Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

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Written by

Jeffrey Johnson is a legal writer with a focus on personal injury. He has worked on personal injury and sovereign immunity litigation in addition to experience in family, estate, and criminal law. He earned a J.D. from the University of Baltimore and has worked in legal offices and non-profits in Maryland, Texas, and North Carolina. He has also earned an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman Univer...

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Reviewed by Jeffrey Johnson
Managing Editor & Insurance Lawyer

UPDATED: Mar 18, 2012

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Insurance Question from Sanford, FL

Asked on 03/18/2012

Can I purchase car insurance if I don’t own a vehicle? I don't own a car, but I plan on renting a car now and then in the future. Should I purchase my own car insurance?

Answer given on March 18, 2012

It is possible to purchase car insurance even if you don’t own a car. The policy is called a non-owned auto policy. Not every insurance company offers this, but many do, especially for people with bad driving records, since they often cannot own a car.The policy is rated based on your driving record and where you live along with other factors. You can choose the amount of liability insurance that you want.Another option is to buy insurance from the rental car company. While it is not cheap, and based on the number of days you are renting the car, you may find it cheaper than keeping a policy in force when you are not driving.There are also companies like “Zip Cars” that rent cars to members and the cost of the rental includes liability insurance. You must purchase a membership in order to use the car and you must reserve it ahead of time. However, it is another inexpensive way to get insurance when you don’t own a car.

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