Who can drive my car under my insurance in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts law typically allows for what's known as “permissive use.” In other words, if you lend your car to someone who isn't explicitly excluded in your insurance policy, they should still be covered by it if they cause a car accident.
In most cases, your policy covers any accident involving your car even when it is driven by someone else with your permission. Your policy will not cover bodily injuries or property damage resulting from an accident when someone drives your car without your consent.
In Massachusetts, automobile insurance follows the car instead of the driver. This means that if your friend or family member caused the accident, your comprehensive and collision insurance and your property damage liability insurance will pay for the damages.
You can typically “exclude” any household member who does not drive your car, but in order to do so, you must submit an "exclusion form" to your insurance company.
When an insurer asks you to list household members, they're trying to get a complete picture of your situation and the extent of the risk they will be insuring. If you give them an accurate look, they can properly calculate risk and quote you the right premium.
Car insurance coverage follows the vehicle, not the driver. When you allow a friend, family member, or babysitter to borrow your vehicle, they also borrow your car insurance. Your insurance becomes the primary coverage when lending the car to family members or friends.
Car insurance usually follows the car in Massachusetts. The types of car insurance that follow the car in Massachusetts are collision, comprehensive, and property damage liability. You're required to carry property damage liability and personal injury protection in Massachusetts.
As a general rule, car insurance follows the vehicle, not the driver. That means the owner of the vehicle would file a claim with their insurance to cover any damages.
Is car insurance attached to the vehicle or to the driver? Car insurance, contrary to common opinion, usually follows the vehicle, not the driver. If you allow somebody else to take your car and they get into an accident, your insurance provider is liable to pay the claim, based on your policy's coverage.
If an accident does result in a surcharge, that surcharge will remain on your record for 6 years in Massachusetts. To appeal a surcharge, the driver must complete the appeal form on the back of the surcharge notice and mail it to the Massachusetts Division of Insurance Board of Appeal, along with the required fee.
Is it legal to drive someone else's car in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts law typically allows for what's known as “permissive use.” In other words, if you lend your car to someone who isn't explicitly excluded in your insurance policy, they should still be covered by it if they cause a car accident.
removing a driver from your policy. Removing a driver from your insurance policy is not the same as excluding a driver. Depending on the state and insurer, you may be able to list someone you live with as an excluded driver, meaning they won't be driving your vehicles.
High-risk drivers
If you do exclude a driver from your car insurance, it may be because of their spotty driving history. Drivers who have DUIs, repeated moving violations or a record of at-fault accidents are likely to boost your car insurance rates when they're a member of your household.
Some insurers allow you to include family members who don't live with you, like adult children, parents, or siblings if you provide a strong case for it. Some insurers also allow domestic partners and significant others who don't live with you to be added to your policy if they meet specific criteria.
Most car insurance companies require policyholders to list all licensed drivers in their household on their auto insurance policy. If anyone in the family has an accident while driving your car, your insurance will help pay for damages as long as your policy covers them.
In most states, the names on a vehicle's registration and your proof of insurance don't have to be the same from a legal perspective. However, an insurer can decide not to insure a person whose name is not on the vehicle's registration.
If your friend or family member asks to borrow your vehicle, make sure they're fit to drive. You should never permit an unlicensed driver to drive your car, and you should never allow a person who is intoxicated or has a history of reckless driving to borrow your vehicle either.
Most of the time, as long as you gave a driver permission to borrow your car, it's likely not a problem for them to drive your car, even if they're not on your car insurance policy.
Most car insurance policies will cover drivers you've listed on the policy, or anyone whom you give permission to drive your car. Insurance follows the car too, so even if the driver is insured themselves, it's the insurance that the owner of the car has which covers any incidents.
Contrary to popular belief, car insurance typically follows the car — not the driver. If you let someone else drive your car and they get in an accident, your insurance company would likely be responsible for paying the claim, depending on the coverages in your policy.
Is Massachusetts a no fault state?
Massachusetts is a no-fault state which means no matter who causes the accident, PIP will pay these expenses for you or anyone you let drive your car, anyone living in your household, passengers in your vehicle and pedestrians.
| Cheapest Car Insurance in Massachusetts (by category) | Company | Average Monthly Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Liability Coverage | The Hanover | $35 |
| Full Coverage | Progressive | $148 |
| Young Drivers | Geico*** | $485** |
| Seniors | Geico | $130** |
Auto insurance usually follows the car, not the driver. So, if you let a friend borrow your car, your own auto insurance is typically primary for anything that might happen to your car or the driver during that time.
If someone else crashes your car, what happens next depends on various factors. In general, your insurance company will cover the accident if the person driving had permission to use your car and caused the accident. If they didn't cause the accident, the at-fault driver's coverage usually kicks in.
What happens when you let someone else drive your car? If you allow someone else to borrow your car, it's still covered by your insurance policy. Insurers call this "permissive use." This is true even when the driver carries their own insurance.
