Is My Child Insured Under My Auto Insurance?

Many parents are asking themselves if their children are insured on their policy even if they are not listed as drivers on their insurance. Well, it depends. Some states allow insurance companies to exclude household residents of driving age and Missouri is one of them.

There are several reasons while people choose to exclude a household resident, it could be because they have a bad driving record, suspended license or because of their young age to avoid any uprate in premium. If your child is excluded on your auto insurance policy, then no coverage will be afforded if your child is involved in an accident while driving your car. You exclude residents of your household that will not be driving your vehicle, after all, why pay for someone to be insured who does not drive your vehicle.

In cases where the insured does not disclose all household residents of driving age during the initial application and the undisclosed driver gets into an accident, the insurance company may still pay the claim, but then will add that driver to the policy or choose not to renew your policy because of material misrepresentation.

You do not need to exclude people not in your household from you auto insurance, but if they drive your car frequently, it is advised that you add them. In Kansas there are no exclusions allowed, so your insurance company will ask you to add all licensed drivers in your household to the policy, or may ask you to provide proof that the other residents have their own insurance and if that’s the case, you could just list them as residents – other insurance.

Please note that some insurance companies will not allow exceptions unless the household member has never been licensed or cannot drive due to medical condition. Ask your insurance agent or your insurance company for advice.