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Drivers and Situations guides
Car insurance after a divorce or separationWhen separated spouses need separate auto policies, how titles, loans and teen drivers complicate the split, and the steps that prevent a coverage gap.Driving to Mexico or Canada: what your insurance coversWhy a U.S. policy usually works in Canada but not in Mexico, what Mexican tourist auto insurance covers, and the permits and papers to carry at each border.Insuring a car you are not drivingOptions for a stored or unused car, from comprehensive-only coverage to canceling insurance and registration, and the state rules to check first.Insuring a car that is not in your nameWhy insurers want the owner on the policy, how to insure a car titled to a parent, partner or friend, and when a non-owner policy fits better.Insurance requirements for a financed carWhy lenders require collision and comprehensive, how the lienholder is listed, what force-placed insurance costs, and what changes after payoff.Insuring a leased carWhat leasing companies require (collision, comprehensive, higher liability limits, gap), how the lessor is listed, and what happens in a total loss.Car insurance for military members and veteransMilitary car insurance options: who can join USAA, military discounts at GEICO and others, and how to handle deployment, storage, PCS moves and overseas tours.Adding a teen driver to your car insuranceWhen to add a teen to your policy, why premiums jump, the discounts and programs that offset it, and the coverage decisions parents should revisit.Getting car insurance with a foreign or new licenseHow to insure a car with a foreign license or international driving permit, why you are priced as a new driver, and how to lower the cost.Car insurance for college studentsStaying on a parent's policy, away-at-school and good student discounts, what changes when the car goes to campus, and when a student needs a separate policy.Buying car insurance for the first timeA step-by-step guide for first-time buyers: what to gather, which coverages to choose, why a first policy costs more, and how to compare quotes.Graduated driver licensing and insuranceHow the permit, intermediate and full-license stages of graduated licensing affect a teen's car insurance, and what GDL research means for premiums.How the good student discount worksWho qualifies for the good student discount, the grade and age rules major insurers use, what proof to send, and related student discounts.Car insurance for drivers with a learner's permitWhether a permit holder needs to be on a policy, how insurers treat permits vs licenses, who pays after a crash during practice, and what adult learners need.Should a teen have a separate car insurance policy?Why adding a teen to the family policy is usually cheaper than a separate policy, when a separate policy makes sense, and why it may not shield parents.The AARP auto insurance program from The HartfordHow the AARP Auto Insurance Program from The Hartford works: who is eligible, the benefits and discounts it lists, state exceptions, and how to judge the price.Car insurance for seniorsHow age affects car insurance after 60, which discounts suit older drivers, and how to adjust coverage in retirement without leaving gaps.Insurance decisions for aging drivers and their familiesThe insurance choices families face as an older relative drives less or stops: who to list, excluding a driver, caregivers, storing or selling the car.Mature driver course discountsWhich states require a discount for drivers 55 and older who finish an approved course, how long it lasts, which courses count and how to claim it.Accident forgiveness explainedAccident forgiveness stops your premium rising after a first at-fault accident. How GEICO, Progressive, Allstate, Liberty Mutual and others offer it.Assigned risk plans: insurance of last resortHow state assigned risk plans and other residual market programs insure drivers no company will take, who qualifies, what it costs and how to apply.Your CLUE report and motor vehicle record explainedInsurers check your claims history (CLUE) and state driving record (MVR) before pricing a policy. What each holds, how to get them and fix errors.Car insurance after a DUIWhat a DUI does to your car insurance: surcharges, possible nonrenewal, SR-22 or FR-44 filings, how long it counts, and how to stay insured.FR-44 insurance in Florida and VirginiaFR-44 filings prove higher liability limits after a DUI in Florida (100/300/50 for three years) and Virginia (double the minimums), unlike an SR-22.High-risk car insurance: options when insurers say noWhat makes a driver high risk, the three places to find coverage after a refusal (standard, nonstandard, the state plan), and how to get back to normal rates.How a speeding ticket affects your car insuranceWhen a speeding ticket raises your premium, how large and long-lasting the surcharge can be, state examples, and your options before you pay.How long accidents and tickets affect your ratesAccidents and tickets run on three clocks: your state driving record, claims databases that keep up to seven years, and the insurer's look-back period.Points on your license and your insuranceDMV license points and insurance surcharges are separate systems. How each works, with state examples, and what point reduction courses do and don't fix.Non-owner car insurance: who needs it and how it worksNon-owner car insurance gives drivers without a car their own liability coverage. Learn who needs it, what it covers and excludes, and how it handles an SR-22.Nonstandard auto insurers: who they serve and what to watchNonstandard auto insurers cover drivers with violations, lapses, SR-22s or thin credit. The main companies, how policies differ and what to check.Penalties for driving without insuranceWhat happens if you drive uninsured: fines, suspensions, impoundment and SR-22 filings by state, plus the bigger cost of an uninsured crash and how to recover.SR-22 insurance explainedAn SR-22 is a certificate your insurer files to prove you carry required liability coverage: who needs one, how long it lasts and what a lapse does.Car insurance for delivery driversWhether your personal policy covers food and package delivery, what DoorDash, Uber Eats and Amazon Flex insurance pays, and how to close the gaps.Insurance for Turo and peer-to-peer car sharingHow insurance works when you rent out your car on Turo or rent someone else's, why personal policies usually exclude it, and the gaps hosts and guests face.Personal vs commercial auto insuranceWhen a personal auto policy covers driving for work and when you need commercial auto insurance, with a comparison table and the middle-ground options.Rideshare insurance for Uber and Lyft driversWhat Uber and Lyft insurance covers in each period of a ride, where personal policies stop, and how rideshare endorsements fill the gaps. Limits vary by state.Using your personal car for workWhen a personal auto policy covers work driving, when you need business-use or commercial coverage, and why your employer's policy rarely covers you.