How does car insurance work for children of divorced parents?

Children of divorced parents may need to be on both parents’ car insurance policies if the parents have joint custody and the child drives both of their cars regularly. In general, your child should be listed on the policy for any car they drive regularly—often the car of the parent who has primary custody. If your child only drives your car occasionally—or not at all—they do not need to be listed on your policy as they are covered under permissive use.

Car Insurance Guidelines for Children of Divorced Parents

• If you and your ex-partner have joint custody: Your child will need to be listed on both your policy and your ex-partner’s policy, since they will likely drive both of your cars’ regularly. The exception is if your child has an individual policy of their own.

• If you have primary custody: Your child needs to be included on your policy if they do not have an individual policy. You should also check with your insurer to see if your child will be covered when driving your ex-partner’s car.

• If your ex-partner has primary custody: Your child must be listed on your ex-partner’s policy if your child doesn’t already have their own policy. You should also check with your insurer to see if you must add your child to your policy for them to drive your car.

Insuring a young driver is expensive. When adding your child to your policy, you should look for relevant discounts to lower your premiums as much as possible.

If you’re adding your child to a policy and need help finding cheap car insurance, check out WalletHub’s picks for the cheapest car insurance companies.