Unlisted driver on auto insurance policy

by Heather

I financed a vehicle back in December of 2005 for my significant other. We are no longer married and were not at the time of vehicle purchase either, but once were. The vehicle is solely in my name & I maintain full coverage auto insurance on the vehicle.

The issue is that he no longer lives with me and does not have a driver's license and has numerous tickets. However, there are times when he uses the vehicle I purchased for him to take our daughter places, run errands for me and the like.

We are obviously still on good terms, but I am concerned that the insurance company will not pay if he is driving the vehicle and it is involved in an accident due to the fact that he does not have a driver's license. We live in Texas, so if you could provide any information or resources I would appreciate it greatly. Thank you in advance for your time.

Answer:

Hi Heather,

The correct answer is right in your policy language. You need to read your policy. To "learn" how to correctly read an insurance policy visit: http://www.auto-insurance-claim-advice.com/read-your-auto-insurance-policy.html

you should be concerned with the definition of the word "insured".

That being said, I will outline the "normal" or "general" terms of an insurance policy.

In most auto policies there is something called the "omnibus clause" This clause covers anyone driving the vehicle (provided that they are not excluded drivers or that they do not have permission to drive your car). In your case, you clearly have given permission for him to drive so you are covered there.

If he is not clearly excluded from the policy (so and so is not covered under this auto policy), then he would be covered for any damage that he causes and for the damages to your car (if you carry collision and/or comprehensive coverage).

The insurance company would cover your claim, but they would probably ding you pretty hard for lending your vehicle to a non license driver, so you might want to be careful with that.

Now that is the "general application". Your insurance policy could have exclusions for drivers that are not license or that are under the influence of alcohol, or exclusions that are similar to that. So you really need to be careful and read the policy.

I hope this helps.

Good Luck