Am I Covered On My Girlfriend’s Auto Insurance Policy?

I live in Illinois with my girlfriend. Until now I have not owned a car and just drive her car occasionally, I am unemployed. Her insurance agent told her I am covered on her liability only insurance as long as I have her permission to drive it. Now I have ownership on a vehicle and we titled it and registered it in both our names. Her agent says we can continue to just list her on the policy and I will be covered. There by she gets a multiple car discount and in the long run it is cheaper. I don’t know why this agent seems to always steer this in this manner. Even with the two cars I only drive occasionally to the store or to visit someone. Something just doesn’t seem right about this. If I get pulled over will I be ticketed? I have the same address. If I get in an accident will I really be covered? Will the insurance pay out a claim?

  1. 0 POINTS
    Jeremy Olson
    Owner/Agent, Montevideo Insurance Center, Minnesota
    You should be added as a driver on the policy. The insurance companies require that all household members need to be added to the policy. The agent is technically correct in saying that you would be covered as long as you have permission to drive the vehicle, but by not informing the insurance company that you are a driver in the household, he is knowingly committing insurance fraud. Adding you as a driver will likely cause the premium to increase, mainly due to the fact that you have no prior insurance. Even so, it is in your best interest to be named on that policy. This will also you help you if you are ever looking for a new insurance company in the future as you will be able to show that you carried prior insurance.

    I hope this answered your questions and good luck!
    Answered on November 12, 2013
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  2. 200 POINTS
    Sean Mooney
    Broker, Mooney Insurance Brokers, Philadelphia, PA
    Be careful with this situation. Some insurance carriers will specifically exclude drivers who are not listed as a driver on the policy. You should look over the policy and see how an "insured" is defined in the policy language based on your specific carrier. And I agree with Jeremy..... if you get added as a driver on the policy, that will eliminate the chance of not being covered.
    Answered on November 12, 2013
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  3. 0 POINTS
    Josh DeBoer
    Producer, Fred Daniel & Sons, Inc., Tulsa, OK
    I couldn't have put it any better than the answer Jeremy provided to you. You most certainly need to be added as a named insured on the policy. With regards to coverage: Unless you are specifically excluded from the policy and as long as you have permission to use the vehicle, yes there should be coverage in place. You really need to take a look at the policy and read the definition of who is an "insured." Then go to the exclusions section and read through the exclusions. Do you have any prior tickets, or a poor driving record? I'm not sure why your current agent would act in a manner to obviously deceive the insurer, but this would be a red flag for me and I would think about finding another agent. Good luck!
    Answered on November 12, 2013
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  4. 0 POINTS
    Allen Mitchell
    The most important thing as expressed in the other answers is that you should be a named insured on any policy where you are going to drive the car and aware that you are going to drive the car.  Anything short of that is trying to get by without insuring what you are doing and that usually winds up costing more than going with the rules of the insurance companies.  Trying to save money at times can cost more than doing it right in the beginning.
    Answered on November 12, 2013
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  5. 0 POINTS
    Carl C Luzi, Jr.
    As I also agree with my colleagues in most accounts in this situation, the big issue also is you stated that you titled and registered the vehicle in BOTH names, which means if something catastrophic happened driving that vehicle (NJ Law) and you were not listed as a driver/named insured, that you would not be protected under the liability portion of the policy because you are not listed, plain & simple.  In NJ, if a vehicle is titled in a person's name, you have "insurable interest" and also need to be listed to have that protection cover you.  I personally never recommend joint ownership outside of marriage, especially on a financed or leased vehicle for the simple reason that if anything happened to the relationship, and that loan or lease is defaulted, it will affect your credit rating/score which ultimately will affect your insurance premiums with most insurance companies!  In NJ, we would put the vehicle in your girlfriends name at minimum, and list you as a driver; you would get a multi-car discount, we make sure we cross all the t's, and dot the i's, because insurance is a waste of money if it doesn't cover you; in our state they can now deny the claim due to fraud committed, and they are now allowed to keep your premium too! Be honest, because insurance when done properly can be the difference between sleeping good at night, or wondering how you will protect yourself  from an untimely lawsuit that could end up in detached wages, etc. Again, this is NJ info, you will need to check your particular states laws for coverage benefits, exclusions, etc.
    Answered on November 12, 2013
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  6. 7647 POINTS
    Mark Bartlett CLCS
    Branch Owner, TWFG Insurance Services, Fremont California and the Greater Bay Area Representing Dozens of Insurance Carriers
    Yes you should and actually must be listed. You are a part owner of one of the vehicles for one and live in the house. You could actually have a claim denied for not being listed on the policy and living in the household. Permissive driver coverage applies to non household persons, not residents. This is bad advice by the agent and you could wind up in a very bad situation. Get listed on that policy ASAP or find another agent who will correctly write the policy. You hear horror stories of insurance companies denying claims. Well this is why.
    Answered on November 14, 2013
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  7. 1370 POINTS
    Jack Heller
    Owner, Insurance Browser,
    Just want to add a bit of additional information,I do not believe is well covered in the answers so far. You are rightly concerned about your own use of the vehicle. But there is a broader issue as well. If both of you are listed on the policy as named  insureds, you both can create permissive use on your own. So being a named insured is important to making sure you have a policy that will respond, but also recognize that you are then both entitled to create permissive use by others. What does that mean?  you could hand the keys to a friend or your live in partner could as well. So with any expansion of coverage there is additional responsibilities. If you or your partner let any one else use your car you should make sure you 1 ) that person has a valid drivers license and 2)  know or certain the person you are allowing to use your vehicle is not impaired by alcohol, drugs or lack of sleep. These couple of check points will help keep you out of trouble for what is deemed to be negligent enturstment. I add one other disclaimer. I am not a licensed agent in your state, so this is just friendly advice that cost nothing and should be viewed as such.
    Answered on November 14, 2013
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