Do you have to have all persons living in your household on your auto insurance policy?

You do not have to list every person living in your home on your insurance policy, but most insurance companies will advise you to list the person whether they are expected to drive the vehicle or not. Even someone who does not drive your car can be expected to use it on rare occasions, such as a quick trip to the auto parts store to pick up equipment for their own vehicle, or an emergency errand for you like picking up the kids at school on a day that you have other obligations. If the person is listed on your policy and is involved in an accident, the insurance company will have to honor the claim, but if that same person is involved in an accident and they are not on the policy the insurance company may argue that you allowed an unknown person to drive the vehicle and that is a violation of your policy.

The best course of action is to put any licensed driver in your household on the policy, to avoid the unexpected. Additionally, if you loan your car to a friend or relative for a few days, contact your insurance company and have that person listed as a possible driver temporarily. In most cases, the insurance company will not charge you higher rates for allowing an licensed driver to use your car, but they want to know who is driving because of the risk of possible damages or injury, even during a temporary loan.

Never allow an unlicensed driver to use your vehicle. That would be a direct violation of your insurance policy and would result in the company denying any damage or injury claim made while that person was driving. Additionally, many states impound the vehicle of an unlicensed driver, and your car could become an expensive liability to get back if that person is stopped while driving it. For your own protection, make sure that anyone who uses the car has been listed on your policy.