How Long Can You Stay on Your Parents’ Car Insurance in Texas?
Texas has no official time limit for how long you can stay on your parents’ insurance, but you may need your own policy if you move out.
Excellent
)
Written byMichelle Lambright Black
)
Michelle Lambright Black is a credit expert, freelance writer, and founder of CreditWriter.com. She has over 20 years of experience writing and speaking about credit and money, and focuses on helping families and small business owners make smart, informed decisions about their credit, money, and financial products (including insurance). Michelle's work has appeared in publications such as Yahoo! Finance, Reader's Digest, Parents, FICO, Forbes, Bankrate, The Seattle Times, MarketWatch, BuySide from Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and more. She's also a three-time finalist for the best personal finance freelancer award from the Plutus Foundation. When she isn't writing or speaking about credit and money, Michelle loves to travel with her family or read a good book. You can connect with Michelle on Instagram or Twitter.
)
Edited bySarah Archambault
)
Experienced personal finance writer
Background working with banks and insurance companies
Sarah enjoys helping people find smarter ways to spend their money. She covers auto financing, banking, credit cards, credit health, insurance, and personal loans.
Featured in
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
Updated September 11, 2024
Reading time: 4 minutes
Why you can trust Insurify: Comparing accurate insurance quotes should never put you at risk of spam. We earn an agent commission only if you buy a policy based on our quotes. Our editorial team follows a rigorous set of editorial standards and operates independently from our insurance partners. Learn more.
Advertiser Disclosure
At Insurify, our goal is to help customers compare insurance products and find the best policy for them. We strive to provide open, honest, and unbiased information about the insurance products and services we review. Our hard-working team of data analysts, insurance experts, insurance agents, editors and writers, has put in thousands of hours of research to create the content found on our site.
We do receive compensation when a sale or referral occurs from many of the insurance providers and marketing partners on our site. That may impact which products we display and where they appear on our site. But it does not influence our meticulously researched editorial content, what we write about, or any reviews or recommendations we may make. We do not guarantee favorable reviews or any coverage at all in exchange for compensation.
Table of contents
Table of contents
Most Texas insurance companies don’t have a set age limit that prevents you from being on your parents’ car insurance policy. But certain restrictions apply when it comes to sharing the family car insurance — especially if you no longer live at home.[1]
Below are some details to consider when deciding whether to stay on your parents’ car insurance or purchase your own policy.
Important Information
If you’re younger than 18, you won’t be able to legally buy your own car insurance policy unless a parent or guardian gives written consent.
How long can you stay on your parents’ car insurance?
Texas drivers can stay on their parents’ car insurance as long as the insurance company allows it. If you’re living in the same home as your parents, or if you’re a full-time college student, it’s usually fine to share a car insurance policy.
Taking out auto insurance is usually an expensive burden for new drivers. The average cost of car insurance for teen drivers in Texas is a sizable $444 per month for full coverage and $221 per month for liability insurance. But staying on the family car insurance policy tends to be cheaper.
Find Cheap Car Insurance in Texas
Liability rates start as low as $37 per month
Secure. Free. Easy-to-use.
Based on 3,806+ reviews
4.8/5
Texas drivers who can stay on their parents’ insurance
Insurance companies that allow you to stay on your parents’ auto insurance policy often require you to follow certain rules. Every insurance company is different, but the examples below may give you a general sense of when you can likely stay on your parents’ insurance.
Teens or college students living at home
If you’re a teen or college student living at home, you’re most likely eligible to stay on your parents’ car insurance policy. At this age, sharing car insurance with your parents is usually more affordable for teenage drivers than trying to buy separate car insurance.
Married couples living at home
If you and your spouse live in your parents’ home, you may be able to share a car insurance policy. Be sure that your parents’ policy includes you and your spouse as named drivers.
Adult drivers living at home
No matter your age, you may be able to remain on your parents’ car insurance policy as long as you live at the same home address. Check with your insurance company to see if any restrictions apply.
Texas drivers who’ll have to get their own policy
You’ll likely need to buy your own car insurance policy if you fit into one of these categories:
Adult drivers who live away from home: When you move out of your parents’ house, you’ll typically need to purchase a car insurance policy in your own name. The exception to this rule is if you’re living at college and plan to return home after the semester ends.
Married drivers living on their own: Being married or single doesn’t play a role in whether you can remain on your parents’ car insurance policy in the state of Texas (or elsewhere). Rather, car insurance companies are typically concerned with where you live. If you and your spouse live in your own home and don’t share an address with your parents, you’ll need a separate car insurance policy.
Can college students stay on their parents’ insurance?
