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What is an additional insured?
An additional insured is a person, business, or organization other than the primary policyholder protected by your car insurance policy.Skip to article
Written by:
Shivani Gite
Contributing Writer
Shivani Gite is a personal finance and insurance writer with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She is passionate about making insurance topics easy to understand for people and helping them make better financial decisions. When not writing, you can find her reading a book or watching anime.
Laura is an award-winning editor with experience in content and communications covering auto insurance and personal finance. She has written for several media outlets, including the USA Today Network. She most recently worked in the public sector for the Nevada Department of Transportation.
An additional insured (sometimes called an additional interest) is a person, business or organization besides yourself protected by your car insurance policy and receives notifications and updates from your insurance company. They will receive a copy of the declarations page and any status forms. They will be notified if you cancel your coverage or change coverage levels.
Usually, you add an additional insured to your insurance policy because:
Your car is financed or leased. Your lender or leasing company is the legal owner of your car and the loss payee on your car insurance policy. By adding the leasing company or lender as an additional insured, you protect it with your own policy if it is named in a lawsuit for an accident that you cause. Your lender will want to ensure that you have comprehensive and collision coverage that ensures the value of the car, which is collateral for your loan. It also may require certain coverage levels or maximum deductibles.
You regularly use your car for business. If you use your car to make sales calls, for example, your employer will want to ensure it is protected if you cause an accident on the way to an appointment.
— Michelle Megna contributed to this story.
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Laura Longero
Executive Editor
Laura is an award-winning editor with experience in content and communications covering auto insurance and personal finance. She has written for several media outlets, including the USA Today Network. She most recently worked in the public sector for the Nevada Department of Transportation.
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John McCormick
Editorial Director
John is the editorial director for CarInsurance.com, Insurance.com and Insure.com. Before joining QuinStreet, John was a deputy editor at The Wall Street Journal and had been an editor and reporter at a number of other media outlets where he covered insurance, personal finance, and technology.
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Leslie Kasperowicz
Managing Editor
Leslie Kasperowicz is an insurance educator and content creation professional with nearly two decades of experience first directly in the insurance industry at Farmers Insurance and then as a writer, researcher, and educator for insurance shoppers writing for sites like ExpertInsuranceReviews.com and InsuranceHotline.com and managing content, now at CarInsurance.com.
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Nupur Gambhir
Managing Editor
Nupur Gambhir is a content editor and licensed life, health, and disability insurance expert. She has extensive experience bringing brands to life and has built award-nominated campaigns for travel and tech. Her insurance expertise has been featured in Bloomberg News, Forbes Advisor, CNET, Fortune, Slate, Real Simple, Lifehacker, The Financial Gym, and the end-of-life planning service.
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Shivani Gite is a personal finance and insurance writer with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She is passionate about making insurance topics easy to understand for people and helping them make better financial decisions. When not writing, you can find her reading a book or watching anime.