Single vs. Married: Car Insurance for Spouses, Partners, or Roommates vs. Single Drivers
Written by Team Clearcover
Have you ever wondered why car insurance rates look different for single vs. married drivers?
Modern, committed relationships can take various forms, but in some financial commitments, like taxes or car insurance, your relationship status can affect how much you might pay.
In this guide, you’ll get answers to the following questions:
Why are there different car insurance rates for single vs. married drivers?
What is the impact of combining car insurance policies with another person?
Is adding your husband, wife, spouse, partner, or roommate to your policy a good idea?
What things should you keep in mind when adding someone to your policy?
Does Clearcover offer affordable car insurance, no matter your relationship status? (Of course! That’s what we’re all about.)
Why are there different car insurance rates for single vs. married drivers?
Car insurance rates are based on well-studied statistics that help measure the amount of risk insurers might take on when insuring a driver.
Even if you’re the most careful driver, never-married drivers are at twice the risk for bodily injury than married drivers, according to a 2004 report (1).
Statistics and studies (like the one we just mentioned) demonstrate that insurance companies may take on less risk when insuring married couple drivers, so premiums for married couples often reflect that (2).
And married couples can often save even more money on their car insurance premiums through multi-car and multi-driver insurance policies.
But there’s good news for every driver: because relationship norms are evolving and changing, car insurance companies are too.
Some car insurance companies, including Clearcover, offer multi-driver car insurance policies for married spouses, domestic partners, and roommates.
That way, you can benefit from additional car insurance savings, regardless of your relationship status.
See what you would pay with Clearcover.
What Is the Impact of Combining Insurance Policies?
If you live at the same address with a husband, wife, spouse, roommate, or domestic partner, you might be able to benefit from lower insurance rates, by combining your policies.
When you combine your policies, you can often benefit from a multi-driver discount—and possibly a multi-vehicle discount—if you both have a vehicle.
Recently married? Congrats! Check out our article How to Find Affordable Car Insurance as Newlyweds to learn more.
Single vs. Multi-Driver Car Insurance Policies
Individual Driver Policy (Single)
One driver on the policy
Could include one or more cars
Potentially higher rate as an individual driver
OR Potentially more affordable rate if additional household member with poor driving history is on a separate policy
Multi-Driver Policy (Husband, Wife, Partner, Spouse, or Roommate)
Two or more drivers who live at the same address
Could include one or more cars
Convenience of one payment due date for multiple drivers in the same house
Potentially lower, discounted rates per individual driver due to multi-driver or multi-vehicle discounts
Is Adding Your Husband, Wife, Partner, Spouse, or Roommate to the Policy a Good Idea?
It could save you money on your car insurance premiums to add your husband, wife, domestic partner, spouse, or roommate to your policy.
In fact, a recent life change—like marriage, moving in together, or getting a roommate—can be a wise time to shop around for a better rate. Read How to Switch Car Insurance Companies to learn more.
However, there are a few instances where adding another driver to your policy may cause your car insurance rates to increase rather than decrease.
Reasons You Shouldn’t Add Your Wife, Husband, Partner, Spouse, or Roommate to Your Policy
If you’ve been driving with a car insurance policy and have a great driving and insurance history, you might already benefit from excellent insurance rates.
Before adding your spouse, partner, wife, husband, or roommate to your car insurance policy, it’s a good idea to get a few car insurance quotes to compare costs. Based on their driving habits or insurance history, you might benefit from keeping your policies separate.
Here are a few reasons it could be a bad or less optimal idea to add someone else to your insurance policy:
They have a DUI or DWI on their driving record. Having a DUI or DWI violation can increase your car insurance rates significantly—and your state’s laws govern how long this violation can affect your rates.
They drive a high-risk or high-value vehicle. If you drive an older, paid-off vehicle and your spouse drives an expensive, leased sports car, your insurance costs could increase based on the value of their vehicle (3).
They’re younger than 25 years old. If you’re 26 and your roommate is 23, it may be best to wait to add them to your policy until they hit 25 years old. Why? Once a driver hits 25, insurance premiums often decrease (4).
They have a lengthy commute. If you work remotely and your partner has an hour-long commute each way, your car insurance rates could increase by adding them to your policy since their long drive time could increase their risk of having an accident.
They have a history of poor financial responsibility. For instance, if it’s challenging to get your roommate to pay rent on time, it may be in your best interest not to share any other financial obligations.
An important note here: Depending on your insurance company and your state’s insurance laws, if you live at the same address with someone and they regularly drive your vehicle (even as little as once a month), you may be required to put them on your insurance policy.
If you don’t know the requirements by your state or insurance company, you can check with your insurance agent or contact your insurance company directly.
Things to Consider Before Sharing an Insurance Policy
The majority of the U.S. requires auto insurance. This means it’s very likely that all the drivers in your household need a car insurance policy. The question here is, should you add your husband, wife, spouse, partner, or roommate to your policy or not? Will it save you money to share a policy, or will your rates increase?
The only real way to know is to get several car insurance quotes and compare the coverage costs for your individual policy with the costs for a shared policy.
Ready to shop around? Check out our article Why, When, and How to Change Insurance Companies for more tips.
Here are some examples of what could go into calculating your shared car insurance rate (these factors can vary based on the state you live in and your insurance company):
The driving history of you and your spouse, partner, husband, wife, or roommate
The insurance history of you and your spouse, partner, husband, wife, or roommate
The type of vehicle(s) you both drive
How many miles you both drive
Your ages
For a more detailed explanation of how auto insurance rates are calculated, check out our article: How does car insurance pricing work?
When you are shopping for a shared policy, there are a few other things to keep in mind.
Credit Scores Should Be in Decent Shape
In some states, insurance companies use a credit-based financial responsibility score to factor into the cost of your insurance premiums. If your partner, roommate, or spouse has a poor credit history, it may be less expensive to keep separate policies.
You’ll want to check in with your partner, ask about their credit history, and be upfront about yours, too. (After all, you are increasing your shared financial responsibilities with a joint car insurance policy!)
Even if you live in a state where your credit score doesn’t impact your rates, financial responsibility is still an important aspect of sharing bills, whether you’re sharing costs with a roommate or a spouse.
If you’re sharing the responsibility of paying for a car insurance policy, make sure to discuss what that would look like and how you’ll share costs before the actual purchase.
And as noted above—most auto insurance companies (including Clearcover) require your spouse or domestic partner to be on the same policy.
Always Look for Additional Discounts
Who doesn’t want to save even more money—especially on the essentials, like car insurance?
If you’re adding another driver to your policy, you might be able to benefit from multi-driver and multi-vehicle policy discounts in addition to other discounts based on safe driving habits or vehicle safety features. (Car insurance discounts vary based on state regulations, so make sure to check with your insurer or insurance agent for information specific to your state and insurance company.)
Depending on the state you live in and your insurance company’s rules, you may also be able to benefit from “stacking your coverage” on a multi-car policy. Read more about that in our article How Many Cars Can You Have on Your Insurance Policy?
Single vs. Married Car Insurance? Get Smarter, Simpler Insurance with Clearcover.
At Clearcover, we want everyone to benefit from affordable, smarter car insurance—no matter your current relationship status or living situation. That’s why we offer money-saving auto insurance policies for married spouses, domestic partners, roommates, and singles alike.
When you’re insured with Clearcover, you get next-gen car insurance that’s faster, more affordable, and easier to manage and understand. And you can manage your policy, file claims, and call for roadside assistance all within our award-winning app.)
Curious about what you’d save with Clearcover?
