Just saw a local news story about someone in Concord who lent their car to a buddy, and turns out their insurance didn't fully cover the accident the friend caused. Kinda got me worried... anyone know how this works exactly in NH?
Yeah, insurance in NH can be a bit tricky with borrowed cars. Basically, your car insurance usually follows the vehicle, not the driver. So if your buddy crashes your ride, your policy kicks in first. But here's the catch—if the damages exceed your coverage limits, that's when things get messy. Your friend's insurance might step in as secondary coverage, but only if they have their own policy and it's set up to cover borrowed vehicles.
I learned this the hard way a few years back when my cousin borrowed my old Civic and rear-ended someone at a stoplight (classic move, right?). My insurance covered most of it, but I still ended up paying out-of-pocket for some repairs because my coverage wasn't high enough. Lesson learned: always double-check your liability limits and maybe think twice before tossing your keys to that friend who drives like they're auditioning for NASCAR...
Had a similar scare myself when my roommate borrowed my Corolla. Thankfully, no NASCAR moves, but he did clip a curb pretty hard—ended up bending the rim. Insurance didn't cover it since the deductible was higher than repairs. Definitely pays to know your coverage limits beforehand...
Had a similar situation a while back—friend borrowed my Civic and ended up scraping the bumper pretty good. Learned a few things from that experience:
- Always double-check if your policy covers occasional drivers or if they're specifically excluded.
- Look into lowering your deductible if you frequently lend your car out (though it might bump up premiums slightly).
- If repairs are minor, sometimes it's cheaper to handle it yourself rather than involving insurance and risking higher rates later.
Definitely pays to read that fine print ahead of time...
Good points made above, especially about deductibles. Recently bought my first policy and spent a lot of time asking questions about this exact scenario. A few things I learned:
- NH usually follows the car, not the driver, meaning your insurance kicks in first if someone else drives your vehicle.
- Some policies have exclusions for certain drivers or situations—definitely worth checking.
- Adding occasional drivers can bump up your premium a bit, but might save headaches later.
Wish I'd known this stuff sooner...
