How much is the Travelers marriage discount?

Yes, car insurance is usually cheaper if you are married, whether you share a car as a married couple or you each have your own car and you need a joint insurance policy. Car insurance may also be cheaper for couples in a civil union or domestic partnership in some states. Hawaii, Massachusetts and Montana are exceptions to this trend, however, as they prohibit auto insurance providers from considering a customer’s marital status when calculating an insurance rate.... read full answer

It may not seem fair that married drivers tend to pay less for car insurance, as being married or otherwise committed doesn’t automatically make you a better driver. However, auto insurance companies generally view someone being married as a sign of responsibility and something that indicates less of a risk for a costly claim, based on hard data.

There are studies to support this line of thinking. Married drivers across 10 major U.S. cities were generally found to have been given cheaper rates than their single, widowed or divorced peers with similar driving records, according to a 2015 study by the Consumer Federation of America. Never-married drivers were also found to have twice the risk of being injured in a car crash, compared to their married peers, in a 2004 study by the National Institutes of Health – suggesting a difference in the cost to insure the two groups.

Why Car Insurance Is Cheaper If You’re Married

• You’re viewed as less of a risk than your unmarried peers. To auto insurance companies, getting married shows maturity and indicates less of a likelihood to drive recklessly.
• You’re viewed as more likely to drive less than your single peers. Auto insurance providers assume that married couples share driving responsibilities, so each partner will spend less time behind the wheel.
• You’re more likely to qualify for multi-policy discounts. Married couples are more likely to own a home and purchase life insurance than single men and women.
• You’re more likely to qualify for multi-car discounts. Putting your vehicles on the same auto insurance policy will save a married couple money.
• You’ll qualify for multi-driver discounts if you’re both listed on the same policy.

Remember, many factors affect auto insurance rates, and just how much cheaper car insurance is for married couples varies between auto insurance providers. It’s also not definite that you’ll be eligible for a cheaper car insurance rate just because you get married.

If you or your spouse has a bad driving record, or in some states a bad credit history, it may be cheaper to maintain separate car insurance policies. You may even have to go so far as listing your spouse as an excluded driver to keep the cost of your policy down. But, no matter the specifics, if you’re looking for a cheaper car insurance rate as a married couple, it’s best to shop around.

No. You do not have to add your spouse to your car insurance. Most car insurance companies will want all licensed members of your household listed as drivers, to make sure your policy’s rate is calculated properly. But there is no legal requirement that says a driver must add their spouse to an auto insurance policy. You could even exclude your spouse as a driver on the policy, but that would mean your spouse won’t be covered under “permissive use” if something happens while they’re driving your car.... read full answer

A lot depends on the insurance company and the specifics of your situation, though. Many auto insurance companies let married couples who live together keep policies from separate providers if they wish, whether because they prefer a certain agent or they simply don’t want to switch. However, some providers (like Progressive) require married couples to combine their car insurance policies if they share a home and have policies with the same company.

In many cases, depending on both of your driving records and credit history, it’s in your best interest to add your spouse to your car insurance, or at least shop around for insurance policies geared toward married couples. Even if one of you has had accidents or been convicted of traffic violations, having a spouse with a clean driving record on the policy may get you more competitive rates overall. By adding your spouse to your car insurance policy up front, you’ll also be avoiding any suspicion of misrepresentation or fraud, which would give your auto insurance provider grounds to deny a claim or cancel your policy outright.

Why Add Your Spouse to Your Car Insurance Policy

• You may qualify for multi-car, multi-driver and multi-policy discounts.
• It’s easier to manage a single auto insurance policy than two separate ones.
• You’ll avoid paying to insure the same car twice in single-car households.
• You’ll be able to share vehicles without worry.

Ultimately, all active drivers are required to have some sort of auto insurance coverage, depending on their home state. But whether or not you have to add your spouse to your car insurance policy is a question for your particular provider.

Yes. You can remove your spouse from your car insurance policy, whether you live in separate homes, are getting a divorce, or just want to maintain your own auto insurance policies. If you’re the Primary Named Insured (PNI) on a car insurance policy and have simply named your spouse as an active driver, you can remove your spouse and make other changes to the policy yourself. If you’re not the PNI, you can only remove yourself from a car insurance policy. ... read full answer

To remove your spouse from a joint car insurance policy, you will need to get their signed consent and then follow the proper procedure, which will depend on your insurance company’s rules. If you and your spouse are sharing a home, your spouse will have to get an auto insurance policy in their name before you can remove them for your car insurance policy. Your insurer may even require an affidavit from your spouse’s auto insurance company to confirm the policy and coverage information before removing your spouse from your policy.

Removing Your Spouse from Your Car Insurance After Separation or Divorce

If you and your spouse decide to live in separate homes or divorce, your insurance provider will almost certainly require that you each get your own insurance policies, which are sold taking one’s zip code and household size into consideration. Once you and your spouse have established your own addresses, your spouse can get their own auto insurance coverage and you can drop them from your car insurance policy.

Also, if you are divorced or live in separate homes but share custody of a teenage driver, be aware that while the teen driver may only need to be listed on the auto insurance policy of the parent granted primary custody, some insurance providers will require the teen driver to be covered under the car insurance policies of each parent.

Final Thoughts

Remember, it’s illegal to drive without car insurance, so it’s important to have a plan in place for your spouse when you want to remove them from your car insurance policy. It may be time consuming and frustrating, but following the proper steps to remove your spouse from your car insurance policy could save you from running into problems with your auto insurance provider later on.