Is My Child Covered at College if They Drive a Car?

Sending your child off to college can be a strange experience for any parent. While you’re likely proud of them for continuing their education, you may also be panicking about sending them away alone for the first time. 

As many of us are parents ourselves here at Berry Insurance, we know that college life comes with a lot of uncertainty for parents. While you won’t be there to hold their hand for everything anymore, you’ll still need to know how they’re protected even when they’re away from home - especially if they’re operating a vehicle. 

In this article we’ll be covering how your children are covered by your insurance while driving a vehicle when away from home. So buckle up, and read on! 

Table of contents: 

• Are my kids covered while driving when they’re away at school?
• What if my child borrows a car?
• Receiving discounts for good grades

Are my kids covered while driving when they’re away at school? 

If your child is planning on taking a car with them to college, you’ll first want to notify your insurance agent or provider. In most cases, if the car is registered to you and listed on your own auto insurance policy, it would be covered in the event your child is involved in an accident. 

However, you must notify your insurance company of the change in garaging location - as not doing so could lead to the claim being potentially denied. Depending on where the vehicle is being garaged, you could actually be charged more or receive savings on your policy. 

For more information on how my vehicle garaging affects the cost of your insurance, check out our “How Much Does Car Insurance Cost?” article.

What if my child borrows a car? 

If your child doesn’t have their own car on campus and decides to operate a friend’s vehicle, they would be covered as long as they are still listed as a driver on your auto insurance policy - even if they’re not “regularly” driving your vehicle. In this case, the insurance on their friend’s vehicle would be the primary coverage, and your own policy would be the secondary. 

But what if you excluded your child from your auto insurance policy when they went off to school? Again, the insurance covering the friend’s vehicle would be primary, but if your child is found at fault for the accident, they may be without liability protection. 

This is one of the reasons we generally discourage clients from excluding their children as listed drivers while they’re away. Other concerns are that you may forget to add them back on when they return and it can create a gap in them having a history of continuous coverage - which could result in higher rates in the future. 

Children going off to college can create an added level of complexity to your insurance needs. As with any big change in your life, we recommend talking to your insurance agent so you can stay informed on how they’ll be covered while miles away. 

Receiving discounts for good grades 

Did you know that having a good student in college could yield discounts on your insurance? Once your child has gotten through a semester, good grades they receive could open you up to potential discounts offered by your insurer. 

Good student discounts are offered by most Massachusetts insurance companies and could offer you savings up to 10% on your auto insurance policy. 

Similarly, some insurers will apply “student away” discounts (usually around 10%) when you have a child away at school. But this discount usually requires them to be more than 100 miles away and not  have a vehicle with them at school. 

If you have kids in college, any amount of savings could help! Reach out to your insurance agent or provider after grades come out to see if you qualify. For more information on how to save money on your policy, check out this guide: 13 Ways to Save On Your Auto Insurance.

Providing insurance for your scholar

While your child is likely thrilled to take their step into higher education, it’s always important to plan ahead for the potential risks that come with living away from home. 

Now that you know more about how your college student will be covered behind the wheel of a car, you can hopefully rest easy (or at least somewhat easier) knowing how any potential claims would be handled.

Transitioning to college life can feel overwhelming. If you have more questions regarding what you need to change on your insurance when they go off to school, read our article on the ways you should adjust your insurance when they’re away at college.