In many cases, college students can stay on their parents’ car insurance — even if they live away from home or in a different state for part of the year. Sharing an auto insurance policy may still be fine for students who take their vehicles with them to school.
If you leave your car at home while away at school, some insurers might let your parents pause coverage or receive a discount while you’re not using your car. Your parents might also qualify for a college student discount. And some insurance companies also offer good student discounts if you’re a student with good grades.[2]
Does the car have to be registered to your parents?
In the state of Texas, your car’s registration doesn’t have to be in your parents’ names in order to be eligible for coverage under their insurance policy.
Yet even if the state doesn’t require matching names on registration and insurance, individual insurance companies may have different rules for this situation.
Shop for Texas Car Insurance
Check quotes from 100+ top insurance companies
Secure. Free. Easy-to-use.
Based on 3,806+ reviews
4.8/5
Pros and cons of staying on your parents’ insurance in Texas
Staying on your parents’ insurance comes with benefits and drawbacks. Below is a closer look at some pros and cons to consider before you decide on the best car insurance solution for your situation.
Pros
Typically cheaper rates when staying on your parents’ auto insurance, especially for first-time drivers.
One multi-car insurance policy is likely easier to manage than several.
Shared policies provide access to more discounts, like for bundling car insurance with homeowners insurance.
Cons
Parents’ overall auto insurance premiums often increase when adding young adults.
Young drivers, like teens, add more accident risk to your policy.
Insurance premiums often increase for all policy drivers if anyone on the policy has an accident.[3]
Staying on your parents’ insurance in Texas FAQs
If you’re trying to decide whether you should get your own car insurance policy or stay on your parents’ policy, consider the additional information below.
How long can I stay on my parents’ insurance in Texas?
The state of Texas doesn’t set a specific age limit that controls how long you can remain on your parents’ insurance policy. Instead, you need to satisfy your insurance company’s requirements if you want to share your family’s car insurance.
Can my parents insure my car if I don’t live with them?
Typically, no. In most cases, insurance companies don’t allow parents to add drivers that don’t share an address. Instead, you’ll likely need your own insurance policy unless you meet an exception, like being a student who’s living away from home temporarily.
Can you drive your parents’ car without being on their insurance in Texas?
If your parents let you borrow their car and you’re in an accident, their insurance policy may cover you, depending on the circumstances. This type of coverage is known as permissive use.
But if you share an address with your parents and plan to drive their vehicle often, your parents should add you as a listed driver on their car insurance policy. In some states, this is a requirement.
Is it cheaper to stay on my parents’ car insurance or get my own policy?
In many cases, it’s more affordable to share a car insurance policy with your parents than to purchase your own insurance — especially for younger drivers. Compare car insurance rates to make sure you find the right coverage and the best insurance rate available for your situation.
Methodology
Insurify data scientists analyzed more than 90 million quotes served to car insurance applicants in Insurify’s proprietary database to calculate the premium averages displayed on this page. These premiums are real quotes that come directly from Insurify’s 50+ partner insurance companies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Quote averages represent the median price for a quote across the given coverage level, driver subset, and geographic area.
Unless otherwise specified, quoted rates reflect the average cost for drivers between 20 and 70 years old with a clean driving record and average or better credit (a credit score of 600 or higher).
Liability-only premium averages correspond to policies with the following coverage limits:
- Bodily injury limits between state-minimum rates and $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
- Property damage limits between $10,000 and $50,000
- No additional coverage
- Comprehensive coverage with a $1,000 deductible
- Collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible
Quotes for Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, State Farm, and USAA are estimates based on Quadrant Information Services’ database of auto insurance rates.
Sources
- Texas Department of Insurance. "Auto insurance guide."
- Insurance Information Institute. "Auto insurance for teen drivers."
- Insurance Information Institute. "Do auto insurance premiums go up after a claim?."
)
Michelle Lambright Black
Michelle Lambright Black is a credit expert, freelance writer, and founder of CreditWriter.com. She has over 20 years of experience writing and speaking about credit and money, and focuses on helping families and small business owners make smart, informed decisions about their credit, money, and financial products (including insurance). Michelle's work has appeared in publications such as Yahoo! Finance, Reader's Digest, Parents, FICO, Forbes, Bankrate, The Seattle Times, MarketWatch, BuySide from Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and more. She's also a three-time finalist for the best personal finance freelancer award from the Plutus Foundation. When she isn't writing or speaking about credit and money, Michelle loves to travel with her family or read a good book. You can connect with Michelle on Instagram or Twitter.
Edited bySarah Archambault
Experienced personal finance writer
Background working with banks and insurance companies
Sarah enjoys helping people find smarter ways to spend their money. She covers auto financing, banking, credit cards, credit health, insurance, and personal loans.
Featured in