Borrowing a Car When You Have an SR-22
Key takeaways
- Occasional borrowing is exactly what a non-owner policy is designed for.
- The owner's policy pays first, and yours adds coverage after it.
- Borrowing the same car every day can count as regular use, which is excluded.
Borrowing a car is the most common way people use their non-owner coverage. Here's how it works and where the limits are.
Who pays after a crash
- The car owner's liability insurance pays first.
- Your non-owner policy pays after the owner's limits are used up.
- Damage to the borrowed car is paid only if the owner has collision coverage.
What the owner should know
Their policy may cover permissive drivers, but some policies exclude or limit coverage for drivers with serious violations. Ask the owner to check before you borrow the car.
When borrowing becomes regular use
Using the same car to commute every day, keeping it at your home, or holding your own key all look like regular use. In those cases, you should be listed on that car's policy.
Borrowing questions
Can I borrow a car from someone I live with?
Occasionally, but if it becomes routine, the insurer will expect you to be on that policy.