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If you have a boyfriend or girlfriend who frequently drives your car, you may consider putting them on your insurance policy. This ensures that they, and your vehicle, are protected.
Can I Add My Boyfriend to My Car Insurance?
As long as you and your boyfriend or girlfriend live at the same address, you can usually add them to your car insurance. In fact, there are many benefits to doing so:
- Your significant other will be covered if they are in an accident while driving your vehicle.
- You may be eligible for discounts by adding another person to your claim.
- If you live together and both own vehicles, you may qualify for a multi-vehicle discount.
However, different insurance companies have different requirements. One company may allow you to add your boyfriend or even combine policies, regardless of where you live. Other providers may require you to live together to combine policies. It is always a good idea to find out from your insurance representative what is available, and how it may affect your rates.
What Is the Permissive Use Clause?
Some insurance companies have a permissive use clause. This means that if your boyfriend or girlfriend drives your vehicle for less than ten times a year, and if you have given them permission to drive your vehicle, they may already be covered without you having to add them to your policy. However, there are usually exceptions to this policy:
- You cannot be members of the same household: If you live in the same household, then your girlfriend/boyfriend will need to be added to your policy.
- If they have minimal driving experience: The clause also does not usually cover drivers with minimal, or no, driving experience.
- If they are uninsured: Most insurance companies will void the clause if your boyfriend/girlfriend is uninsured.
- Business use: The clause also doesn’t protect significant others if either policyholder is driving the vehicle for business use.
In some cases, it may be a good idea to add your boyfriend/girlfriend to your policy, even if they don’t live with you. According to Motor1, you should add your significant other to your insurance policy if they drive your vehicle more than 10-15 times per year, even if you don’t live together. This is because the permissive use clause is only available for short-term coverage.
Reasons to Put Your Boyfriend On Your Car Insurance Policy
There are a few reasons to consider putting your boyfriend or girlfriend on your car insurance policy, including:
- You live together: If you and your significant other live together and share vehicles, it may be more convenient to combine policies.
- You share a vehicle: If your significant other frequently drives your vehicle, it is best to put them on your policy, even if they don’t live at the same address.
- You combine policies with ownership of your own vehicles: Combining policies if you both own a vehicle can usually qualify you for multi-vehicle discounts. This is usually much more affordable than two individual policies but does usually require that you live together.
- Your significant other doesn’t have insurance: If your boyfriend/girlfriend doesn’t have insurance, they will not be covered under the permissive use policy. Instead, you will need to add them to yours.
Generally speaking, if your boyfriend or girlfriend plans to drive your vehicle frequently, then it is a good idea to add them to your policy.
When Not to Add Your Boyfriend to Your Car Insurance Policy
There are a few reasons why you would not want to add your boyfriend or girlfriend to your car insurance policy, including:
- They don’t drive your vehicle: If your significant other rarely drives your vehicle and you don’t live together, you may not need to add them to your policy.
- One of you drives an expensive vehicle: The value of your vehicle directly affects your insurance rates. So, if one of you drives a costly vehicle, it may significantly increase your rates.
- They have a bad driving record: Having a bad driving record with a lot of traffic violations or DUIs can significantly increase your rates. Additionally, if they have an at-fault accident on their record within the last three years, you can expect your insurance rates to increase.
- They have bad credit: A bad credit score can also increase your rates. If they have a bad credit score, it may not be cost-effective to add them to your policy.
The best way to decide if it makes sense to add them to your policy or not is to compare prices. Find out how much you will pay to add them, compared to each of you keeping your current policy.
How to Add Your Boyfriend to Your Car Insurance Policy
Adding your boyfriend or girlfriend to your insurance policy is easy. All you have to do is notify your insurance company that you would like to add another driver. They will ask you questions, including:
- Their name
- Date of birth
- Address
- Driving history
They will use this information to calculate coverage, which may affect your insurance rates. The policy must be in the name of the person who owns the vehicle, but you can add them as a covered driver.
What Is Insurable Interest?
If you want to also add your boyfriend or girlfriend’s vehicle to your policy, the process may be a little more difficult. Most insurance companies will not allow you to add a vehicle to your policy that you don’t own. According to The Balance, this idea is based on insurable interest.
Insurable interest means that a policyholder must have interest in the item being insured. Because many couples choose to live together without getting married, this can make it difficult to determine who has an insurable interest. This is why it is always a good idea to talk with your insurance representative and shop around to ensure that you have sufficient coverage.
If your boyfriend plans on driving your vehicle more than 10 times a year, then you should consider adding them to your policy. This ensures you have sufficient coverage, even when they are driving.
Check this out if you need additional information, resources, or guidance on car insurance.
Sources:
https://www.motor1.com/reviews/409686/add-my-girlfriend-to-car-insurance/
https://www.thebalance.com/can-i-insure-my-boyfriend-s-car-527466
https://www.caranddriver.com/car-insurance/a36050663/classic-car-insurance-florida/
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