With more students than ever back home with their parents during a global pandemic, many are wondering about their health and car insurance. Questions like whether or not they need to maintain their own policies or if they can hop on their parents are coming up a lot. If you’re a parent or student wondering about how car insurance coverage works for young adults and adult dependents in the United States, read on.
Matters of Residency
Are you a young adult wondering how to handle your car insurance? Have you asked yourself, “can I be on my parents car insurance if the car is in my name?” What if you’re a college student and only live at home part-time? Can your parents cover you on their car insurance policy if you have your own car insurance policy? If these are the types of questions you’ve wondered about, you aren’t alone.
Different states have different rules when it comes to car insurance policy coverages. While young adult dependents can be covered under their parents’ policies as full-time students in one state, this might change in the next state over. Whether or not a child owns their vehicle or if that car is in the parents’ names matters, too. In reality, the best way to know if a younger driver living in their parents’ home or away from home can be covered under their policy is to call and ask.
In many cases, even college kids with vehicles in their own name can be covered under their parents’ policies. However, this changes if the child is a legal resident of another state. That is, whether or not the child is a dependent and legally living at home matters. Your best option is to call your insurance company and ask. In many cases, it’s simply a matter of adding a child’s name to an insurance policy. In other cases, the child won’t be covered driving their parents’ car even if they’re still a dependent. Knowing the facts upfront will make a big difference when it comes to insurance planning.
Titles and Registrations
Maybe you’re a parent wondering how to protect your child for a minimal cost. If they have a good driving record and you don’t mind the bump to your car insurance premium, consider taking matters into your own hands.
If your child owns their own car, it might be more difficult to cover them under a parent policy. If you’re hoping to cover your child under your car insurance policy, your best bet is to either be on that title or to have the car’s title in the parent’s name. While your child’s worried about things like pulling off a great blind date, you could be saving yourself a whole lot of headache if you’ve got them covered for car insurance. Keep in mind that how you register the car in many states will matter, too.
Temporary Coverage
For students who don’t live with their parents during the school year but come home for breaks, it’s possible to put your child on temporary coverage on your insurance policy. All this takes is a phone call to your insurance company. Communicating with them and letting them know you’ll have an additional driver and giving them your child’s information is the best option for staying covered.
In the end, whether or not you can jump on your parents’ insurance is likely a matter of where you live. In most states, as long as you live with your parents, you can stay on their policy. After changing residency, including a legal residence in a new state or place for college, the situation becomes more complicated. The best way to find out is to call your insurance company and your parents, too, and explain what you’re hoping to do. Whether it means you need to reduce your coverage or switch vehicle ownership into your parents’ names, find out all the options ahead of time before making a coverage change. While you’re there, remember to ask about good student rates and discounts for good driving records, too.
