TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2020
 You may want to add other drivers to your car insurance policy for a multitude of reasons, such as if you get married or your child gets their driver’s license. Before adding anyone to your auto insurance policy, however, it is important to know the ins and outs of doing so as well as the limits to how many people you can add.
Maximum Drivers
The maximum number of drivers you may add to a single car insurance policy is generally 4 or 5, although this can vary depending on your insurance provider. It may also depend on how many vehicles you have on your policy, the limits of which can also vary.
Who Can You Add to a Car Insurance Policy?
In general, the only people you may add to your car insurance policy are those who live at your same address, including family members. You can add non-family members to an auto insurance policy such as unmarried partners and roommates, but this is generally advised against.
There are some individuals that may not be covered under your auto insurance policy even if they live in the same household, however. These are called excluded drivers. Excluded drivers are typically high risk drivers that an insurance provider excludes from a policy. For example, say your roommate is a high risk driver, meaning they have a poor driving record or significantly low credit score. An insurance provider may insure your vehicle on the promise that you will not let your roommate operate the vehicle. If you do give permission to your roommate to drive the vehicle, they will not be covered for any accidents that occur. The incident can also lead to your policy being cancelled.
Insurance agents may recommend you keep the amount of people on your car insurance policy to a minimum.
Why Should You Not Add People to Your Car Insurance Policy?
Adding other drivers to your policy can be the best decision in a lot of cases, but it is a decision that should not be taken lightly for a variety of reasons. In part, it is because you will not share the risk level of the other driver when it comes to your car insurance premiums.
Excluded drivers, for example, are seen by the insurance provider as too risky to insure, meaning they are likely to file a claim and cost the insurer money. When you add another driver to your policy, their risk transfers to your policy. The more likely they are to file a claim, the more an insurer may charge to cover them, you and your vehicle. This is why parents often see a significant rise in their auto insurance premiums after adding their teenage driver to a policy, as teenagers are the age group considered at the highest risk of an accident.
The other driver’s credit score can also influence your car insurance rates.
This isn’t to say that you should never add another driver to your policy, however. In fact, adding someone with a better driving record or credit score can actually help save you money on car insurance, especially if you’re struggling to file a policy. First, be sure to speak with your insurance agent and ask what the best course of action is. Also keep in mind that coverage on policies may change if someone within your household moves out (such as if you break up with your partner while they are on your car insurance policy).
How Much Does It Cost to Add Someone Else to Your Car Insurance Policy?
In general, you could see a rise by 100% or more in your annual premiums after adding another driver to your car insurance policy. This depends on several factors, however, such as:
Adding another vehicle to your policy along with another driver may cost more than simply adding another driver to your single vehicle policy depending on different aspects of the vehicle. More expensive vehicles as well as those built for speed (such as sports cars) typically cost more to insure while vehicles with high safety ratings can cost less to insure.
No matter who you plan on adding to your policy, speak with an insurance agent about how it will affect your credit and insurance rates. Limitations and rules by differ state by state.
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