Can I insure someone else's car?

Generally, to insure a vehicle you need ‘insurable interest’ — meaning you own it, lease it, or have a financial stake in it. Most insurers require the policyholder to be on the vehicle’s title or registration.

Workarounds:

• Be added to the title. Many family members put a spouse, adult child, or parent on the title to allow insurance.
• Be added as a named driver on the actual owner’s policy. This is the most common solution for shared household vehicles.
• Some carriers will write ‘non-owner’ policies for people who drive but don’t own a vehicle (often for SR-22 filings or rental car drivers).

What you can’t do: insure your roommate’s car in your own name without insurable interest. The policy could be voided at claim time.