Borrowing a vehicle from a family member can make the insurance for the vehicle seem complicated. Even if you buy car insurance for the vehicle under your name, your brother is still the owner of the car and may need to have his own policy to ensure that it is properly protected. Depending on the situation, your brother may or may not be held responsible for an accident that you cause while you borrow the vehicle.

Your Insurance

In general, your car insurance policy will pay for any damages or injuries if you cause an accident while you are driving. If your brother also has coverage for the vehicle and your plan does not provide enough to pay for all of the liability costs, then the additional expense may become your brother’s responsibility since the vehicle is his property.

Taking Responsibility

Even if you do not own the car, it is your responsibility to pay for any property damage or injuries that you cause to another person. If you cause an accident, then you are liable for the accident as long as you have coverage.

When you do not have coverage for the vehicle under your own name, the liability will fall to your brother’s insurance plan in most situations. The reason is that he is allowing you to drive the car and you are not the property owner. As a result, he can be held responsible if you are not able to take responsibility for any reason.

As long as you have auto insurance under your own name for the vehicle, the responsibility of an accident that you cause will usually be handled by your policy. Contact us to talk to an agent for more information about liability protection.