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How many hours can an occasional driver drive each week?
An occasional driver drives the car less than 25 percent of the time and might benefit from purchasing an individual insurance policy because many companies offer low mileage insurance discounts.Skip to article
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Question: How many hours can an occasional driver drive each week?
Answer: The definition of an occasional driver can vary by state and from one insurance company to the next.
For example, according to State Farm, an occasional driver is unmarried and younger than 21 who drives a car less than 25% of the time or puts on less than 25% of the mileage on the car. A principal driver uses the vehicle 50% or more of the time. The insurance premium for a principal driver will normally be considerably higher than for an occasional driver.
Some insurers suggest as a rule of thumb that an occasional driver is not found to be driving the vehicle in question more than once a week.
The definition of an occasional driver is a person who is not the primary or principal driver of the vehicle. The definition of a principal driver is the person who drives the car most often.
The requirements for an “occasional, casual or intermittent” driver differ by the insurance company, so check with your insurance agent for your company’s requirements.
Generally, insurance companies allow coverage for the occasional driver provided that driver does not live in your household and the vehicle is parked at your dwelling at the end of the day.
If you want to add a driver as an occasional driver to your policy, you will need to discuss their definition of this term and how often they say a person can drive a car without being considered more than an occasional driver.
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 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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Our Carinsurance.com team is made up of regular people with insurance policy needs, just like you. We just happen to know a little more about insurance than the average bear.