Question: My wife wrecked my car. She doesn’t have a license and shouldn’t have been driving. I was at work when this happened. Will my car insurance pay if she is found at fault?
Answer: Your situation resembles a parent whose unlicensed teenager takes the family car for a spin and crashes. It depends upon the details of your auto insurance policy if the accident is covered.
In general, auto insurers require that you disclose not only all regular operators of your car but also all household members of a certain age (driving age in your state usually) – whether the individuals are licensed or not.
How household members who aren’t licensed are listed on the policy can vary depending upon the car insurance company. Some auto insurers mark unlicensed drivers as “unlicensed.” If they aren’t going to be rated, then the person will also be marked as “unrated” so that the individual won’t affect your car insurance rates.
The incident may be covered if your insurance company knew your spouse and had her on the policy as unrated due to her lack of a driver’s license.
It’s highly probable, however, that your auto insurance company will non-renew you at the end of your policy period, or it’ll require you to now add your wife to the policy as a rated driver (and pay a premium for her) — even if she isn’t licensed – now that she has driven your vehicle without being licensed and crashed it.
If you had failed to inform your car insurance provider that you had a spouse, it could assert that there was misrepresentation on your part. In many states, car insurance companies can deny claims and cancel your policy if a material misrepresentation is found.
If your spouse were explicitly excluded from your policy, then you should know from the language of the exclusion form that this incident wouldn’t be covered.
Excluding an individual from your policy means if that person operates your vehicle, he or she won’t be covered in any way by your auto insurance coverages or benefits. This is called a named driver exclusion.
Ultimately, you’ll have to contact your insurer directly to find out if your auto insurance policy will cover this accident if she is found at fault.
If your wife is covered in this instance by your auto insurance policy, then if she is found at fault the damages she caused others would be covered by your liability insurance (bodily injury and property damage). You would need collision coverage to make a claim for damage to your vehicle, and the deductible would be due.
If your wife wants to drive, she must get a valid license. Start comparison shopping now to get the best rates for both of you on one household auto insurance policy.
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Laura Longero
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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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