Does Progressive Insurance Cover Someone Else Driving Your Car?

Getting into an accident while driving someone else’s car can be a stressful and confusing situation. You likely have many questions running through your mind in the moment – Is the car I’m driving insured? Will the insurance cover me even though I’m not the policyholder? What will happen if I file a claim?

These are all valid concerns when driving a car you don’t own. The good news is that in many cases, the vehicle owner’s insurance policy will provide coverage if you get into an accident while driving their car. However, the specifics depend on the insurance company and policy type.

In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about whether Progressive Insurance will cover someone else driving your car if an accident occurs.

Overview of Driving Someone Else’s Car and Insurance

Before diving into the specifics of Progressive Insurance’s policies, let’s review some general information about driving a car you don’t own and how insurance comes into play.

Permissive Use Laws

Most states have permissive use laws regarding insurance coverage. These laws require insurance policies to cover drivers who have the vehicle owner’s permission to operate the car.

So if you borrow your friend’s car and get into a fender bender, their insurance would provide liability protection under permissive use laws. This applies even though you aren’t specifically named on the policy.

Primary vs. Secondary Insurance

Now what happens if you have your own car insurance policy and you get into an accident while driving someone else’s vehicle? This situation brings in the concepts of primary and secondary insurance.

• Primary insurance – The insurance policy of the car owner would be considered the primary insurer in this scenario. The owner’s policy would be first in line to pay out a claim.

• Secondary insurance – Your own personal car insurance policy would provide secondary coverage. It would come into play only after the primary insurance is exhausted.

So the owner’s insurance is generally responsible for covering an accident when someone else drives their car. But your own policy can be a backup.

Common Scenarios

Some common scenarios where permissive use laws and primary/secondary insurance come into play include:

• Borrowing a friend’s or family member’s car
• Driving a car owned by your employer
• Renting or test driving a car from a dealership
• Operating a car-share vehicle like ZipCar or Turo

In these situations, the owner’s insurance is usually primary while your personal policy would be secondary. But always check your specific policies to confirm.

Does Progressive Insurance Cover Other Drivers?

Now that we’ve reviewed some general insurance principles, let’s focus specifically on Progressive’s policies.

Progressive is one of the largest auto insurance providers in the United States. The company insures over 24 million vehicles across the country.

So what is Progressive’s stance when it comes to covering someone else who drives your car?

Overview of Progressive’s Policies

The short answer is yes – Progressive Insurance will typically provide coverage if someone else drives your car.

Progressive’s standard personal auto policies extend liability, medical payments, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage to permissive drivers of your vehicle.

So if you let your friend drive your Progressive-insured car and they cause an accident, Progressive would cover damages and injuries for the other party, up to your policy limits. Your friend would also have coverage under the medical payments and UM/UIM portions of your policy.

Exceptions and Exclusions

However, Progressive does outline some circumstances where coverage would not apply to another driver of your vehicle:

• The person driving your car does not have your permission. For example, if someone took your car without your knowledge, they would not be covered.

• You specifically excluded the driver from your policy. When purchasing a policy, you can name individuals who should not be provided coverage.

• The driver is using your vehicle for business purposes not disclosed on your policy. For example, delivering food or rideshare driving.

• The driver is regularly using your vehicle. Progressive may deny coverage if someone frequently drives your car like it’s their own.

So in most cases coverage will extend to someone operating your Progressive-insured vehicle, but check your individual policy for exclusions.

Adding Drivers to Your Policy

While your Progressive policy likely covers permissive drivers by default, you always have the option to formally add other individuals to your policy. This ensures they are explicitly covered anytime they drive your car.

Here are some reasons you may want to officially add a driver:

• They regularly use your car – If someone frequently drives your vehicle, add them to avoid any gray areas in coverage.

• They live with you – Having all household members on the policy prevents disputes if an accident occurs.

• You want to build their driving history – Adding younger drivers builds insurance history and can help lower their rates down the road.

To add a driver to your Progressive policy, you’ll need their personal details including date of birth, driver’s license number, and Social Security Number. Adding lower-risk drivers generally won’t increase your rates much, if at all. But higher-risk drivers like teenagers may raise your premiums.

Borrowing Someone Else’s Progressive-Insured Car

Now let’s consider the reverse scenario – you borrow someone else’s car that is insured through Progressive.

According to Progressive’s standard policies, you would likely be covered if you got into an accident while driving the vehicle with the owner’s permission. Liability, medical payments, UM/UIM, and collision coverage would typically extend to you in this situation.

However, it’s always best to have the owner double-check their specific policy to confirm you’re fully covered. Be sure to provide them your driver’s license number and any other details they request.

And remember that your own car insurance policy would provide secondary coverage on top of the primary coverage from the car owner’s Progressive policy.

Tips for Driving Someone Else’s Car

Whenever you drive a vehicle that isn’t your own, keep these tips in mind:

• Check with the owner – Confirm the car is insured and get specifics on the coverage. Ask them to contact their provider to double-check you’re covered.

• Review the declarations page – Ask to see the insurance declarations page so you understand the policy limits and coverage details.

• Confirm permission – Be absolutely sure you have express permission from the owner to drive the vehicle. Unauthorized use is never covered.

• Carry your license – Keep your driver’s license on you while operating someone else’s car in case you need to show proof of identity after an accident.

• Know your own coverage – Understand your own auto insurance policy and the secondary protection it provides if you drive someone else’s car.

• Be extra cautious – Take extra care when driving a car you’re not used to. Don’t take unnecessary risks.

Following these tips helps ensure you and the vehicle are fully covered in case the unexpected occurs when driving someone else’s car.

What to Do After an Accident in Someone Else’s Car

Unfortunately, accidents happen. If you get into a collision while driving another person’s vehicle, here are some key steps to take:

• Move to a safe location if possible and call 911 to report the incident.

• Notify the vehicle owner as soon as you’re able.

• Collect information from the other driver including insurance details, contact information, driver’s license number and license plate.

• Take photos of damage to both vehicles and the accident scene.

• File a claim with the vehicle owner’s insurance provider. Provide them your license, contact details and explain the situation fully. Cooperate with any investigation.

• If damages exceed the owner’s policy limits, file a claim with your own insurer for secondary coverage.

• Do not admit fault or accept blame. Let the insurance companies investigate the accident to determine liability based on the policy terms.

• Save all accident-related documentation like police reports and insurance communications. This creates a paper trail if disputes arise.

• Stay in touch with the claims adjusters and provide any additional details requested. Answer questions honestly.

Following these steps helps ensure the post-accident process goes as smoothly as possible when driving someone else’s car. The vehicle owner’s insurance should handle most of the claims process, but your own policy can provide an extra layer of coverage if needed.

Key Takeaways

• Progressive’s personal auto policies extend liability, medical payments, collision, and UM/UIM coverage to permissive drivers of your insured vehicle in most cases.

• However, some exclusions exist including unauthorized drivers, drivers specifically excluded on your policy, or individuals regularly using your vehicle without being named.

• You can officially add other drivers to your Progressive policy to remove any doubt about coverage.

• Your own auto insurance provides secondary coverage if you drive someone else’s Progressive-insured car with permission and get into an accident.

• After an accident in someone else’s car, report it promptly, cooperate with investigations, file the claim through the owner’s policy, and use your insurance for supplemental coverage if needed.