Damage in someone else's car: am I insured?
When you are driving in someone else's car and you have an accident or suffer damage, you may wonder about your car insurance. Are you actually insured for car damage when you drive in someone else's car?
Damage to a borrowed car: what about the insurance?
When you take out car insurance, the cover applies to the car. Not for the person. This means that you are insured in someone else's car. However, the owner of the car will always be liable for everything that happens to the car. The costs incurred after damage when driving a borrowed car, remain the responsibility of the owner of the car. Make sure you make proper arrangements with the car owner at the time you borrow the car. This prevents discussions afterwards.
If you borrow the car more than once in a while. Or when you drive the car more often than the owner does, the owner of the car has to report this to the insurer. Based on your data, the insurer will recalculate the premium. The moment you are younger than the owner, for example, or you have fewer years without claims, the premium will usually increase. Do you neglect to pass this on? This can cause huge problems in case of a claim. The insurer can decide not to compensate the damage and the owner can also be registered as a fraudster.
What is reimbursed in the event of an accident with someone else's car?
If you have an accident in someone else's car and damage their car, it is covered by their car insurance. What will be compensated depends on the coverage of the car insurance:
- The WA car insurance only compensates for damage you cause to others, but not for damage to your own - or in this case the borrowed - car.
- The car insurance limited casco covers besides damage to others also some damages to your own car caused by external calamities (storm, fire, window breakage, burglary and collision with animals).
- All-risk car insurance also covers damage to your own car, even if you are responsible for the accident.
Did someone else cause the accident? Then the insurer of the other party will compensate the damage.
Damage to someone else's car: loss of claim-free years
The accumulated claim-free years are linked to the insured car. If damage is caused with the car, it is at the expense of the accrued years. This also applies if someone else was the driver of the car during the accident. The damage caused during the loan of the car can also increase the premium of your car insurance.
Damage caused by driving another person's car - Personal injury
The care you need in case of personal injury is covered by your own health insurance. Irrespective of whether you are to blame for the accident or not. This care usually falls under your own risk. If you are not liable, you can recover the costs not reimbursed by your health insurance (excess, for example) from the other party.
Are you a car owner yourself and do you want to know how to recover damages? Read this article: Will damage to my car be compensated by someone else?
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