Who's Covered Under My Car Insurance Policy?

Does Your Car Insurance Cover Others to Drive?

When you buy auto insurance, it's fair to assume that only yourself and other drivers you've listed on the policy are covered to drive your cars. There may come a time when a friend or relative needs to borrow your vehicle. Simply allowing this without verifying that your policy will provide coverage is dangerous. So that you know who is covered under your auto insurance in Renton, WA, here's how to know who can drive your vehicle.Household ResidentsIn most states, if your household residents hold a driver's license, they are generally allowed to use your car (only a handful of times) while receiving coverage. If your household residents own their own vehicle and have their own insurance coverage, you may be able to exclude them from coverage or not list them as named drivers on your policy. However, if he or she drives your vehicle regularly, your insurance company will require you to add them to the policy.Permissive Use DriversPermissive use drivers are those you have allowed to borrow your car for rare and very occasional uses, such as a neighbor who needs to borrow your car while theirs is in the shop or an out-of-state who wants to run to the store in your vehicle. These drivers are automatically covered if they should happen to cause an accident under your policy. Keep in mind that the limits on your policy are also the limits that are provided for permissive use drivers. In some cases, friends will be subject to lower liability limits than family members.If your permissive use driver causes an accident and your auto insurance coverage limits are expired, they can use their own car coverage to help cover the expenses. If they do not carry insurance, you and your driver could be sued to cover any remaining costs. This is a great reason to carry high liability limits.Ensure that you have the right policies in place. Contact  the professionals at Humble & Davenport Insurance, serving Renton and neighboring cities of Washington for quality auto insurance coverage today.