Q: Can the owner of the vehicle be an excluded driver on a car insurance policy in the state of California?

A: Yes, they can. However, if the owner is an excluded driver that means that they can NEVER drive the vehicle under any circumstances. If they have an accident driving that vehicle, it will not be covered by the insurance company.

When you exclude a driver from a policy, in exchange for a cheaper rate, you are telling the insurance company that a particular driver will not be using that vehicle at all. The insurance company agrees to not rate that driver because the risk is then removed that they will have to pay out a claim for that driver.  Now, if that driver does have a car accident with the vehicle they are excluded on and the insurance company finds out, your policy can be subject to cancellation.

Also, just because you exclude a driver it doesn’t mean that you get off not having to pay anything for the driver, most insurance companies now add a surcharge to policies for each excluded driver that you have listed. So all-in-all, unless the owner of the vehicle has an atrocious driving record, in most cases, it’s just best to leave them on the policy.

Now, with all that said. These rules do vary by insurance company and there are cases where the owner of the cannot be excluded because they are the named insured on the policy. So as always, it is best to check with you car insurance agent on your company’s excluded driver rules.

Q: I have a leased vehicle. If it is a total loss the bank is paid off. Does any insurance company sell a rider to where they would pay me also so that I can get wheels to reduce my loss and down time and obtain another vehicle for my continued use. I can understand this would cost quite a lot because it would be like insuring two cars but I do stand to be disadvantaged if the leased vehicle sustains a total loss. If no normal company – would one like Lloyds of Lundon? And if so how do you find an agent?

A: The point of insurance is to indemnify, or put you right back to where you are when the accident happens. In this case, the lease is paid off and you go out and get another lease. That puts you back in the same position you were before the accident. Now, for the in between time when you are trying to get your new lease and find yourself without a vehicle, this is when carrying LOU coverage comes in handy. LOU is Loss Of Use coverage that will pay for you to be in a rental car while you are in between vehicles. There is a timeframe though, so don’t dilly-dally looking for that new vehicle.

The only coverage I can think of that would immediately put you right back into the same type vehicle is a new coverage that insurance companies are coming out with called “New Vehicle Replacement Coverage”. The name of this coverage will vary from insurance company to insurance company, as will if they offer it for leased vehicles. The good news though, you won’t have to go to Lloyds of London for that.

Q: The directions you have provided to change State Farm Agents no longer work as of 4/23/17.

A: Thank you for advising.  The directions that this reader is talking about can be found here.

This was written 6 years ago, so I have no doubt that the information may be out of date.  However, steps one and two are still valid and work for changing agents with any company, not just with State Farm .  Insurance agents are supposed to be on your side and go to battle for you whenever you things go wrong or when things need to be taken care of.  Whenever you feel that your agent no longer has your back, it is always recommended that you find a new agent. Insurance is a big deal and you need to have an insurance advisor that you can trust. So, if you are ready to look for a new agent that will work out better for you:

1. Talk to your friends and ask who their State Farm agent is and how they feel about them
2. Look at online reviews of local State Farm agents
3. Choose an agent to go visit and interview them. Seriously, interview them and see what kind of feeling you get from them.
4. Advise the new State Farm agent that you choose that you want to move your State Farm policies to them.
5. Let your new agent do their job and get your policy switched over to their office, all you have to do is sign the papers.

It’s time-consuming but simple.  In the long run, you will be a lot happier also with your new State Farm agent.

Q: I was charged for failing to yield making right turn on red after I made complete stop and check did see not car approach. Believe driver made illegal u turn. She had witness in car or following her. Once police arrived he was called to side they talked privately. He refused to listen to me and was very rude. I did report him later. Anyway this happen 2014 now 2016 Dec my rates went from 140 to 262. monthly after reporting Kroger employee pushing cart tore off my review mirror. Even though Kroger was responsible. I live on fixed income. According to them they forgave my first and only accident .

A: Unfortunately, it feels like there is something else going on here.  I am not saying that your accidents aren’t playing a part in the increase in your rate, but a $1,464 annual increase is not something that I have ever seen for a side-view mirror claim. There are two other things that come to mind right now. First, almost every insurance company increased their rates in 2016. I fielded these calls everyday for the insurance company I work for and also had feedback from agents that we weren’t the only ones doing so.  I would definitely talk to your car insurance agent or car insurance company and see if they did have a rate increase in their car insurance product in your state.

