How to Get Insurance for a Car Not in Your Name (2024)

While you probably don’t need auto insurance to drive someone else’s car occasionally, you’ll need coverage if you frequently use a friend or relative’s car. You can’t outright buy a policy for someone else’s car, but there are many ways to insure a car you don’t know.

Read on to learn more about insuring someone else’s car and how to insure a car not in your name. Then, compare quotes to find affordable auto insurance to meet any situation.

How to Insure a Car Not in Your Name

While you can’t buy a policy outright, there are several ways to ensure you have coverage in any vehicle you drive. Consider the options below when you frequently drive someone else’s car.

Ask to Join an Existing Policy

Joining an existing policy is a great option for people who live together — like spouses, partners, relatives, and roommates — and share a car.

In fact, insurance companies expect you to list anyone in your household who uses your car on your policy. So if someone you live with gets into an accident, any claim you file might get denied if they aren’t on your policy. The appeal process on denied claims can take a bit of time, so make sure you’re aware of who’s on your insurance. Learn more about how to dispute and appeal an auto insurance claim.

Adding someone to your policy will increase your rates, but the increased cost is better than having a claim denied.

Most insurance companies require you to live with someone before they can add you to their policy. Companies carefully track claims numbers by ZIP codes, and your rates are partially determined by the riskiness of where you live.

Someone who doesn’t live with you has different risks and will cost more or less to insure. Insurance companies don’t separate bills between multiple people, so most won’t add someone in a different ZIP code to your policy.

Add the Car Owner to Your Insurance Policy

If you drive a car someone else owns, one of the easiest ways to get car insurance is to add the owner to your policy, an excellent option for people who temporarily use someone else’s car but aren’t taking ownership. Read our guide to temporary auto insurance for more information. 

For example, say you plan on living with a grandparent for a few months. They have a car but no longer drive it, so they don’t have an insurance policy you can join. If you plan to use that vehicle while you stay with them, you’ll need to buy a new insurance policy.

In this situation, you can buy an insurance policy for the vehicle if the owner is listed. Then, you can make claims on that vehicle, and payments get sent to the owner.

Buy Non-Owner Auto Insurance

While you usually can’t buy car insurance for someone else’s car, you can buy a policy that covers you in any vehicle you borrow.

Non-owner auto insurance is an excellent option for people who don’t own a car and frequently borrow someone else’s. It covers you in any vehicle you borrow, whether you use it once or every week.

Having non-owner insurance is imperative if you frequently borrow someone’s car you don’t live with. A friend or family can occasionally lend you their car, and their insurance covers you. However, you won’t be covered if you drive their car more than a few times.

Non-owner insurance is also helpful for people who need SR-22 insurance to reinstate their license but don’t have a car. Many states require SR-22 auto insurance after a DUI charge, driving without insurance, or other severe traffic violations.

In some cases, drivers won’t be able to get their license reinstated until proof of SR-22 insurance gets filed with the state DMV. If you find yourself in this situation, non-owner insurance fulfills the financial responsibility requirement to get your license back.

Other Ways to Insure a Car Not in Your Name

If none of the above options work for you, other options are available, including:

• Having a car owner add you to their registration
• Transferring the registration to yourself
• Asking a car owner to add you to the car’s title

You can also purchase rental car insurance if you’re renting a car for a short period. Most rental companies offer liability, collision, and comprehensive coverage, so you won’t have to pay for any damage to your rental vehicle.

Learn More: Best Rental Car Insurance That Covers Additional Drivers

Why You Can’t Buy Auto Insurance for a Car You Don’t Own

Typically, you can’t buy car insurance for a vehicle you don’t own. Insurance companies look for insurable interest when you want any coverage type, including car, life, and homeowners insurance.

Insurable interest simply means having a financial stake in whatever you’re insuring — for car insurance, it means you’re financially responsible for the vehicle in question.

Without insurable interest, car insurance companies are usually unwilling to sell you a policy. The thought is that if you aren’t financially responsible for a vehicle, you won’t have the same level of motivation to take care of the car.

Complicating matters further are state laws. Many states require proof of insurance before you can register the car. Since the owner’s name needs to be on the insurance policy, buying coverage for a vehicle you don’t own is more challenging in these states.

Final Word on How to Insure a Car Not in Your Name

While you can’t normally buy car insurance for a vehicle you don’t own, there are ways to get coverage. From non-owner insurance to joining an existing policy, there are many solutions to finding the coverage you need.

If you’re unsure where to buy the right auto insurance coverage, use our free comparison tool below to get free non-owner auto insurance quotes from local companies near you.