Insurance for driving a friends car in Canada?
#1
Insurance for driving a friends car in Canada?
My buddy has kindly offered me his car to drive for the first 2/3 weeks in Canada until we buy our car.
I asked him about insurance and he blithely dismissed my concerns saying 'oh, you would be covered under my insurance no problem'.
Is this common in Canada? I know it isn't in the UK! I just don't want to be driving anyones car if I am not correctly insured for it!
I asked him about insurance and he blithely dismissed my concerns saying 'oh, you would be covered under my insurance no problem'.
Is this common in Canada? I know it isn't in the UK! I just don't want to be driving anyones car if I am not correctly insured for it!
#2
Account Closed
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 0
Re: Insurance for driving a friends car in Canada?
In BC you would be covered. No need to buy extra coverage when borrowing a car that is already insured.
http://www.icbc.com/FAQ/Pages/Lending-a-Vehicle.aspx
This is for BC. Can't say what it's like in other provinces.
When you lend your car to your friends, they'll be covered under your insurance, so long as they're just driving for pleasure. You don't have to worry about buying extra coverage or changing your policy—all you need to do is hand over the keys.
This is for BC. Can't say what it's like in other provinces.
#3
Re: Insurance for driving a friends car in Canada?
In BC you would be covered. No need to buy extra coverage when borrowing a car that is already insured.
http://www.icbc.com/FAQ/Pages/Lending-a-Vehicle.aspx
This is for BC. Can't say what it's like in other provinces.
http://www.icbc.com/FAQ/Pages/Lending-a-Vehicle.aspx
This is for BC. Can't say what it's like in other provinces.
Ah OK, thanks. So he isn't necessarily wrong (he can be a bit cavalier about things like this).
It would be Ontario and yes, it would be for personal use only - no work or commuting etc.
#6
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 12,830
Re: Insurance for driving a friends car in Canada?
Provided any drivers meet the conditions of insurance. Some of our policies have a 10 year driving experience requirement (10 Year North American experience is in the T & C). If you take the documents into the broker and ask them, they can look at the policy and advise.
#7
Re: Insurance for driving a friends car in Canada?
Fair point. No harm in checking although I never had insurance in ON containing such a clause.
#8
Re: Insurance for driving a friends car in Canada?
Great, thanks as usual guys. Easiest if I insist on him adding me as a named driver - or better still rent my own!!
#9
Re: Insurance for driving a friends car in Canada?
Put it this way, we have had people come and stay with us and use our cars, they have been covered, haven't had to tell insurance. We did ask when my Stepson under age 21 borrowed the car - were told no problems as long as he had our permission.
#10
Re: Insurance for driving a friends car in Canada?
Unless the policy is some kind of commercial based with specific exclusions, then providing you have owners consent to drive , you are covered under their policy, no harm to double check but you should be good to go.
#11
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 12,830
Re: Insurance for driving a friends car in Canada?
Bad form to have a crash and not be covered. Cheaper to use his and check the policy surely?
#12
BE user by choice
Joined: Oct 2010
Location: A Briton, married to a Canadian, now in Fredericton.
Posts: 4,854
Re: Insurance for driving a friends car in Canada?
I rang this morning to add our 16 year old son to the policies of our cars. Great they said, this is noted, but there will be no charge, and we need no further info until he has a full license as he is covered under your policy phew...that was a relief...so I think the same goes for here inNB!
Best of luck
Best of luck
#13
Re: Insurance for driving a friends car in Canada?
I worked for TD insurance for a short while. The way they presented it in the training was "you lend your car, you lend your insurance"
#14
Re: Insurance for driving a friends car in Canada?
Where declaring drivers comes in is in rating the policy. The company is covering the car for all drivers but wants paying based on the likely drivers. So they want to know about all drivers in the household not explicitly excluded from vehicles and will make an assumption about which people are going to use which cars the most. This is an area of rate competition; if one company assumes 2 cars 2 drivers rate them as if one person always uses each car and another assumes both drivers always use the more expensive car, the first company will be cheaper. Note that companies use sources other than application forms to see who lives in the house and that some use tokens, like house arrest bracelets, to see who actually drives.
Anyway, it'd be an odd policy that excluded temporary use by new immigrants.
#15
Re: Insurance for driving a friends car in Canada?
You should be fine with it. We had a similar arrangement with my parents when we came for visits, and when we first moved to Canada. Dad called the insurance company just to double check, it was all fine. As DandNHill said, you lend your car you lend the insurance, and as dbd clarified, it's the car that's insured, not the driver. So if you get in an accident it'll be your friend that's liable for the damages and any increase in premiums, it's basically a risk he's taking by lending you the car.
He should just double check with his insurance that it's all fine.
He should just double check with his insurance that it's all fine.