If you are an insured driver and you drive someone elses car that is not insured are you legally insured while driving that car?

Answer 1

Let's refine the question a bit: if you are an "insured driver", by that term I mean someone who is named in an auto insurance policy as insured. Under that condition, you are insured even if the vehicle you are driving is not covered by a policy.

An exception (we lawyers love exceptions) is if the vehicle is "regularly available for your use." Let's say I have two cars for my spouse and I, but also my old bachlor car that I just want to keep around as something to use if we have a breakdown in one of the other cars.

I cannot fail to list that car with my insurer, and then drive it (even if only once a year--since it was "regularly available" for my use) and expect my policy to cover me. Ain't gonna happen. Same thing for any car that you can drive and in fact do use occassionally.

On the other hand, if I went over to my friend's house in Eastern Washington and he asked me to go fetch (that is farming country, son) something from the store, using his uninsured car, I would be covered by my insurance policy for liability, personal injury protection, underinsured motorist coverage, etc.

• In the UK - it would depend on what type of motor insurance you have. If the policy is comprehensive car insurance - typically you will find that you are insured to drive another car so long as that car has a valid MOT. This is the general rule - but you should check the small print on your motor policy to see what it includes and call your motor insurer to check if you are covered. See the link entitled "accident car insurance" for a description of the different types of car insurance in the UK.