Yep, you’ll have a problem. For one, the DMV won’t be able to match the two names, and those plates will look uninsured – which in many states, will get them cancelled. For another, if you don’t own the car (and if the car is registered to your mom, you don’t), and you have it insured, the insurance company doesn’t have to pay you. You don’t own the car. It’s called “insurable interest”, and that’s what keeps people from insuring other people’s cars that they don’t own, to make money from their accidents.
Also you can find some advice here… http://autoinsurance.noneto.com
Take care.
Yes you can run into serious problems. If you have a loss with the vehicle and the insurer finds out the vehicle is not in your name then the insurer is well within their rights to deny, at the very least, any physical damage claim. This is because if a loss occurs where there is damage to the vehicle you, since your mom is the actual owner of the vehicle, would suffer no financial loss since your mom is financially responsible for the vehicle and would be the one who suffers the loss. If you cannot prove what financial interest you have in the vehicle you cannot show you have an insurable interest. If you have no insurable interest you would get zero should there be a loss. So if the vehicle is stolen, and you have Comprehensive coverage, you would suffer no financial loss since you are not the registered owner of the vehicle therefore you would not have been able to sell the vehicle. Since you are the policyholder your mom would not be able to file a claim under your policy.
If you want to avoid future headaches I would strongly recommend you cancel your current policy and start a new one with your mom as the policyholder and you as the principal operator.
I don’t see how. Parents put cars in there names all the time with the children on the insurance. She might also need to be on the insurance but it shouldn’t be a problem.
4 Responses to Does Your Car Insurance And Registration Have To Be Under The Same Name?
jao f
February 2nd, 2010 at 2:26 pm
Yep, you’ll have a problem. For one, the DMV won’t be able to match the two names, and those plates will look uninsured – which in many states, will get them cancelled. For another, if you don’t own the car (and if the car is registered to your mom, you don’t), and you have it insured, the insurance company doesn’t have to pay you. You don’t own the car. It’s called “insurable interest”, and that’s what keeps people from insuring other people’s cars that they don’t own, to make money from their accidents.
Also you can find some advice here…
http://autoinsurance.noneto.com
Take care.
Gambit
February 2nd, 2010 at 6:50 pm
Yes you can run into serious problems. If you have a loss with the vehicle and the insurer finds out the vehicle is not in your name then the insurer is well within their rights to deny, at the very least, any physical damage claim. This is because if a loss occurs where there is damage to the vehicle you, since your mom is the actual owner of the vehicle, would suffer no financial loss since your mom is financially responsible for the vehicle and would be the one who suffers the loss. If you cannot prove what financial interest you have in the vehicle you cannot show you have an insurable interest. If you have no insurable interest you would get zero should there be a loss. So if the vehicle is stolen, and you have Comprehensive coverage, you would suffer no financial loss since you are not the registered owner of the vehicle therefore you would not have been able to sell the vehicle. Since you are the policyholder your mom would not be able to file a claim under your policy.
If you want to avoid future headaches I would strongly recommend you cancel your current policy and start a new one with your mom as the policyholder and you as the principal operator.
Mike N
February 2nd, 2010 at 7:46 pm
I don’t see how. Parents put cars in there names all the time with the children on the insurance. She might also need to be on the insurance but it shouldn’t be a problem.
Jinky O
February 2nd, 2010 at 8:11 pm
There is no problem with that. The important thing is when you drive the car, you must have an insurance.