Am I covered if I drive a friend's vehicle, is my friend covered if they drive my car?
You know the routine, your car's transmission gives out or your car is in a wreck and you didn't get rental reimbursement so now you are stuck without a car. So you either have to bum a ride with one of your friends or they miraculously let you borrow it. . . as long as you wash it and fill up the tank with gas.
Before you get in that car you want to make sure you have insurance. Are you covered? Is your friend's insurance covering you or is your insurance providing coverage?
Insurance follows the vehicle not the driver in most cases. So your friend's insurance would be primary and yours would be secondary. Now, what does that mean, primary, secondary? It means your friend's insurance would pay the claim first and then if his liability limits are exhausted, then your insurance would pay the rest.
The same thing if you lend your friend your car. Your insurance would be primary and his would be secondary.
Now, there is one big item you should note. If your friend is in an accident in your car, your rates could be affected. Yes, it's true. Your friend's accident would be considered part of the household driving record and next time your policy renews you could see your rates jump up.
So, if at all possible you want to try and minimize someone driving your car so your rates don't go up if they get in a wreck.
It's best to check with your own insurance company's policies and contracts. Some do provide coverage to someone who drives your car and some don't.
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