How to Add a Driver to Your Car Insurance

Adding a driver to your car insurance is simple. You can either use your carrier's online tool to add a driver virtually, or you can call your agent. Read this guide on how to add a driver to learn more.
Written by Brady Klopfer
Reviewed by Carrie Adkins
Adding a driver to your car insurance is easy—just visit the company website or call an agent to add the driver. You will need some basic information, such as their driver's license.
It’s fairly common to add drivers to your
car insurance policy
. Whether it’s a housemate or a significant other who uses your car regularly, your
teenager
getting their license, or a friend who borrows your car with some frequency, you should add regular drivers of your vehicle to your car insurance policy.
Adding a driver to your car insurance policy makes it a lot easier to file a claim should something happen to your vehicle when you’re not driving.
It’s a straightforward process to add a driver, so you can quickly take care of this any time you need to alter the names on your plan.
Jerry
is here to show you how.
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How to add a driver to your car insurance policy

Step 1: Get the driver's details. Before adding a driver to your insurance plan, make sure that you have their driver’s license number, their date of birth, and their current address, as you’ll need to provide this information.
Step 2: Contact your car insurance provider. If you're insured by one of the large insurance companies, you can likely add a driver by visiting the website, logging onto their account, and clicking "change plan" or "add driver."
If your insurance company doesn’t have an online option, or you don’t feel like handling your insurance change through your computer, call your car insurance provider. You can add a driver through the phone simply by letting the agent know what you want to do and providing the name and basic information of the driver.
Just keep in mind, car insurance companies cap how many people you can add to your plan. So if you’re already at your maximum number of drivers (usually four), you won’t be able to put an additional driver on your policy unless you remove a driver in the process.

How adding a driver impacts the price of your car insurance

Adding a driver to your car insurance policy usually doesn’t have much of an impact on the price of the plan. If the driver would cost a lot to insure—such as someone with a very poor driving record, or a teenager—your premiums will increase. But if not, you shouldn't expect a major change.
If the driver you add has a long history of safe driving, there’s a chance that your insurance rates will go down. It all depends on your insurance company, though the rates will never alter too much when you add a driver.
Adding a driver to your car insurance policy is quick, easy, and unlikely to impact your rates much. If someone in your life is constantly hopping behind the wheel of your car, take a few minutes to add them to your car insurance plan to make sure that you’re well protected in the event of an accident.

FAQs

Do you have to add a driver to your insurance?

You have to add a driver to your insurance if they live at your residence, have a driver's license, and use your vehicle. This usually accounts for teenage children, spouses, and other family members.

When is it unnecessary to add a driver to your insurance?

If you're roommates with people who have their own policy, you don't need to add them to your policy, even if you occasionally borrow each other's cars.
If someone doesn't live with you but they occasionally borrow your car, you don't need to add them to your policy, as long as they're not a regular driver.
If you have any confusion about when you have to add a driver to your policy, check with your agent and ask about their company policy.
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