Can I Borrow Your Car?

Let’s face it, you’re not always going to be driving your car, even though it is under your name and the insurance shows your name as the owner and driver. Maybe a friend is borrowing your truck to move their son or daughter off to university, or they need it to help with a move of their own from their old place from downtown Toronto to the new place in the suburbs. Perhaps your roommate needs to pick up some much needed groceries and wanted to borrow your car for 20 minutes to drive down to the store.

Whatever the reasons may be, “is my car insured if someone else is driving it?” is a common insurance question.

 Your car will be covered if someone else is driving it, only if:

• That person has a valid Canadian driver’s license. However, those from outside of Canada need to check with the appropriate provincial regulatory body they will be driving in to see if they’re eligible to drive in the province they are in.
• They are using the vehicle with the owner’s permission.
• They have not committed an offense under the Criminal Code while operating the vehicle, such as driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs.
• They’re not using the vehicle for a purpose that is otherwise prohibited, such as a speed race, or using it for a business purpose, such as delivering pizza or acting as an Uber driver.
• The person borrowing the vehicle is not specifically excluded from driving your vehicle (on your policy, they are categorized as an Excluded Driver). However keep in mind, that the exclusion would apply only on that specific policy; if you borrow your girlfriend’s car, and you’re not listed as an excluded driver on her policy, any accidents incurred under the policy while you’re operating her vehicle she would be responsible for.

If you want to find out more about the conditions for allowing someone to drive your vehicle, or any questions regarding your auto insurance, please feel free to contact Pacific Insurance at 416-494-1268 to speak to one of our experienced insurance professionals.