Do I Have to Own the Car to Have Full Coverage?

Does a vehicle have to have your name on the title in order to get full car insurance coverage? For example, if I buy a car for someone else and the title is in my name only, can the driver still get full-coverage insurance?

Answer

In order to get full insurance protection on the car, the policyholder would have to have his or her name on the title. If you bought the car for someone else, you have two options. You can either transfer the title over to him or her, which is a fairly simple procedure that requires a notary public and a possible trip to the DMV. Alternatively, you could name the person for whom you purchased the vehicle as an additional driver on an insurance policy you purchase for the car. As long as you are the primary policyholder on the insurance, the driver of the vehicle would be insured if he or she is included on your policy.