According to the Virginia Bureau of Insurance all automobile liability policies in Virginia provide coverage to a “non-owner” operator if they are driving the vehicle with the permission of the “named insured.”

This means if you loan your vehicle to a friend your liability coverages should extend to him or her while they are driving your vehicle with your permission. If your friend is thus in an accident in your vehicle then your bodily injury and property damages liability coverages should cover the party which they caused damage to.

If the damages went over your liability limits then the driver's insurance, if they had it, would be secondary or excess coverage. Without the secondary cover then you as the owner and the friend, as the at-fault driver, may be held liable for the remaining costs.

If you have a friend that will frequently be driving your vehicle you should check with your auto insurance carrier to make certain that the person does not need to be added as an occasional driver to be properly covered.

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