covered if they do not live at the same address. Alas, my sister recomended a plan that seems a little crazy, but I cannot find the problem with it: my parents (divorced) swap cars. Now, both my mom and I can drive my dads car, and my dad can drive my mothers car.
So, would this work? It isn’t on a permanent basis, at most another two weeks, although it certainly isn’t the type of one-time thing intended under incidental driver policies.
You’re not going to get a simple answer to this question, in part because not all insurance policies are created equal. My policy, for example, says that it covers me and any family members who drive my car. However, when I apply for the insurance, I must list each of those family members, and indicate how often they’ll be driving the car.
The only way to find out is to call your insurance agent and ask. Remember, trying to outwit the insurance company usually just results in you not having coverage when you need it.
Where I used to work, you wouldn’t have a problem. You would be considred a “visitor” if your stay was less than 30 days and you wouldn’t have to be expressly listed ont he policy.
But, as Early states, each company has it’s own policiies and it’s best to check with the company.
It is kind of odd. This is from the 70s but State Farm insisted my mother keep my brother on the insurance. He went to college in Minnesota, he had a Minnesota driver’s licence. He didn’t pay out of state tuition in Minnesota cause he had an apartment there year round. He never came home for breaks. He came home I think for one Christmas week, and a weekend maybe twice a year if that.
The agent said as long as he was in school he’d have to be listed on her car. He was dropped from her insurance when IN MINNESOTA he bought a car for himself and then got his own insurance. Then the agent said he didn’t have to be on my mother’s car.
Well, yeah, but it’s also simply that the insurance company knows damn well that a student, even though away at college a lot of the time, is going to come home and drive the car periodically, maybe even for an entire summer. Markxxx’s brother represents the unusual case - someone who really has moved away from home, establishing legal residence somewhere else, but still not owning his own car. It sounds like State Farm was being unusually “difficult,” which might be the cue to find another insurance company.
Some policies give you a reduced rate for the “away at school” driver - less than the premium would be if he were living at home, but more than the premium for the adult driver alone. It usually comes with a distance limit, e.g., the student has to be going to college more than, say, 100 miles from home.