Branch Owner, TWFG Insurance Services, Fremont California and the Greater Bay Area Representing Dozens of Insurance Carriers
Insuring a car you don't own is up to the individual insurance company. Most will say no but there are actually a very small amount of insurance companies that will do this. You need to contact a local independent agent who can search various companies and find one to fit your need.
Many insurance companies offer non-owner insurance which will provide liability, uninsured/underinsured motorist and medical coverages. This type of policy would not provide physical damage coverage. As a non-owner you would have no insurable interest in the vehicle and therefore unable to collect $$ for damages. Of course as always, check with your local insurance professional.
No you cannot. In order to insure something you must have an insurable interest in the item. If you do not own the car, you do not have an insurable interest.
You must be very careful about this sort of thing with property/casualty insurance as many carriers will issue a policy but deny the claim as they will do the official fact checking on ownership and insurable interest at time of claim. Premiums will be refunded and the contract rescinded.
In general, no, not for physical damage to the car. To insure property you need to have an insurable interest in the property you're protecting. In other words, you have to have something at risk. If you don't own it, what do you have at risk? This why titling is so important. You could, theoretically, put insurance on a car you don't own and not tell the insurance company that it's not titled to you. Hopefully, your insurance agent is experienced and professional enough to ask who the car is titled to, but it doesn't always happen.
So, say you've insured this car you don't own and you get into an accident. You submit your claim to your insurance company to get your car repaired. One of the first questions a claims adjuster will ask is "who is the car titled to?". If the answer isn't you, you've got a problem. The insurance company will only pay the registered owner of the car. They are the only party that has a loss. The only exception to this is if the car is financed or leased. In this case, the finance company will require, as part of the contract, to be listed as a loss payee. This entitles them to collect on the damage to that car.
That's how it applies to physical damage. For liability or injury, it's different. Here, the insurance follows the insured. You could, theoretically, get liability insurance without owning the car you're driving. Again, your agent will ask who owns the car, and they'll believe what you tell them. If a claim happens for injury or liability, they will protect you, the insured.
I don't know why you'd want to insure a car you don't own, but I have an idea. It could be that a friend or relative is loaning you a car because you don't have one of your own or it could be that a child, or someone else in your household owns this car but doesn't want to, or can't, insure it themselves because they're young and it's expensive, or they have such a bad driving record they just plain can't get insurance. Either way, don't get yourself in a situation where you have to lie to your insurance company or agent. If something happens, the truth will come out and you may not get anything out of it anyway.
Be smart. Find an agent you can trust and be truthful with him/her. They'll tell you the right way to do it so that you don't put yourself or your family at risk.
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You must be very careful about this sort of thing with property/casualty insurance as many carriers will issue a policy but deny the claim as they will do the official fact checking on ownership and insurable interest at time of claim. Premiums will be refunded and the contract rescinded.
So, say you've insured this car you don't own and you get into an accident. You submit your claim to your insurance company to get your car repaired. One of the first questions a claims adjuster will ask is "who is the car titled to?". If the answer isn't you, you've got a problem. The insurance company will only pay the registered owner of the car. They are the only party that has a loss. The only exception to this is if the car is financed or leased. In this case, the finance company will require, as part of the contract, to be listed as a loss payee. This entitles them to collect on the damage to that car.
That's how it applies to physical damage. For liability or injury, it's different. Here, the insurance follows the insured. You could, theoretically, get liability insurance without owning the car you're driving. Again, your agent will ask who owns the car, and they'll believe what you tell them. If a claim happens for injury or liability, they will protect you, the insured.
I don't know why you'd want to insure a car you don't own, but I have an idea. It could be that a friend or relative is loaning you a car because you don't have one of your own or it could be that a child, or someone else in your household owns this car but doesn't want to, or can't, insure it themselves because they're young and it's expensive, or they have such a bad driving record they just plain can't get insurance. Either way, don't get yourself in a situation where you have to lie to your insurance company or agent. If something happens, the truth will come out and you may not get anything out of it anyway.
Be smart. Find an agent you can trust and be truthful with him/her. They'll tell you the right way to do it so that you don't put yourself or your family at risk.