If you’ve tied the knot recently, it’s a good time to consider combining car insurance policies. You could save money and have the convenience of everything under one company.
How does combining car insurance save money?
As a married couple under one auto insurance policy, you could become eligible for savings you didn’t get before, such as:
- Multi-car discount – If you and your spouse insure more than one vehicle, most companies offer a discount.
- Multi-policy discount – Bundling home and auto insurance tends to be one of the better discounts you can get. If you don’t own your home, you can usually bundle auto insurance with other types of insurance such as condo insurance, renters insurance and life insurance.
- If you’re able to go from two to one car, you’ll also get insurance savings.
Can married couples have separate car insurance?
Married couples can have separate car insurance policies depending on the state and car insurance company. For example, in Massachusetts you can keep separate policies, but you’re required to list your spouse on your policy if you live in the same household.
Some companies may require you and your spouse be covered under the same policy.
If you live in different households, you probably need separate policies because the cars are garaged at different locations.
Can I exclude my spouse from my car insurance?
Some states do not allow people to exclude spouses on car insurance. An exclusion is when you specifically exclude someone from coverage. They are then not supposed to drive your car. This is typically done when the other spouse has a very poor driving record that causes expensive rates.
If your state allows exclusions, your car insurance company won’t cover damages and injuries if your spouse gets in a car accident while driving your car.
Read more: What’s an excluded driver on an auto insurance policy?
One of us has a bad driving record, should we still combine car insurance?
It’s a good idea to call your insurance companies and find out if you’re required to add your spouse and how it will affect your rates. For example, it may turn out to be cheaper for your spouse to stay with their own company, although you’ll likely be missing out on a multi-car discount.
Even if you’re not required to add your spouse, it’s still worth the time to compare car insurance quotes from several car insurance companies. You may be able to save money by getting under one policy.