Can You Get Insurance With a Permit?

Getting your learner’s permit is a rite of passage, regardless of your age. Learning to drive can be exciting, freeing and overwhelming, all at the same time. Particularly when you begin to consider insurance options, the process of becoming a licensed driver can become confusing. Do you need car insurance when you have your learner’s permit? Must you be insured to learn to drive?

While you are learning to drive and have a learner’s permit, you must be insured. This not only protects you and the vehicle you are driving, but also protects other drivers on the road. If you are a minor and are living at home with your parents, they may be able to extend their insurance policy to include you as a driver with a learner’s permit. Be sure that the insurance company is contacted before you begin to learn to drive to ensure such an extension is possible.

Not all new drivers are teenagers, however, which changes the scenario when it comes to auto insurance. If you are an adult, you will need to purchase an insurance policy for yourself and your vehicle. If you are married, your spouse can also be on this policy.

In some instances, a new driver may have a vehicle registered and titled in his name. In this scenario, he would be required to obtain his own auto insurance. This is the case whether the driver is a minor living with his parents or guardians or an individual of majority age.

It is possible to register a vehicle with a learner’s permit. A driver’s license is not required in order to register a vehicle in your name. However, you are required to abide by the restrictions of your learner’s permit while driving your registered vehicle.

In most cases, a 17-year-old can have her own car insurance policy as long as her parent or guardian signs off on it. Since car insurance companies typically require policyholders to be at least 18 years of age, teenagers who are younger may do so only with parental authorization. This usually entails a signature from a responsible adult on the insurance binder.

If you are learning to drive, you may have plans to buy a car for yourself in the near future. You can put a car in your name if you have a learner’s permit, provided you have car insurance. Your vehicle's title and registration are not limited by your driving authorization.

You should be aware that you will need to have an insurance policy for the vehicle. Drivers who only have a learner’s permit typically pay a much higher insurance premium than those with a license, so it may end up costing you more overall to put the vehicle in your name and insure it under your own insurance policy.

Read More: Can You Rent a Car With a Learners Permit?

If you have a learner’s permit for a motorcycle, you must be insured under a motorcycle insurance policy. As soon as you take your motorcycle permit test and obtain a learner’s permit, you should contact your insurance company and request coverage as a motorcyclist. You are still required to abide by the rules of your motorcycle learner’s permit, however.

A learner’s permit does not prevent you from purchasing auto insurance or a vehicle. Its limitations deal instead with what you are able to do as a driver or motorcyclist. Contact your insurance company to ensure you are covered before you begin to learn to drive.