Should my wife have her own car insurance?

Asked by: Joelle Paucek  |  Last update: August 3, 2022
Score: 4.9/5 (60 votes)

Adding your spouse to your policy ensures that you're both covered in the event of an accident. If you and your spouse have good driving records, a joint car insurance policy can save you money with lower premiums and a multi-car discount (if your insurer offers one).

Does my wife need her own car insurance?

No. You do not have to add your spouse to your car insurance. Most car insurance companies will want all licensed members of your household listed as drivers, to make sure your policy's rate is calculated properly. But there is no legal requirement that says a driver must add their spouse to an auto insurance policy.

Can me and my spouse have separate car insurance?

If you want to have separate insurance policies, with access to each other's cars, then each spouse will need to include the other on their insurance policy.

Do married couples have to have the same car insurance?

The general rule is that if a driver is living in the same household as you, they need to be listed on your car insurance policy. Depending on your insurance carrier, it may be possible for you to list your spouse as an excluded driver on your car insurance policy and avoid premium increases.

Is it cheaper to combine car insurance with spouse?

Auto insurance is cheaper when you are married than when you are single. Based on our analysis, for drivers in U.S., we found that full coverage car insurance costs $123 less annually for married couples than for single drivers — a 5% savings. Rates are the average annual premium for a full coverage policy.

Who Needs To Be Added As A Driver On My Car Insurance?

17 related questions found

How does car insurance work for married couples?

Getting married, therefore, generally has a positive effect on your car insurance rates. Most auto insurance carriers offer a discount to married drivers. Even men under 25, who generally get stuck with the highest auto insurance premiums, receive a discount for being married.

Will my car insurance go up if I add my wife?

Your car insurance will go up if you add your wife to your policy and your insurance company views her as a relatively high-risk driver. Your car insurance rate will also go up if your wife has a vehicle that you are adding to the policy as well.

Can you have 2 separate car insurance policies?

The short answer is 'no'. The long answer is that there's generally no advantage to having double policies for your car insurance. The only time you might want an extra insurance policy is if you have two cars or are driving someone else's.

Does the main driver have to be the registered keeper?

But the main driver doesn't necessarily have to be the owner or the registered keeper. This is pretty common for married couples. If you're married, one of you can own the car and be the registered keeper. But if your spouse drives the car more often than you do, they'll need to be listed as the "main driver".

Does the main driver have to be the policy holder?

The main driver (or vehicle policyholder) is the person who drives the vehicle most often and earns no claims discount. They do not need to be the principle policyholder but they must live at the same address as them.

Can I be the main driver on 2 cars?

A named driver is insured to drive the car, but they don't use it as often as the main driver. The main and named driver have the same level of cover on the car. But a named driver could be the main driver on another vehicle. You can be the main driver of more than one car.

Is it cheaper to have joint car insurance?

A couple's car insurance policy, in the form of one policy with two insured cars, is often a cheaper way to get coverage than separate policies because of multivehicle discounts and a potential marriage discount. Combining policies for each driver's car into one policy brings savings of up to 25% in most cases.

Why is car insurance cheaper with additional driver?

How much does car insurance cost with a named driver? Adding a named driver often makes the premiums cheaper because it's assumed you'll spend less time driving, since the car is shared. This reduces your probability of having an accident and making a claim, which is reflected in cheaper car insurance quotes.

Can you lie about marital status on car insurance?

Answer provided by

“Car insurance companies pull several reports when determining a rate for an insured. Your marital status is often a part of this. If you report on your application that you and your boyfriend are married but the underwriting department verifies you aren't, you could risk losing your policy.

Will my car insurance go down if I add another driver?

In addition, adding a named driver to your policy may affect your annual premium and this is largely down to the risk profile of the individual you are adding. It could take your premium down, or in the case of adding a young driver, potentially increase your premium.

Does being an additional driver affect my main policy?

No. Being listed as a named driver on someone else's policy does not affect your own car insurance if you are involved in a road traffic accident. If you were to have a car accident while driving another person's car as a named driver, you would need to claim on the main driver's insurance policy.

What happens if an additional driver has an accident?

The main driver is responsible for ANY accidents by the additional drivers-- if you crash, the main driver's premium goes up regardless: it is as if they had crashed. Even if they remove the additional driver, their policy for the forthcoming years will be affected.

Why does my husband have to be on my car insurance?

Adding your spouse to your policy ensures that you're both covered in the event of an accident. If you and your spouse have good driving records, a joint car insurance policy can save you money with lower premiums and a multi-car discount (if your insurer offers one).

Which group pays more for car insurance single or married?

Singles may have more fun, but they also pay more than their married friends for car insurance. A single 20-year-old pays 21% more than a married 20-year-old for the same policy, a new study from InsuranceQuotes.com found.

Can a car be in your name but insured by someone else?

While the person who owns the car is usually the one who insures it, most states will allow someone other than the owner to pay for a car policy. However, many driver's insurance providers will only insure a car if the policyholder and car owner are the same.

Is it cheaper to insure two cars on one policy?

In general, it's usually cheaper to insure two or more vehicles on the same policy, better known as a multi-vehicle plan. This is because most insurance companies offer significant discounts for multi-car policies.

Is fronting car insurance illegal?

Is car insurance fronting illegal? Yes. Make no mistake about it. Car insurance fronting is illegal and is a type of insurance fraud.

Does it matter who the main driver is on car insurance?

The main driver on your car insurance

And others don't understand who the actual main driver is. The declared main driver should be the person who: regularly uses a car to drive to or from work / place of education. uses the car for the highest percentage of the time.

Can I be the registered keeper of a car but not own it?

The registered keeper should be the person who is actually using / keeping the vehicle and this is not necessarily the owner of the vehicle or the person who is paying for it.

Who is responsible for insuring a car?

Whoever owns the vehicle is responsible for insuring it, so if a car is company owned, the company must organise insurance cover.