My boyfriend borrowed my vehicle to buy something from the grocery store and he was rear-ended a driver who proceeded to drive off. I would like to know if I make a claim from my car insurance company in Knoxville, Tennessee to cover the damages to the bumper, will my auto insurance be affected since my boyfriend is not on my car insurance policy.

Samantha

Knoxville, TN

You will have to verify with your insurance company to determine if your car insurance coverages is extended to your boyfriend while he was driving your car under under your car insurance policy terms. If you give permission to somebody to drive your vehicle, normally car insurance coverage extends to them.

If your boyfriend resides in the same household with you and you did not add him as a licensed household motorist your insurance carrier may deny the claim however if he resides somewhere else and occasionally borrows the vehicle your insurance carrier in Knoxville, Tennessee will likely not take issue with his driving it. If your insurance carrier does not have an issue with your boyfriend driving the vehicle then you should be able to make a car insurance claim against your collision coverage.

I plan to travel for extended period of time and will not be taking my vehicle. Is it possible to have my car insurance suspended to save money in Knoxville?

Sandra

Knoxville, TN

Most states require that all registered cars carry a minimum amount of insurance coverage, thus suspending your insurance coverage may also mean dealing with the hassles of canceling or suspending your registration and reinstating it when you get back.

Whatever you do, do not stop paying your car insurance premiums. You may choose to cancel your car insurance policy in Knoxville, Tennessee, and then buy a new policy when you get back but know that a canceled auto insurance policy can appear on your credit report, and can make it extremely hard and expensive for you to obtain car insurance coverage in the future.

You have to weigh the insurance costs of canceling your auto insurance coverage and starting it again versus canceling your car insurance and car registration and then starting your auto insurance and car registration again.