Does auto insurance cover my child under my policy?
You must give your auto insurance provider the names of anyone who has regular access to your car. They can refuse a claim if you lend the vehicle to an unlisted driver.
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Daniel Walker
Licensed Auto Insurance Agent
Daniel Walker graduated with a BS in Administrative Management in 2005 and has run his family’s insurance agency, FCI Agency, for over 15 years (BBB A+). He is licensed as an insurance agent to write property and casualty insurance, including home, life, auto, umbrella, and dwelling fire insurance. He’s also been featured on sites like Reviews.com and Safeco. To ensure our content is accura...
Licensed Auto Insurance Agent
UPDATED: Oct 18, 2023
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right coverage choices.
Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident auto insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one auto insurance provider and cannot guarantee quotes from any single provider. Our partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different companies please enter your ZIP code on this page to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about auto insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything auto insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by auto insurance experts.
UPDATED: Oct 18, 2023
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right coverage choices.
Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident auto insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one auto insurance provider and cannot guarantee quotes from any single provider. Our partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different companies please enter your ZIP code on this page to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
On This Page
- While many people assume that only listed drivers are covered under the policy, companies extend coverage to some unlisted drivers when they’re given permission to drive
- If you have a child in your household, your insurance company may provide automatic coverage for your child until they have their driver’s license
- Some companies will automatically charge for a teenage driver when they earn their license. If you don’t want your teen listed, you may have to sign a driver exclusion
You put thought every day into making sure your children are given healthy food options, you monitor their homework, and you give your time shuttling them back and forth to enriching activities. You care about your kids, so you’re willing to give them the best. But childrearing can sometimes be expensive, too.
From the baby essentials and the name brand clothes to money for the movies and the mall, being a parent isn’t cheap.
As your child grows and becomes a teenager, the bills will grow proportionately — especially when the times comes for your little one to earn their license.
It’s crucial that you review your auto insurance portfolio before your teen ever gets behind the wheel of any of your vehicles.
Just assuming that you have coverage could be a minor mistake that could have a major effect on your financial future.
As you shop around for affordable insurance coverage for your newly-licensed teen, learn if your current policy covers your child.
Act now by using our FREE tool! Just enter your zip code to get started.
Understanding Your Auto Insurance Declarations Page
When you sign up for auto insurance, the company will send you a folder full of documents that you must review.
One of the most important documents that you receive when you sign up for insurance and when you make changes to your policy is your declarations page.
This document should not be confused with an ID card, which only acts as proof of coverage.
The insurance declarations page tells you not only what’s covered, but also when it’s covered.
It includes all of the pertinent information and details your coverage in a straightforward manner so that you can easily access the information that you need when you’re verifying coverage or reviewing limits.
Some of the information found on the declarations page will include:
- Name and address of insurance company
- Named insured or owner the policy
- Address where autos are kept
- The policy term showing when coverage started and when it expires
- The year, make, model and VIN of the covered autos
- How much coverage and the coverage type available on each car
- Lenders and loss payee clauses
- Discounts applied to each vehicle or driver
- Citations of accidents that the insurance company is charging for
- Special exclusions or endorsements that apply
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There’s More to an Auto Policy Than What’s Listed on the Declarations Page
While the declarations page is the single-most-important document that you should reference when you have questions about your policy, there’s more to your policy than what’s found on it.
That’s because the insuring agreement affords you coverage for more than what’s listed on that single document.
Under your insuring agreement, the contract says that the policy may provide coverage for autos that aren’t listed on the policy and for drivers that haven’t been disclosed to the company.
This provision may not always be there, though. That’s why you need to learn when a driver is covered and when they aren’t before you take the chance.
When is a driver that’s not listed on your policy covered under your insurance?
There’s a huge debate surrounding whether insurance covers the driver or the car.
What many people fail to acknowledge is that sometimes insurance follows the driver, sometimes it follows the car, and sometimes it doesn’t follow either.
It depends on the scenario and if the driver was supposed to be listed on the policy in the first place.
When does a driver need to be listed?
Your insurance agent will ask you for the names of all of the drivers in your household.
It’s your job to name anyone over the age of 13 who is living in the home even if they don’t have a driver’s license.
The agent will then list these household members as rated drivers or listed residents in the home. Be forthcoming with this information or you could face denied claims.
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What’s the difference between a rated driver and a deferred operator?
A rated driver is someone who’s named on the policy and who can have an effect on the policy premiums.
