Does Acceptance offer non-owner car insurance?

Yes, you can get car insurance without a car. You can buy non-owner car insurance which will provide your state minimum car insurance coverage as long as you have a valid driver's license, do not have a vehicle registered in your name, and do not have access to a household vehicle.... read full answer

How to Get Car Insurance Without a Car

• Present a valid driver’s license
• Make sure you don’t own a vehicle in your name
• Ensure that no one in your household owns a vehicle that you might have access to (sometimes required)

Non-owner car insurance is liability-only coverage, which only covers injuries or property damage that you cause to other drivers. It does not provide coverage for you, your passengers, or the car you are driving.

When to Consider Getting Car Insurance Without a Car

Your friends’ insurance policies might allow them to list other drivers for permissive use, which would cover accidents that occur while you’re borrowing their car. But any damages that go beyond the limits of their policy would be your financial responsibility. By obtaining non-owner insurance, you provide yourself with additional protection in such cases.

Non-owner car insurance policies vary in cost, but they’re typically cheaper than car insurance coverage for a vehicle you own. Your age, driving history, where you live, and how often you drive all factor into the rates you may be offered.

If you are interested in obtaining non-owner car insurance coverage, we recommend seeking quotes from several insurance companies before making a final decision.

No, you do not need car insurance to borrow a car if the owner is insured, they have given you permission to drive the vehicle, and their policy allows it. Car insurance follows the car, not the driver, so expenses from an accident will generally be covered by the vehicle owner’s insurance policy. This is often referred to as permissive use.... read full answer

If you plan to drive borrowed cars frequently, you should consider purchasing a non-owner car insurance policy. Non-owner coverage gives you additional protection beyond what’s offered by the owner’s policy.

For example, if you’re in an accident while driving someone else’s car, the owner’s car insurance policy limits may not be high enough to cover all medical bills and repair expenses. A non-owner policy acts as secondary coverage, though, so it will kick in once you’ve hit the owner’s coverage limits.

Non-owner policies are much cheaper than normal car insurance, and only cost between $200 and $500 per year. Most major insurers sell non-owner coverage but don’t offer online quotes, so you will need to call in order to get an exact cost estimate.

Car insurance follows the car, not the driver, in most cases. There are a few situations where car insurance follows the driver, though, such as when the car’s insurance limits are exceeded, in which case the driver’s coverage can be used to fill in the gaps. There’s also some disparity from company to company – your policy might provide less coverage for other drivers, or even no coverage at all.... read full answer

It’s advisable to review your insurance policy before letting someone else drive your car. It also helps to ask if the other driver has insurance before they get behind the wheel in your vehicle. And don’t forget to confirm coverage before you drive someone else’s car, too.

The driver’s insurance usually plays a (small) role

In most situations, the driver’s insurance plays a role regardless of whose car they are driving and who caused the accident. That is true regardless of whether a state has at-fault or no-fault laws because no-fault insurance only applies to medical payments. So fault still matters for property damage, at least, and the at-fault party needs to pay up.

However, the driver’s insurance can end up being negligible. If you are insured and you cause an accident in a friend's car, the primary coverage is their insurance, not yours. Instead, your car insurance is the secondary source of coverage. If your friend's coverage is exceeded by the collision, your insurance picks up the slack.

Uninsured drivers depend solely on the car's coverage

If you don’t have insurance and you drive your friend's car, your friend is on the hook for whatever damage you cause. But if the damage exceeds your friend’s insurance coverage, the other driver(s) could sue you and your friend, who also could sue you to cover his or her share!

This is assuming your friend gives you permission to drive. If you don't have permission to drive someone's car, insurance gets a little more complicated.

Permission matters - but it's hard to prove

If a friend with no insurance takes your car without permission and crashes it, you're liable for the damage they cause. That’s because it’s very difficult to prove you didn't give your friend permission to use your car. And in situations where you let your uninsured friend use your car, your insurance needs to cover any damage they cause.

However, the responsibility can fall on the friend who takes your car if they have their own car insurance. If they cause damage in that situation, their insurance policy would be the primary coverage, while yours would be secondary – again, as long as you can prove that you did not give them permission to use your car. In that case, your insurance would only need to kick in to cover gaps in their insurance policy, or if their insurance maxed out before the damage was covered fully.

If it’s not a friend who takes your car, things are different. Should someone steal your car, you're generally not liable for the damage they cause to others' property. But you need your own insurance for repairs to your vehicle if they vandalize it.

Best practices

• Check your policy to see who and what is covered.
• Keep a copy of your car insurance information in your car, in case you're not there when an accident occurs.
• Make sure your friends have a valid driver's license and car insurance before you let them drive your vehicle.
• Add people you live with to your car insurance, as well as other people who use your car regularly.
• If you don’t own a car, you can get non-owner car insurance to make sure you’re covered when you drive someone else’s vehicle.