Does insurance cover a claim when someone else is driving?

You lent your car to someone and they were involved in a traffic accident. Does the insurance cover a loss when someone else is driving? Find out more in this article.

Who has a car, with car insurance or not, you know that needing to lend it can be normal, whether to a spouse, sibling, relative or friend.

But you need to be aware that some problem can happen with the car being in someone else's hands and, especially in the case of people who have insurance coverage, you need to know whether the insurance company will cover the expenses or not, on this occasion.

In this article you will better understand how coverage works. car insurance for these cases and how to proceed if you lend your insured car and the other driver has an accident with him.

It is worth considering that this is a contract without an additional driver.

Find out if vehicle insurance covers a claim when someone else is driving?

If you have simple coverage, it is very likely that this type of situation is not included in your auto insurance coverage.

However, there is additional coverage that can be purchased in virtually all insurance companieswhich serves these cases.

This is called third-party coverage and whether you purchase it may depend on each insurance company, as well as the type of service you choose.

The first step to ensuring coverage for third parties is to inform, when requesting the insurance quote, who is the main driver, that is, the one who drives the vehicle most frequently, and who are the occasional drivers, those who may eventually borrow the car, that is, the additional driver.

How does third party coverage work?

Obviously, including other drivers will change the final value of your insurance, as they may even be of an age that represents greater risk, such as young men aged between 18 and 25, for example.

In any case, there are some rules that most insurance companies follow for car insurance:

• Some companies ask for it to be specified in the insurance policyall people who drive the car sporadically. In other words, if a friend of yours asks to borrow the car and it is not on this list, the insurance will not cover the claim.
• Other companies only ask if there are drivers under the age of 25 driving the vehicle, and also ask the gender of the other drivers. Likewise, if there is no list of drivers under the age of 25 and the accident occurs while the car is in their possession, their insurance may not cover the costs.
• There are also cases of companies that ask for a complete list of people who live with the main driver, even if they are not drivers. Data such as the age range of 18 to 25 years old and the gender of these people. In this case, it is optional to extend coverage to these people or not, but if you do not include them on the list and something happens, you may also have problems with coverage.

In other words, everything will depend on each insurer's rules for issues related to young residents, people between 18 and 25 years old who live with the driver; younger drivers, within the same age range mentioned and the list of secondary drivers, which may include drivers of different ages, such as spouses, siblings, etc.

Pay attention to the rules if the insurance covers a claim when someone else is driving

As we said, each insurance company may have different rules. car insurance. Ptherefore, it is extremely important to read the insurance policy in full to know what yours covers for the insured car.

There are some situations that are more common and that end up becoming a rule in most insurance companies.

1. Occasional driver

A sporadic driver is one who never or almost never drives a car.

For example, you went out with friends and ended up drinking, one of them who had not consumed alcohol decides to drive and ends up having an accident.

Since he doesn't do this regularly, this was an exception to the wheel, the insurance company ends up covering the loss.

2. Unqualified people

If someone without a license drives the car, even sporadically, and is involved in an accident, there is nothing that can be done.

The insurer will not pay the compensation, since the insured assumed the risk by giving the car to a person who is not able to drive.

3. Occasional driver

An occasional driver is someone who uses the car sometimes, but with some regularity.

The woman may only use the car once a week to go to class. Since this happens repeatedly on a weekly basis, she is considered occasional.

To receive compensation integral In the case of occasional drivers, these must be included in the insurance policy.

By doing the car insurance, Inform who the people are who use the car besides the main driver, this avoids any kind of problem.

This should be done regardless of the age of the person behind the wheel.

4. Young people aged 18 to 25

This age group is considered at risk because they have no experience behind the wheel and are involved in many accidents.

Receive compensation integral when it comes to young people it can be a little more complicated.

To avoid problems, if you have someone in this age group living in your house, even if they don't use the car, inform them. insurance company.

The same is true for occasional drivers.

It is very likely that in this case the car insurance It may be a little more expensive because the risk is high, but you won't have any difficulty receiving compensation if there is a problem.

How do I know who the people covered by the insurance are?

In the policy of insurance companies, you can find all the information about your car insurancethis includes people who are registered as main and secondary drivers.

Read this document to find out if everyone who has access to the vehicle is included and, if you notice that someone is missing, do not hesitate to call your broker and inform them why they need to be included.

He can make an addendum so that the person will be listed as a secondary driver. This simple act can avoid major headaches in the future.

You just have to be careful when hiring your car insurance and clear up any doubts before signing your contract.

If someone else crashes your car, as long as it is within the rules stipulated by the contracted company, there will be no problems regarding the claim handling.

Does having an additional driver make car insurance more expensive?

Including an additional driver in your car insurance policy can increase the cost of the coverage. It is important to note that the insurer will analyze the profile of this driver, just as it did with the main driver.

Therefore, the price of car insurance will also be calculated based on the profile of the additional driver. Therefore, the value of car insurance will be more expensive, due to the risks to which the car is exposed.

But, consider that the age of this additional driver has a big influence, since if he is young, the price of the car insurance tends to be higher than for a driver over 25.

So, when including an additional driver, be aware that the cost will also be higher for the protection. Even so, we advise never to omit information, because if the vehicle suffers an accident and someone else is at the wheel, other than the driver specified in the insurance policy, insurance policythe insurer may refuse to cover the expenses.

How can I appeal if the insurance company refuses to pay the insurance claim?

If your contract does not have an additional driver or third party coverage, following the insurer's rules, and another person has an accident with your car, then it may be refused.

However, if you still think it is your right, you can talk to the insurance company and understand your rights. If the driver fails to comply with any of the rules of the contract, the insurance company has the right to deny compensation.

In other words, the driver must comply with what is provided for in the policy to make use of their third party rights in the event of a claim. If you have any questions, you can also check with SUSEP or even with your lawyer.

What if a family member takes my car without my permission and suffers an accident, will the insurance company cover it?

It is important to consider the rules of the insurance company you have contracted. Analyze what is stated in your contract and, if in doubt, speak to the insurance broker.

Still, this case includes the information above about another person driving your vehicle, that is, about 'sporadic driver', whether he has a driver's license, the rights of third parties in the event of an accident, if he has this coverage, among other aspects of car insurance.

To be sure whether the insurance covers a claim when someone else is driving the car, even without your authorization, and they suffer a claim, just check your contract and the insurer's conditions.

Be aware of third party coverage, after all, don't think that the insurance covers unqualified third party.

Do you have any questions about whether insurance covers a claim when someone else is driving the car? Comment!

*Published in: 06/27/2014 and updated on 11/09/2022.