Reader’s Question:

My boyfriend has a teen cousin who lives with him in Mount Vernon, New York. His cousin sometimes borrows his car. Given this situation that his teen cousin only uses my boyfriend’s car occasionally, is there a need to add him under my boyfriend’s auto insurance policy? Because I heard that is isn’t necessary at all.

Ruth

Mount Vernon, NY

In general, auto insurance companies require their policyholders to inform them if there are any licensed drivers living with them. Typically, if a policyholder has a teen daughter or son living with him/her, then he or she needs to inform his/her auto insurance company. Because if not, insurers would call it as a misrepresentation on the part of the policyholder concerning the number of licensed drivers at his/her residence.

The New York State Insurance Department stated that car insurance companies are allowed to take into consideration all the resident operators in rating a person’s auto insurance rate. Hence, insurers usually ask for all possible users of an insured vehicle - whether they use it frequently or not. As to your question, in my own opinion it would be best if your boyfriend would add his teen cousin under his car insurance policy just to make sure that he would be covered in an event of a car accident. However, I would suggest asking your boyfriend’s car insurance agent in Mount Vernon, New York for the best action to be taken about your question.

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