Home Car insurance New driver insurance grace period: What you need to know New driver insurance grace period: What you need to know By Penny Gusner Penny Gusner Penny is an expert on insurance procedures, rates, policies and claims. She has extensive knowledge of all major insurance lines -- auto, homeowners, life and health insurance. She has been answering consumers’ questions as an analyst for more than 15 years and has been featured in numerous major media outlets, including the Washington Post and Kiplinger’s. | Updated on January 11, 2016 Why you should trust Insure.com Quality Verified At Insure.com, we are committed to providing honest and reliable information so that you can make the best financial decisions for you and your family. All of our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. We maintain strict editorial independence from insurance companies to maintain editorial integrity, so our recommendations are unbiased and are based on a comprehensive list of criteria. Car insurance companies’ rules vary so your wife might have coverage for a few days to give you time to contact your insurer and add her to the policy as a driver. I recommend you contact your auto insurance provider before your wife gets her license to find out its guidelines. In general, car insurance companies want customers to inform them immediately if anyone in their households obtains a driver’s license so they can adjust rates accordingly for the risk of the new drivers. If you fail to add your wife to your policy, one of two things could happen if she were in an accident. Scenario one is that your insurance company would not cover the accident. Withholding information about your spouse becoming licensed could be deemed material misrepresentation, a form of fraud, This could lead to the insurer denying accident claims and canceling your policy. A second outcome is that your auto insurance provider would make you add her to your policy as a driver and back charge you for her coverage to the date she should have been added to the policy (the day she was licensed). Whether it’s a child or spouse that is obtaining a license, I wouldn’t take the risk of not informing your car insurance provider immediately and adding the person to your policy. Yes, it may cost more to have a newly licensed driver on your policy, but the protection you receive is well worth it if the novice driver causes an accident. Learn which drivers must be listed on your car insurance policy. Penny GusnerContributor   . .Penny is an expert on insurance procedures, rates, policies and claims. She has extensive knowledge of all major insurance lines -- auto, homeowners, life and health insurance. She has been answering consumers’ questions as an analyst for more than 15 years and has been featured in numerous major media outlets, including the Washington Post and Kiplinger’s. QuickTake 10 horrible decisions that will mess up your car insurance My wife is a licensed driver but hasn’t driven in over 10 years and doesn’t want to in the future. Do I have to keep her on my household car insurance policy? I let my 18-year-old niece, who doesn't live with me, drive my car occasionally. Is she covered if she has an accident? He'll break your heart -- and your car insurance rates See more > In case you missed it Best Car Insurance Companies of 2023 Car insurance rates by state: The most expensive and cheapest states for car ins... Full coverage auto insurance: What it costs to get covered A complete guide to car insurance for seniors A complete guide to adding a teenager to your car insurance policy What to do after a car accident that’s not your fault Total warfare: What to do when your auto insurer totals your car Car insurance claims: Who gets the claims check? Buying and insuring a used car: Most and least expensive models to insure in 202... The Best Car Insurance for Bad Credit of 2021 The best car insurance companies for speeding tickets Car insurance after a DUI Guide to Car Insurance Discounts Proper insurance coverage for college-bound children How to read (and actually understand!) your auto insurance policy Car Insurance Companies How much do insurance agents make Autonomous cars: 5 delightful and 5 distressing things Busted! Part 1: How insurance companies spot bogus claims Insurance options for rideshare drivers 10 things that are illegal but shouldn’t be 1/1