Non-Owner Car Insurance: How to Get Car Insurance Without a Car

Non-owner car insurance is a liability-only policy that covers you as the driver, not a specific vehicle. It pays for injuries and property damage you cause to other people while driving a car you don't own. Non-owner car insurance does not pay for damage to the car you're driving (that's covered by the car owner's policy) and it does not cover your own medical bills unless you add optional coverage.  

You can drive multiple cars under the same non-owner policy. No deductible applies because a non-owner policy covers only liability, not physical damage.  

Can you get car insurance without owning a car? Yes, non-owner insurance is the product designed for getting car insurance without owning a car.

A Non-Owner car insurance policy follows you to any car you drive. If you cause an accident with a non-owner policy, your insurer handles the claim. 

You submit accident details and damages, and your policy pays for the other party's medical bills, lost wages, and property damage up to your coverage limits. No deductible applies because non-owner insurance only covers liability, not physical damage to the vehicle you're driving.

Non-owner policies are built around liability coverage, which protects you financially if you're at fault in an accident. Non-owner insurance covers damage you cause to others including:

1. Bodily injury liability pays medical expenses, lost wages, and legal fees for other people if you're at fault in an accident.
2. Property damage liability pays for damage to another person's car or property when you're at fault.

Three optional coverages can be added to a Non-Owner policy:

1. MedPay covers your own medical bills after an accident, regardless of fault.
2. PIP (Personal Injury Protection) covers your medical expenses and lost wages. Required in some no-fault states.
3. Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage protects you if you're hit by a driver who has little or no insurance.

Non-owner policies do not cover:

1. Damage to the car you're driving. 
   If you wreck a borrowed car, your non-owner policy will not pay for repairs; the car owner's collision coverage handles that. If the owner has no collision coverage, the repair cost falls on them, not you.
2. Household members' vehicles. 
   If you live with someone and drive their car, non-owner insurance does not cover you. Insurance companies treat household members as joint risks and require them to be listed on the owner's policy.
3. Frequent use of the same borrowed car. 
   Borrowing the same car more than once or twice a month is treated by most insurers as regular use, which disqualifies non-owner coverage. The car owner should add you to their policy.
4. Other exclusions: Business or commercial driving, comprehensive or collision coverage, your own injuries (unless MedPay or PIP is added).

The national average for non-owner car insurance is $500 a year ($42 a month) for a driver with a clean record. 

Non-owner insurance costs about half what standard liability-only coverage costs, because the policy carries no vehicle risk (no collision, no comprehensive, no exposure) tied to a specific car. 

Find the average cost of car insurance in your state for non-owner coverage to get an idea of how much you should pay below.

Non-owner insurance costs about 49% less than standard liability-only insurance and 84% less than full coverage. The factors that will increase or decrease the cost of non-owner car insurance are: 

1. Credit score has the biggest impact of any non-driving factor. Poor credit can raise a non-owner premium by 25% to 50% above the base rate, adding $125 to $250 a year at the national average.
2. Driving history raises rates for at-fault accidents and moving violations, the same as standard policies.
3. Location reflects state-level litigation and medical cost environments. Michigan ($129/month) and Louisiana ($75/month) run the highest non-owner rates in the country. Wyoming ($20/month) and South Dakota ($22/month) are the lowest.

Non-owner policies are available from most major insurers, but not all offer them in every state. 

Six carriers write non-owner policies nationally:

GEICO, State Farm, Progressive, Travelers, Nationwide, Allstate.

California and New York have limited availability for non-owner car insurance. If you're in one of these states and are turned down by standard carriers, contact your state's insurance department for a list of available options.