How To Secure Temporary Auto Insurance For Road Tests
Road tests are part of most states' requirements to earn and to renew a driver's license. Road tests are usually taken in a driver's own car and they're pretty much a piece of cake -- however, they do require an insurance policy. While most drivers will have no problem showing proof of auto insurance before a road test, there are some situations in which insurance isn't feasible; for instance, if a driver wants to keep his or her license but doesn't actually own or regularly use a car. These drivers can look into a temporary auto insurance policy that's purchased and used specifically for the purpose of a test.
There's a very limited alternative. In some states, drivers are allowed to take a road test without insurance if they make a large deposit to cover the potential costs of an accident. However, in tort states (as opposed to no fault states), these deposits often require a prohibitively large amount of money. A driver needs to have some type of insurance in order to take a road test — it's really the only way to insure that liabilities can be paid if the driver has an accident during a road test and, unfortunately, there's no way around buying coverage. However, drivers can buy temporary auto insurance if they won't be driving for longer than the actual road test and, in some states, they can use the insurance policy of the vehicle's owner as long as that policy covers the driver who will be taking the test.
To get temporary auto insurance coverage, drivers should look online for insurance rates. It's okay to look for the state required minimum coverage limits, since the chances of an accident during a brief road test are extremely low. The minimum amounts of auto insurance required by states vary quite a bit, but generally they're fairly low compared to the potential costs of an accident. Drivers should look for insurance policies that offer these minimum coverage levels and compare quotes from several insurance providers to try to find an affordable policy. It's also important to read through quotes at this time; drivers need to make sure that each policy doesn't have any early cancellation fees, as these fees can make temporary car insurance quite costly.
A driver can buy insurance, take a test and then immediately cancel the policy without penalty in many circumstances. It's still best to inform an auto insurance policy that the policy will be temporary, however. They may be able to offer a special temporary policy that will better suit the driver's needs.
