Foreign Insurance for U.S. Visitors

I am a 23-year-old resident of Germany with an International Driver’s Permit, and I will be traveling to the United States this summer. I am staying with friends who offered to let me drive their car whenever I needed, but I am not certain that I am insured to drive this vehicle. Does my German car insurance protect me when driving another vehicle in the U.S.?

Answer

Insurance policies usually follow the vehicle, so as long as your friends’ car is insured, you should be covered because they gave you their permission to drive it. Some insurers are very particular about whether they will cover a loss if a non-insured person is driving the vehicle, though. To be safe, you should have your friends add you to their policy as an additional driver just for the time you are in the U.S. Remember that, even if your friends’ insurance company does cover any losses, the claim will cause their insurance rates to go up. To prevent this, you might also consider looking into a traveler’s car insurance policy that will protect you when you are driving non-owned vehicles.