Insurance expert, Anne Marie Thomas, fields a lot of questions from our regular readers. Whether it’s a question about parking lot accidents or potential address fraud, Anne Marie answers them all.

This week’s question is about when to list a new teen driver on an auto insurance policy. It comes to us from Nicole, who asks:

“My stepdaughter has her G2 licence and is listed on her mother’s policy as an occasional driver. I called my insurance company and was told that she is covered when driving my vehicle because she’s on her mother’s policy. Is this correct?”

There are a variety of times when a driver needs to be listed on your auto insurance policy, but listing someone who doesn’t live with you and only drives your vehicle occasionally isn’t one of them, explains Anne Marie.

“If your young driver lives with her mother full-time, then you generally don’t have to list them as a driver on your policy. However, if you’re in a co-parenting situation, where your stepdaughter lives half the time at one address and half at the other, then you do.

“Since it sounds like your stepdaughter’s primary address is with her mother, the guidance you received from your insurer seems right; you do not need to list her on your policy. However, it’s important to know that when you allow your stepdaughter to use your car when she visits, she is covered under your policy should anything happen—not her mother’s. Insurance follows the car, not the driver, which means when you lend your car, you’re also lending your insurance.”