If the household member isn’t licensed or they have their insurance and you’ve provided proof, they may be listed as deferred operators.
This means that the company knows they live in the home, but they have no effect on the premiums.
Is my child covered automatically when they have their permit?
A permit is a provisional license that’s issued to teens who want to learn how to drive under the supervision of an adult.
Most companies don’t charge you for coverage for a driver in the home with a permit, but some do.
Make sure you verify that there’s automatic coverage for teens with a learner’s permit before you take your teen to test.
Do licensed children count as permissive users?
Under your auto insurance policy, a permissive user is something who’s covered because they’ve been granted permission to drive the car.
Unfortunately, this can be confusing if you think simply granting permission provides coverage. Here are some scenarios where the provision won’t apply:
- The driver lives in the household
- The driver is under 25 and away at school
- The driver doesn’t have a license
- The driver is already excluded from the insurance policy
Parents should call their agent before their child gets a permit to see how much it might cost to add a young driver to their existing policy.
If the cost is too high, it’s important to take the time to shop around. Use an online rate comparison tool, and see how much you’ll pay with competing insurers.
Use our comparison tool to compare auto insurance quotes from several companies!
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Am I covered under my parent’s auto insurance?
Teens are covered under their parent’s car insurance while they are still living at home, and under some other circumstances. Read the article to learn how long you can stay on your parent’s auto insurance as a teen.
Are you wondering if your parents’ car insurance may cover you and if being covered by their car insurance will help you save money? It can be difficult to understand your car insurance policy, and the answers to questions like these aren’t always straightforward.
That’s why we made it easy for you to determine if you are eligible to be covered by your parents’ car insurance.
It is essential you know if your teen driver is covered under your car insurance policy. Be sure you have the information you need to decide if your teen needs to get his or her own policy.
Does my parents’ car insurance automatically cover me as a teen?
Although your parents’ car insurance may cover you, this is not something that happens automatically. To add you to their car insurance policy, your parents will need to contact their car insurance company and let them know that you need to be added to the policy.
This is a pretty straightforward process. The agent will get some information from your parents about you and the car you will be driving to help determine if you are eligible to be added to the car insurance policy.
How much will the premium increase when I am added to my parent’s car insurance policy?
The price for car insurance varies by company and due to other factors. It depends on your age, driving record, any car insurance discounts that may be available, and the amount of coverage that you and your parents select. You and your parents will undoubtedly want to get quotes from various car insurance companies to decide on a policy that is sufficient and makes economic sense.
The table below shows the annual rates for 17-year-olds who have their own policy, compared to drivers who are older with more experience.
Average Annual Auto Insurance Rates by Age and Gender
| Companies | Married 60-Year-Old Female Rates | Married 60-Year-Old Male Rates | Married 35-Year-Old Female Rates | Married 35-Year-Old Male Rates | Single 25-Year-Old Female Rates | Single 25-Year-Old Male Rates | Single 17-Year-Old Female Rates | Single 17-Year-Old Male Rates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USAA | $1,449.85 | $1,448.98 | $1,551.43 | $1,540.32 | $1,988.52 | $2,126.14 | $4,807.54 | $5,385.61 |
| Geico | $2,247.06 | $2,283.45 | $2,302.89 | $2,312.38 | $2,378.89 | $2,262.87 | $5,653.55 | $6,278.96 |
| State Farm | $1,873.89 | $1,873.89 | $2,081.72 | $2,081.72 | $2,335.96 | $2,554.56 | $5,953.88 | $7,324.34 |
| American Family | $1,992.92 | $2,014.38 | $2,202.70 | $2,224.31 | $2,288.65 | $2,694.72 | $5,996.50 | $8,130.50 |
| Nationwide | $2,130.26 | $2,214.62 | $2,360.49 | $2,387.43 | $2,686.48 | $2,889.04 | $5,756.37 | $7,175.31 |
| Progressive | $1,991.49 | $2,048.63 | $2,296.90 | $2,175.27 | $2,697.73 | $2,758.66 | $8,689.95 | $9,625.49 |
| Farmers | $2,336.80 | $2,448.39 | $2,556.98 | $2,557.75 | $2,946.80 | $3,041.44 | $8,521.97 | $9,144.04 |
| Travelers | $2,051.98 | $2,074.41 | $2,178.66 | $2,199.51 | $2,325.25 | $2,491.21 | $9,307.32 | $12,850.91 |
| Allstate | $2,913.37 | $2,990.64 | $3,156.09 | $3,123.01 | $3,424.87 | $3,570.93 | $9,282.19 | $10,642.53 |
| Liberty Mutual | $3,445.00 | $3,680.53 | $3,802.77 | $3,856.84 | $3,959.67 | $4,503.13 | $11,621.01 | $13,718.69 |
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Can I use my parents’ car insurance if I live with them?
