How Do Your Register In Your Name A Car You Dont Own

It's not a common scenario, but there are some reasons why you might want to insure a car you don't actually own — maybe it belongs to a family member, just you're the just one driving it. By and large, whoever is the titled owner of a car needs to be the one to insure it. Car insurance companies desire to make certain the master policyholder has what's called insurable interest in the car they're insuring.

Insurable interest essentially means yous have a reason to insure a vehicle. If you lot're the car's owner, the reason is cocky-evident: The car is your investment, so you lot accept a stake in keeping it from being damaged or destroyed.

Simply it'southward harder to prove your insurable interest if you don't actually own a vehicle. When you're trying to insure a vehicle you lot don't own, car insurance companies volition be wary of fraud, and be far less likely to permit you to take out a policy. But, while opening a policy on a auto that you don't own is rare, that doesn't mean you don't accept options.

Primal Takeaways

You lot typically cannot insure a car you lot don't ain, considering you don't have what's called "insurable involvement" in the automobile
I alternate option is to co-title the auto and add together yourself as an owner
You can too look into non-owner insurance, which will cover you for liability while driving a car that isn't yours

Can I insure a car I don't own?

As mentioned, it's typically incommunicable to insure a machine that you don't ain because insurance companies want you to prove y'all accept insurable interest in the car. If y'all can't prove you lot have a fiscal stake in the vehicle, information technology'south unlikely that you volition be able to find an auto insurance company willing to cover you lot.

How to prove insurable interest

In order to prove your insurable interest, when you apply for auto insurance you may need to submit your machine'due south registration or your car'southward championship, also chosen a pink slip, which is an official certificate that says who owns a vehicle. But if you don't own a automobile, then it's harder to prove to an insurance provider that you have a legitimate reason to insure it.

Other coverage options for a car that'due south not in your name

Barring exceptional cases, information technology will not be possible for y'all to insure a machine yous don't ain. However, you may have a few alternative options.

1. Co-title a car

Co-titling a vehicle means you're adding an boosted possessor to a machine. Each state'southward Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent organization) has specific requirements for doing this, merely in social club to add an owner to a car, y'all'll likely need to jointly employ for a new championship.

This unremarkably involves filling out a form with the names and information of both drivers who will be listed on the championship, paying a fee, and going to the DMV in person to sign the new title. If the auto in question was purchased with a loan that hasn't been fully paid off, then you'll need to notify the lienholder and come across if it'southward possible to add together an additional owner to the title.

But in one case you're added to the title as a co-owner of a car, you're free to get an insurance policy on that vehicle. As an possessor, you lot can be the primary policyholder. Only any other owner should also be listed on the car insurance policy.

2. Calculation a named insured to an automobile policy

If you lot live with someone and frequently drive their vehicle, say a roommate or family unit fellow member, an insurance visitor may require y'all to exist added as a named insured on their auto policy, or vice versa. Typically, every commuter in a household should be added as named insured on a policy. You may be able to add together a new named insured to your policy online or over the phone.

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Get a non-owner's policy, because you don't own the machine.

Non-possessor insurance

While you may not be able to insure a machine you don't own, if you'd similar to protect yourself every bit a commuter yous tin can look into something chosen not-owner car insurance. Platonic for drivers who frequently rent or borrow cars, not-owner insurance is a kind of pared-down car insurance policy.

Policygenius home and auto good Fabio Faschi suggests that anyone trying to figure out how to insure a car they don't own should go non-possessor insurance instead. "Become a non-owner's policy, considering you don't own the automobile," Faschi said. "We'd want to cover you for liability, just the vehicle itself has to be insured by the possessor."

Non-owner insurance oftentimes merely includes liability coverage, the backbone of most insurance policies. You can sometimes add personal injury protection, which covers your own medical expenses if y'all crusade an accident, or uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, which covers you if y'all're in an accident acquired by a driver without insurance, or whose insurance won't cover the total extent of the damage.

But not-owner insurance doesn't include the kind of coverage that'southward designed to protect your vehicle, similar standoff and comprehensive coverage, because there's no vehicle to protect. Still, if you notice yourself frequently driving a motorcar that doesn't vest to you lot, getting non-owner insurance may exist a more realistic option than trying to get a car insurance policy for a car that's non in your name.

FAQs

Do you need insurance to drive someone else'south car?

Motorcar insurance typically follows the automobile, non the driver. If the owner of the car gives you permission to drive information technology, yous'd be covered past their auto insurance policy nether what is called "permissive utilise." If you live with the owner of the machine, an insurance visitor may require you to be added to their auto policy. If you drive other people's cars often, you may desire to consider purchasing a not-owner car insurance policy.

Can I annals a car without insurance?

Depending on what state you live in, you'll need to show proof of insurance when registering your car at your state's Department of Motor Vehicles or equivalent agency. You typically take xxx days to send proof of insurance, which can exist your insurance ID card, auto policy declarations folio, or digital insurance carte du jour. Even if yours is one of the ii states that don't crave auto insurance, there may still be steps yous have to take before yous can drive your new car.

Tin insurance and registration be in different names?

Depending on what state you lot live in, if you're able to bear witness insurance interest in a vehicle and purchase a policy for information technology fifty-fifty though you lot're not the owner, then the registration and insurance can technically be under different names, merely for the same vehicle. But, as nosotros mentioned, information technology'south pretty hard to take out a policy on a machine yous don't own, and many insurance companies may merely refuse to write a policy for anyone who is non the vehicle'due south owner.

Authors

Anna Swartz is a managing editor and auto insurance skilful at Policygenius, where she oversees our car insurance coverage. Previously, she was a senior staff writer at Mic.com, as well equally an associate writer at The Dullard.

Licensed Property & Casualty Insurance Expert

Fabio Faschi is a licensed property and casualty insurance agent. His expertise on home and motorcar insurance has been featured on Forbes, Consumer Affairs, Realtor.com, Apartment Therapy, SFGATE, Bankrate, and Lifehacker.

Questions about this page? Email united states at editorial@policygenius.com.