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It’s a situation that many teenagers who have their own car eventually face. A friend wants to drive your car; perhaps they want to go the Dakota Rail Trail or Wayzata Beach. They only have a learners permit, though. Will your insurance cover them while they drive your car around Wayzata, MN?
Most Policies Cover Permissive Users
Assuming you grant your friend permission to take your vehicle, they will be a “permissive user.” A permissive user is simply someone who you let use your car. They do have to be legally licensed to drive, which, in this case, means a licensed driver would also have to be in the car.
As long as your friend is driving legally, most auto insurance policies would cover them. Car insurance policies generally follow the car, so they would be covered under your policy and protected by its limits. The question thus is whether your policy covers permissive drivers, and the majority of standard policies do cover permissive drivers.
There are Some Outliers
Occasionally, however, a car insurance policy will exclude certain drivers. If a policy does exclude certain drivers, it may not cover anyone, except you, who is under 25 years of age. If this is the case, your friend would not be insured by your policy. Both your friend and you, as the vehicle's owner, would be personally responsible for any accident that your friend got into.
Most of the policies that exclude young drivers are for classic cars, but sometimes teenagers opt for such a policy to keep their premiums low. It is important to check your specific policy’s terms and exclusions.
Ask an Agent
To know for sure whether your friend would be protected, call one of our agents. One of our team members at Pizano Insurance can go over your policy with you to see how it would extend coverage in this situation. If it would exclude your friend, we could provide you with competitive quotes that do not have such an exclusion.