Letting Friends Borrow Your Car in NY - What Insurance Actually Covers?

Yeah, that “regular use” thing drives me nuts too - there’s no hard number, just “if it starts looking like a pattern.” I always tell people: if someone’s borrowing your car more than once a month, it’s probably time to add them. Ever had an agent actually spell out what counts as “regular,” or is it always just vibes?

Ever had an agent actually spell out what counts as “regular,” or is it always just vibes?

Honestly, it’s always felt like “just vibes” to me, too. One agent told me “use your best judgment” - super helpful, right? Has anyone ever had a claim denied because the friend was borrowing too often? That’s my real worry.

Never seen a claim denied just because someone borrowed a car “too often,” but if your friend’s basically using it like their own, that’s where insurers start raising eyebrows. “Regular” isn’t defined anywhere - if it looks like they should be listed, that’s when you’ve got a problem. Otherwise, it’s usually fine.

I get what you’re saying, but I’ve actually seen an insurer push back when my cousin lent his car to a buddy every weekend for months. They didn’t outright deny the claim, but they made a huge fuss about “regular use” and tried to reduce the payout. If your friend’s borrowing it more than just once in a while, I’d just add them to the policy. Saves a lot of headaches if something goes sideways. Insurers love any excuse to wiggle out of paying.

Honestly, I get why you’d want to just add someone to the policy, but that can bump your premium up quite a bit - especially if it’s just a friend borrowing the car here and there. Insurers do look at “regular use,” but in my experience, unless it’s every weekend or more, most companies are fine with occasional lending as long as you’re upfront about it. If you’re worried, call your agent and ask how they define “regular.” Sometimes it’s less strict than people think... no need to pay extra if you don’t have to.