So, sometimes you might have a good friend who wants to borrow your car. Maybe they’ve got some errands they have to run, or maybe they need it because their car is in the shop or something. Anyways, you might worry a little – that’s your car, and someone else is driving. But you trust in your friend’s driving ability, so you allow them to borrow your car. They really need the favor and you’re okay with helping them. However, it does make you wonder…what happens with the car insurance situation if someone borrows your car? How does it work, and how will your friend be covered while they’re driving your car? We’ll explain.
What happens if a friend borrows my car?
If your friend borrows your car with your permission, they will likely be covered under your own car insurance. (Auto insurance typically follows the vehicle.) So, that’s handy if your friend needs to borrow your car from time to time. If it’s kind of an occasional thing and they just need a set of wheels to borrow, they’ll probably be okay.
But remember that auto insurance is based on more than just the vehicle itself – it’s also based on the primary driver. So, if your friend ends up needing your car a lot, maybe to the point that they’re driving it more than you are, you may want to add them to your car insurance policy. That can help you prevent any issues with coverage.
Anyway – to give a brief recap – auto insurance typically follows the car, so if a friend needs to borrow your car, they will likely be covered. Check your policy for more details.
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What if I borrow my friends’ car…and then have an accident?
Okay, then there’s also the reverse situation. What if you borrow a friend’s car because you need to do some shopping and then you accidentally get into a wreck? (Well, your friend probably won’t let you borrow their car ever again…but honestly accidents can happen to anyone. Hopefully, your friend will be more grateful that you and everyone involved is okay than upset about the accident.)
What will likely happen is that your friend’s insurance will kick in to cover the damages resulting from the accident. However, if their insurance has fairly low limits and those limits are exhausted, your insurance may be up next to pick up where your friend’s insurance left off. So, you might want to be careful with borrowing that friend’s car if they don’t have high limits of coverage.
So again, to give a brief recap – if you borrow a friend’s car and then get into an accident, it’s likely that their insurance will pay. But if their limits of coverage are exhausted, your insurance may be triggered next. Just something to be aware of if you’re going to be borrowing a car.
If a friend borrows your car, that’s a pretty big favor you’re doing them. Auto insurance typically follows the vehicle itself, so if your friend borrows your car with your permission, they’re likely covered under your insurance. Still, it’s important to read your policy all the way through, and it’s important that everyone understands how the insurance situation will work. Yes, talking about insurance might not sound like too much fun…but it’s definitely worth the time.
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