Email an Agent
Click to Call
Get Directions
If you get the opportunity to borrow a friend’s car, chances are you don’t give a lot of thought to insurance. You have insurance, your friend has insurance–the car is covered, right? Well, it would be wise to familiarize yourself with some of the details of how automobile insurance works before you risk getting into a car accident with your friend’s car.
As a general rule, automobile insurance stays with the car, not the driver, so when you borrow your friend’s car, you’re driving on his insurance. This sounds great until a car accident occurs, then you have to start to worry about things like whether or not your own injuries are covered, how much the deductible is, and how long you may wait for a claim to be settled. In any case, your own insurance will be considered "secondary insurance" and may be used to cover any of the shortcomings of the insurance on your friend’s car.
There are some circumstances wherein your friend’s insurance won’t cover you at all. For instance, if you took your friend’s car without permission, it will be your car insurance that is on the line for damages from a car accident, not your friend’s. Similarly, if your friend considered you to be a questionable driver and specifically listed you as an exclusion on his policy (in states where this is allowed), you may not be covered by that policy and your own auto insurance would become primary.
If you borrow a friend’s car, their insurance is likely to be your primary coverage, but it’s best to have your own coverage just in case. If you have questions about your insurance or are in the market for new coverage, call us today. As your independent agent, we can give you the facts about car insurance and help you to find the right coverage and the best price.