Car
Insurance in Texas

Do drivers who don’t own a vehicle need auto insurance?

Since anyone who operates vehicles on public roads is normally required by state law to have these minimum mandated coverages in place, drivers usually need auto insurance even if they don’t actually own a vehicle. 

Driving a borrowed or rented vehicle generally necessitates coverage. Even just driving Grandma to the grocery store likely requires insurance.

Drivers whose immediate family members own a vehicle can often be added onto their family member’s policy. Spouses that have a single vehicle frequently do this, and it’s also fairly standard for grown children under the age of 25 who live at home.

Drivers who can’t add themselves onto a family member’s policy likely have to purchase their own policy. An insurance agent who specializes in auto insurance can help find an affordable yet robust policy for this situation.

What coverages are available to drivers through auto policies?

Auto policies come with the aforementioned required coverages, as well as many other recommended but optional protections. Some of the coverages that policies frequently make available are:

• Bodily Injury Coverage: May extend coverage to injuries sustained by individuals who aren’t in the insured vehicle
• Personal Injury Protection: May extend coverage to injuries sustained by individuals who are in the insured vehicle
• Medical Payments Coverage: May extend additional coverage to medical costs associated with injuries of people in the vehicle
• Property Damage Liability Coverage: May extend coverage to damage of other vehicles or property
• Collision Coverage: May extend coverage to damage of the insured vehicle that’s sustained during an accident
• Comprehensive Coverage: May extend coverage to damage of the vehicle that’s sustained during a non-accident incident
• Gap Coverage: May extend coverage to the difference between a vehicle’s depreciated value and the balance on a loan/lease
• Underinsured/Uninsured Motorist Coverage: may extend coverage to accident injuries and vehicle damage that an uninsured driver is responsible for

Personal injury protection may be referred to as PIP, and uninsured motorist coverage may be shortened to UM. Collision coverage generally applies to accidents involving multiple vehicles, while comprehensive coverage normally applies to other incidents resulting in vehicle damage. These are often referenced and purchased together, because they both cover vehicle damage.

An insurance agent who specializes in auto policies can help drivers understand all of the coverages that policies offer.