The critical requirement for being covered by your parents’ car insurance is that you are living with them in their home. If you live away at college for part of the year, that’s fine, as long as your permanent address remains with your parents and you will be returning to their home to continue to reside with them.
Your parents should always consult their car insurance agent regarding any questions they have about adding you to their car insurance policy and the specific rules and requirements of their car insurance policy.
At what age can I no longer get car insurance under my parents’ name?
There is no age limit for how long your parents’ car insurance can cover you. So as long as you live with your parents, you may be covered by their car insurance.
But as you get older, you and your parents will want to keep getting current quotes for car insurance to keep track of how the price is changing based upon risk factors such as your age and driving record. Eventually, you may reach a point where it makes more financial sense to get your own car insurance policy even though you still live with your parents.
Can I still be covered by my parents’ car insurance if my name is on my car’s title?
Some states require that the person listed on the car’s title must have their own insurance policy. In those states, if you are the sole owner of the car, you must always have your own insurance. But if your parents are also listed on the title, then you can stay on their insurance policy no matter your age.
The reasoning behind this is that anyone insuring a car has to have an “insurable interest” in that car, so no one can insure a car for which they aren’t listed as an owner.
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Teen Drivers and Auto Insurance Coverage: The Bottom Line
Different states and different insurance companies have different rules, but generally, if you own your vehicle, you need to have insurance in your own name. You can be covered by your parent’s policy if you are a regular driver of their vehicle. Comparison shopping can help you get the best available rates for the car insurance coverage you need to protect your family.
Get online quotes instantly, compare rates with several different carriers, and get the protection that you need in minutes. If you need coverage for your teen driver, compare free quotes right now by entering your ZIP code below.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does auto insurance cover my child under my policy?
Yes, in most cases, auto insurance policies provide coverage for children under the policyholder’s coverage. However, specific details may vary depending on the insurance company and policy terms.
At what age does my child become eligible for coverage under my auto insurance policy?
The age at which a child becomes eligible for coverage under your auto insurance policy can vary. Typically, once your child obtains a driver’s license, they may be eligible for coverage. However, it’s essential to consult your insurance provider to understand their specific requirements.
Will my child’s driving record affect my auto insurance rates?
Yes, your child’s driving record can impact your auto insurance rates. If your child has a poor driving record with traffic violations or accidents, it may result in increased premiums for your policy. Insurance companies consider driving history as a factor in determining risk and setting rates.
Can my child be covered under my auto insurance policy if they don’t live with me?
It depends on the insurance company and policy terms. Some insurance policies allow children to be covered under their parent’s policy even if they don’t live in the same household. However, there may be specific conditions or restrictions. It’s advisable to check with your insurance provider to clarify their rules regarding coverage for children who don’t reside with the policyholder.
Are there any limitations on coverage for my child under my auto insurance policy?
Limitations on coverage for your child may vary depending on your insurance policy. Some policies may have restrictions on coverage for young or inexperienced drivers, such as higher deductibles or limited liability coverage. It’s crucial to review your policy and discuss any limitations with your insurance provider.
Can my child drive other people’s vehicles with coverage from my auto insurance policy?
Generally, auto insurance coverage follows the vehicle rather than the driver. Therefore, if your child is listed on your policy, they may be covered when driving other people’s vehicles with the owner’s permission. However, coverage specifics can vary, so it’s important to review your policy or contact your insurance provider to confirm the extent of coverage in such situations.
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Enter your ZIP code below to view companies that have cheap auto insurance rates.
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Daniel Walker
Licensed Auto Insurance Agent
Daniel Walker graduated with a BS in Administrative Management in 2005 and has run his family’s insurance agency, FCI Agency, for over 15 years (BBB A+). He is licensed as an insurance agent to write property and casualty insurance, including home, life, auto, umbrella, and dwelling fire insurance. He’s also been featured on sites like Reviews.com and Safeco. To ensure our content is accura...
Licensed Auto Insurance Agent
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about auto insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything auto insurance related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by auto insurance experts.