We all love our cars. Getting their first car is a big deal in anyone’s life. And of course, we all have to carry the car insurance that goes along with it. But when it comes to car insurance and what is covered when, most people have the same question, “Does my car insurance cover me in another car?”.
It happens in life sometimes that you must drive someone else’s car. Maybe you’re the designated driver for the night, or a friend needs some help that requires you to drive their car. Usually, this isn’t an issue and everything goes smoothly. But, once in a while something goes bad and an accident ensues.
Before you drive another car, it’s important to understand how insurance will handle any costs related to the accident. There are generally two types of costs to be covered: damage to vehicles or other property and personal injuries to your or others in the accident.
Driving Someone Else’s Car
Before you get behind the wheel in someone else’s car make sure you don’t’ make matters worse if there is an accident by following these simple guidelines:
- Make sure you have a valid license
- Make sure you have permission to use the car
Vehicle and Property Damages
The short of it is that if you are driving someone else’s car and you have an accident, you will be covered for any damage to the vehicle by their insurance. In other words, the insurance follows the vehicle, not the driver.
This is good news for you, you’re covered, but could be bad news for the owner of the other car. If you are found to be at fault for the accident, they will likely see a rise in their rates.
Personal Injuries
Injuries to people are treated differently than damages to vehicles or other property. In this case, if you sustain injuries while driving a car that is not your own, your own car insurance will be used to pay for the costs associated with the injuries.
This is why you pay for personal injury protection, or PIP, and for medical payments coverage. These two types of coverage pay for personal injury no matter who owns the car or who was driving the car.
Know Before You Go
There are times when you can’t avoid having to drive someone else’s vehicle. And there’s nothing really wrong with doing this, but in the eyes of insurance companies it does come with a unique set of risks for the vehicle they are insuring.
This is why you should understand the type of coverage you carry before driving another car. Understand the coverages you have for PIP and medical payments, and how they will cover you in an accident.
If you want to shop around for the best rates that include PIP and medical payments you are comfortable with, use the InsuranceWins form to get some fast and easy quotes from many insurance companies. All with the click of your mouse!
