Comments on: Do I have to buy insurance right after buying a car?

By: calipink22

calipink22 — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:41:15 +0000

The dealer shouldn’t have let you take the vehicle off the lot without proof of an insurance policy or at least a binder. You’ll need to get insurance as soon as possible. The 30 day temporary tags is just for your registration, not for your insurance. Check with your insurance provider to see if they offer temporary coverage for a newly acquired vehicle. If they do then you should be covered for 30 days from the date of purchase. If you don’t have the coverage then you need to get an insurance policy soon.

By: David W

David W — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:37:24 +0000

Your standard auto policy covers newly acquired vehicles automatically for 30 days, but call your agent right away to make sure. The first time I got called for jury duty, the case involved just this situation–a man forgot to add the car officially and, of course, had an accident with it after 30 days. I didn’t serve on the jury since I worked in insurance, but I’m sure he lost the case; an insurance policy is a contract, and one of your duties is to advise the company of new vehicles.

By: s w

s w — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:39:16 +0000

Most policies only offer coverage for a few days for a newly acquired vehicle (they offer coverage for a longer period of time for replacement vehicles). So unless you want to go without coverage for a few weeks I would add the vehicle to your policy as soon as possible.