Does The Registered Owner Have To Be The Imsured Person For A Vechiel In California

It's not a common scenario, but in that location are some reasons why you might want to insure a motorcar you don't actually ain — possibly it belongs to a family fellow member, but you lot're the only ane driving it. Generally, whoever is the titled owner of a car needs to be the one to insure it. Automobile insurance companies desire to brand sure the primary policyholder has what'due south called insurable interest in the auto they're insuring.

Insurable interest essentially means you have a reason to insure a vehicle. If y'all're the car'southward owner, the reason is self-evident: The car is your investment, so you have a stake in keeping it from being damaged or destroyed.

Just information technology's harder to prove your insurable interest if you don't actually own a vehicle. When you're trying to insure a vehicle you don't own, car insurance companies will be wary of fraud, and be far less probable to allow you to take out a policy. But, while opening a policy on a automobile that you don't own is rare, that doesn't mean you don't have options.

Key Takeaways

You typically cannot insure a machine you don't ain, considering you don't accept what's called "insurable interest" in the motorcar
One alternate option is to co-title the motorcar and add yourself as an owner
You tin too look into non-owner insurance, which will cover you for liability while driving a car that isn't yours

Tin I insure a car I don't ain?

Every bit mentioned, information technology'southward typically impossible to insure a car that you don't own because insurance companies want you to testify you have insurable involvement in the car. If y'all can't bear witness you take a financial stake in the vehicle, it's unlikely that you will exist able to find an machine insurance visitor willing to cover you.

How to testify insurable interest

In social club to prove your insurable interest, when you lot apply for car insurance you may demand to submit your motorcar's registration or your auto's title, too called a pink slip, which is an official document that says who owns a vehicle. Just if yous don't own a car, and then information technology's harder to prove to an insurance provider that you take a legitimate reason to insure it.

Other coverage options for a car that's not in your name

Barring exceptional cases, it will not be possible for you to insure a car you don't own. However, yous may have a few culling options.

1. Co-championship a car

Co-titling a vehicle means you're adding an boosted owner to a automobile. Each country'due south Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent organization) has specific requirements for doing this, only in lodge to add an owner to a car, y'all'll likely demand to jointly employ for a new championship.

This normally involves filling out a form with the names and information of both drivers who will be listed on the title, paying a fee, and going to the DMV in person to sign the new title. If the automobile in question was purchased with a loan that hasn't been fully paid off, and so yous'll need to notify the lienholder and encounter if it's possible to add an additional owner to the title.

But once you're added to the title equally a co-possessor of a automobile, yous're free to become an insurance policy on that vehicle. Every bit an owner, you can exist the master policyholder. But whatever other possessor should also be listed on the car insurance policy.

2. Adding a named insured to an auto policy

If you live with someone and oftentimes drive their vehicle, say a roommate or family fellow member, an insurance company may crave you to exist added as a named insured on their auto policy, or vice versa. Typically, every driver in a household should be added as named insured on a policy. You lot may exist able to add a new named insured to your policy online or over the telephone.

quote

Get a not-owner'south policy, because you don't ain the car.

Not-owner insurance

While you may not be able to insure a car you don't own, if you'd similar to protect yourself as a driver y'all can look into something called non-possessor car insurance. Ideal for drivers who frequently rent or borrow cars, non-possessor insurance is a kind of pared-downwardly auto insurance policy.

Policygenius abode and motorcar expert Fabio Faschi suggests that anyone trying to figure out how to insure a car they don't own should get non-owner insurance instead. "Go a non-possessor'due south policy, considering you lot don't own the car," Faschi said. "We'd desire to cover you for liability, only the vehicle itself has to be insured by the owner."

Non-owner insurance often just includes liability coverage, the courage of most insurance policies. You tin sometimes add personal injury protection, which covers your ain medical expenses if y'all crusade an accident, or uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, which covers yous if you're in an accident caused past a driver without insurance, or whose insurance won't cover the full extent of the damage.

But not-owner insurance doesn't include the kind of coverage that'due south designed to protect your vehicle, like collision and comprehensive coverage, because in that location'due south no vehicle to protect. Still, if you find yourself oftentimes driving a auto that doesn't vest to you, getting not-owner insurance may be a more than realistic selection than trying to become a car insurance policy for a car that's not in your name.

FAQs

Practise you need insurance to drive someone else's motorcar?

Car insurance typically follows the car, not the driver. If the possessor of the auto gives yous permission to drive it, you'd be covered by their auto insurance policy nether what is chosen "permissive use." If yous live with the owner of the car, an insurance company may require you to be added to their auto policy. If you drive other people's cars often, you may want to consider purchasing a non-owner automobile insurance policy.

Tin I annals a auto without insurance?

Depending on what land you live in, you'll demand to show proof of insurance when registering your auto at your state's Department of Motor Vehicles or equivalent bureau. You typically have 30 days to send proof of insurance, which tin can be your insurance ID carte du jour, motorcar policy declarations page, or digital insurance menu. Even if yours is 1 of the two states that don't require auto insurance, in that location may all the same be steps you have to accept before you can drive your new car.

Tin can insurance and registration be in different names?

Depending on what land you live in, if you're able to evidence insurance interest in a vehicle and buy a policy for it even though you're not the owner, then the registration and insurance tin can technically be under different names, just for the aforementioned vehicle. But, equally we mentioned, it's pretty hard to have out a policy on a car yous don't own, and many insurance companies may just pass up to write a policy for anyone who is non the vehicle's owner.

Authors

Anna Swartz is a managing editor and machine insurance practiced at Policygenius, where she oversees our car insurance coverage. Previously, she was a senior staff writer at Mic.com, besides equally an acquaintance writer at The Dodo.

Licensed Property & Casualty Insurance Expert

Fabio Faschi is a licensed property and casualty insurance amanuensis. His expertise on home and auto insurance has been featured on Forbes, Consumer Affairs, Realtor.com, Flat Therapy, SFGATE, Bankrate, and Lifehacker.

Questions well-nigh this folio? Email us at editorial@policygenius.com.