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So, we bought a third car- an '03 Corolla. It'll be used primarily by my teen daughter and myself. According to our auto insurance agent, for insurance purposes, there has to be one car per driver. In other words, since adding a third car, I can't be the primary on two cars and my teen a secondary on one. It has to be: spouse listed on one car, me on the other, and teen daughter on the 3rd. Does this sound right?
What happens next year when she goes to college and the 3rd car stays home? Does she still have to be listed as the insured party even though she won't be living at home to drive it? We'll be parking "my" car (an suv) and I'll be driving the Corolla instead. Seems weird that she has to be listed just because she has a driver's license.
i'd say this may vary from company to company or perhaps even state to state, but when our daughter hit driving age (in WI) she had to be added to one of our cars, and when we had 3 cars/3 drivers she was tied to one regardless of what we could claim since she had a license.
So we listed her on the cheapest car, which was in fact "hers" anyway. It's been a few years since we went thru that, but seems to me the costs werent that much different whether she was added to a 2nd car or listed on the 3rd. In other words we were not able to keep her name off our cars while having her covered as a driver with our permission....
Depends. Many insurers have an "absentee" rider for family policies in which they'll continue to cover the (now separated) driver & vehicle for a few $$ less.
They cover this situation. Happens all the time in the Navy. We go out to sea for 6 months either leaving our cars in storage or with family back home. Speak with your insurance about the situation to see what they offer.
I have the same thing with two kids in college. My daughter is insured on my 87 Mustang since it does not have full coverage, but she is still fully covered on the other 3 vehicles. My son is listed as an "away student at college" and therefore his rates are cheaper than if he had his car at school with him. I pay like $65 for my daughter, $75 for my son (full coverage on wife's 07 Explorer), and about $65 for my wife (listed on 06 Vibe, but it is my son's car) and $95 on me (10 Vibe GT) a month in Houston where high rates are the norm. Plus we have every good student, drivers ed, multi line insurance, etc discounts too.
FWIW, I asked about cancelling the insurance on the Mustang and going with collectors coverage, and my agent told me my cost per month would go up because I would have to list my daughter on a newer vehicle. Having an old "clunker" pays off in this case.
Thanks for the very helpful replies! I opened our bill today and was under the impression that it wouldn't be a whole lot more for daughter to be insured on her own car, but it was double. She qualifies for the good student discount and we have other insurance there (homeowners & life). I've been with our agent for...at the risk of aging myself...let's just say forever (since I was 17).
I guess I was hoping the most recent bill was another one of their "oopses." Instead, it sounds like it could be right on target. I'll have to call tomorrow-but I kinda cringe because lately the person taking & processing the info seems to mix everything up. Then it's a series of phone calls to straighten it out.
Also thanks for the info regarding what to expect next year when teen is at college.
Be open to changing your ins provider, talk to other agents and see their take on the daughter.
My folks talked to our agent decades ago and we got our own policies. You have to put your daughter as sole owner of the car. Agent sets up your daughter with assigned risk as no previous coverage.
This can be a good thing all around, sets your daughter up with monthly payments. Sets her apart in case of a accident so you do not risk your home.
Your daughter needs to be covered whether she is at home driving one of your vehicles or not. Let me give some examples:
1. Your daughter is walking in a pedestrian cross walk and is struck by an uninsured driver and suffers severe injuries resulting in a lengthy hospitalization. If she is not covered under your car insurance, there will be no compensation for these injuries. There maybe medical bills that your health insurance won't pay, but beyond that badly injured people with permanent injuries should receives some monetary compensation.
2. Your daughter is talked into driving a friend's car. The insurance on the vehicle has lapsed. Your daughter is involved in a bad car accident that causes thousands of dollars of property damage and personal injuries. A judgment can be obtained against her that will follow her for at least eight years and may result in her declaring bankruptcy.
3. Some states (the wise ones) will mandate coverage even though she is away from home and says she won't drive a car.
Insurance companies have learned that if someone has a license they are generally going to drive a car at some point. There is a public policy that goes towards mandating liability insurance coverage for all drivers. We want all drivers to be financially responsible for any harm they cause--at least to a point. Mandating car insurance for all is the only way to guarantee it.
With respect to spreading drivers out among different cars. Pick the car that is cheapest to insure and make your daughter the driver of that vehicle. Nothing wrong with doing that even if she barely uses it. The insurance agent will tell you that.
After my kid lost his license for a year my insurance company tried to boost my rate even though he had no license, no car and was away in school....They tried to say I had to pay more because he might drive one of my cars....I said no way and any increase would mean I would drop the policy. They tried to BS me and didnt jump my rate.When dealing with an insurance company its best to assume they are all tell lies except the ones who just dont tell the truth .
Once they have a license, and they are in your home, your insurance goes up. And, having a beater around for the kid car makes perfect sense. That car gets the cheapest...and kid is listed as "primary" for that car.
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