Who Should I Include on My Auto Insurance?

If a family member or a roommate drives your car, you want to know they’ll be covered under your auto insurance in the event of an car accident. The insurer will ask you to list household members when applying for a policy.

If you don’t list a household member on your policy and that person gets into an accident while driving your car, the insurer may cancel your policy or deny your insurance claim. So it’s important to let your insurance company know about who may be driving your car.

It sounds simple, but many people have questions about their specific situation. Should I list a teenager who is about to start driving? What about an elderly relative? In this article, we explain the household members that need to be included in your car insurance policy.

Auto Insurance: Should I List All Household Members?

Direct Auto recommends listing everyone over 14 who lives in your household on your policy whether they have a driver’s license or not. This includes your:

• Spouse
• Significant other
• Children near driving age, if required by your insurer
• Roommates
• Other family members who live with you

It’s important to be honest with your insurance company about who lives with you and regularly drives your car. If you fail to tell your insurer about a driver in your household and that person is in an accident, the insurance company could refuse to cover the costs or cancel your policy.

Even if you don’t think someone will be driving your car, it’s best to play it safe.

How Do Household Members Affect My Rates?

Whether household members impact your rate depends on what category they fall in on the insurance policy.

There are four categories of listed individuals in auto insurance policies: rated, listed, other insurance, and non-drivers.

Rated

Rated drivers are the people on your policy who will affect your insurance premium. Any household member who is old enough to qualify for a driver’s license or learner’s permit would be a rated driver unless they fall into one of the other categories.

Listed

People in this group are mentioned in your policy but don’t affect the premium. For example, you might let your insurer know about a teenager who will begin driving soon, but they won’t impact your rates until they get their permit.

Other Insurance

If you live with a licensed driver who has their own policy, they fit under this category. Your insurance company may require proof of this individual’s coverage.

Non-Drivers

A non-driver is someone who doesn’t have a license, doesn’t plan to get one, and never intends to drive. An example would be an elderly individual who has turned in their license.

What Is an Excluded Driver?

An excluded driver is someone specifically listed on the policy as someone who is not covered. This allows you to avoid rate increases due to a family member who is considered a high-risk driver.

However, not all insurance companies offer this option and you must be absolutely certain the excluded driver won’t drive your car.

If an excluded driver is in an accident while using your car, the insurance company will probably not pay for the damages. They may also penalize you in other ways, such as not renewing your policy.

You could be held liable for damages in the accident. If the excluded driver took your car without permission, you may be asked to prove the person stole the vehicle in order for the accident to be covered.

Should I List People Who Don’t Live With Me on My Insurance Policy?

If someone is regularly using your vehicle, they need to be listed on your car insurance policy even if they don’t live with you.

You may think you can take your kids off your insurance policy once they leave for college. But they may come home for a weekend and borrow your car. In this case, they need to be listed on your policy.

If someone is using your car while helping you with childcare or errands, they also need to be listed on your policy.

Contact Hare Wynn

If you or a loved one was hurt in a Birmingham car crash, Hare Wynn is here to help. Our firm has been helping those hurt due to others’ negligence for over 130 years. We have recovered over $2 billion on behalf of clients.

Schedule your free consultation today by calling 800-568-5330 or filling out our contact form. We work on a contingency basis, meaning you pay nothing until we win compensation for you.