Second, you mentioned “fixed income”. I may be wrong, but that usually indicates that you are of retirement age. After a certain age, car insurance premiums go up and the older you get the higher they increase.  I know this doesn’t work well because that’s when you are usually on a fixed income, but car insurance companies do it because older drivers, while they do have more experience, start becoming more of a risk because of slower reaction times and a decrease in eyesight.

All in all, contact your insurance agent to have them go over your policy to explain what is going on with your rates. If you don’t like what you hear, start shopping around for a company that can give you a better car insurance premium.

Lemonade has already upset the traditional insurance model with its ‘Giveback’ to charitable causes and record-setting speed for paying claims. Can the VC-backed startup revolutionize the way car insurance works?

Lemonade made quite a splash when it debuted its homeowners’ and renters’ insurance for New York residents in September, 2016. Since then, the radically transparent, upstart “B-corp” has expanded to a nearly nationwide presence, and the firm will soon be offering auto insurance, as well.

Can Lemonade auto insurance live up to the hype? And what’s all the hype actually about, anyway?

What Makes Lemonade Special?

Most insurance companies make their profits by taking more from customers in premiums than they pay out in claims. This creates an adversarial relationship between the company and its customers, and some big insurers have been charged with an unscrupulous strategy of Delay, Deny, and Defend (the “three D’s”).

Customers expecting to get the runaround from their insurers are more likely to exaggerate their claims, and insurers anticipating this from their customers become even more obstinate. Lemonade seeks to break this cycle of distrust by better aligning the incentives of everyone involved.

How can Lemonade do this?

1. Instead of relying on unpaid claims as the source of company profits, Lemonade takes a flat 20% fee – that’s it.
2. Individuals insured through Lemonade select a charitable cause for the company’s “Giveback” program. All customers pledging to a particular cause become part of a “peer group.”
3. Premiums collected above Lemonade’s 20% fee are pooled to pay claims – and whatever money’s left over at the end of the year goes to a charitable cause, not Lemonade’s bottom line.

Lemonade is banking on the idea that its customers will be less likely to cheat a good cause than a soulless corporation. That makes sense.

The Truth About Dishonesty

Lemonade also requires its customers to sign an Honesty Pledge. This may sound trivial, but Lemonade’s Chief Behavioral Officer Dan Ariely, best known for his Ted Talks and the CNBC documentary (Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies, has conducted experiments in which he reduced cheating to zero by simply asking folks to recall the Ten Commandments. Since none of the participants could actually name all ten, it’s unlikely they were an overly religious group – and yet, even being asked to think about morality caused them to act more morally.

Dishonesty is a big problem for the insurance industry – on both the customer and the corporate ends. Significantly reducing fraud, even if it can’t be eliminated, would allow insurers to offer much more attractive rates to their customers, and/or pay out legitimate claims with much less hassle. Lemonade has already set an (unofficial) world record by paying a customer’s claim in three seconds.

Will Lemonade’s Model Work for Auto Insurance?

Lemonade’s homeowners’ and renters’ insurance has been on the market for just over 100 days, but all indications are that the VC-backed firm is in excellent financial health. Nevertheless, selling auto-insurance could present challenges not evident in Lemonade’s existing markets.

For instance, 87% of Lemonade’s customers are first-time buyers of homeowners’ or renters’ insurance. This shows the company is reaching a market that traditional insurers have been unable to reach. But everyone has to buy auto insurance, making the market much larger – and more inclusive of “poor risks.” These poor risks may be more willing to exaggerate their claims, even if doing so takes away from a cause. Of course, Lemonade reserves the right to deny coverage to poor risks – and doing so should keep premiums low for the rest of its customers.

When Will Lemonade Offer Auto Insurance?

We don’t have a specific answer to this question yet, but Lemonade auto insurance should be coming soon – to at least some states.  Insurance is regulated at the state level in the U.S., and this means Lemonade will probably target a few states to begin with, just like they did with their homeowners’ and renters’ insurance.

The traditional insurance model has long been in need of a serious shake-up, and Lemonade is at the vanguard of reforming and improving the industry. It’s safe to assume that Lemonade’s auto product will have the same “Giveback” feature as its homeowners’ and renters’ packages, and a flat 20% fee to ensure the company will pay claims on the basis of merit, rather than Delaying, Denying, and Defending.

Once Lemonade auto is available, be sure to try out the comparison form available at the top of this page. When you do, be sure to consider more than just the monthly premiums: You may pay less with other insurers, but will they be as quick to pay out claims when they retain, as corporate profits, whatever they don’t pay?