Can someone who doesn't live with you be on your car insurance policy?

Yes! If someone who doesn't live with you drives your car regularly, you can put them on your auto insurance policy.

Here's when you might want to add a driver who doesn't live with you to your car insurance

• A friend or family member regularly borrows your car.
• A friend or family member is going to borrow your car for an extended period of time (you may need to update the garaging address on your policy as well).
• You're taking your car on a multi-month road trip and you're going to split the driving with a traveling companion.
• You don't drive your car, but a helper regularly drives you around in it.
• Your college kid is away at school, their permanent address is your home, and they occasionally drive a car they don't own (including yours).

There are also situations in which you should not add someone who doesn't live with you to your car insurance

• Your college kid graduated and now lives in an apartment of their own. They should get their own policy, either regular car insurance or a non owner auto policy if they don't own a car.
• Someone wants to borrow or rent your car to drive for Uber or Lyft. There is coverage available for this, but you'll want to call your insurer to make sure you and the driver both have the right insurance.
• A friend or family member occasionally borrows your car. This is usually covered under your policy so long as they don't live with you and don't have regular access to your car.
• A colleague is going to be driving your car for work. This should be covered by a commercial car insurance policy your work pays for. Check to make sure coverage is in place before you hand over your keys.

What are the requirements for adding someone who doesn't live with me to my car insurance policy?

The requirements for adding someone to your policy are similar to what you needed to buy car insurance in the first place:

• Permission from them - When the insurance company adds someone to your policy, they look up their driving record with the state. Since this is personal information, you do need to make sure you have their permission.
• Valid drivers license - You'll need the state and number from their drivers license. Some insurance companies will also accept international drivers licenses.
• A reasonably clean driving record - Some insurance companies won't insure drivers with a lot of marks on their driving record, like multiple DUIs. They should be able to tell you where else you might find coverage, but then you'll need to move your whole policy.
• Willingness to pay - You will usually pay more when you add a driver to your policy. You can always get a quote before you decide to add someone to your policy. In general, very young drivers or those with multiple accidents or tickets will be more expensive to add.

And really, that's it! Your insurance company or insurance agent should be able to add a driver to your policy easily.

If you'd like more information, read our guide to buying car insurance for first-time car buyers.