Driving someone else’s car: am I insured?

1. Insurance and driving someone else’s car: what applies?

Personal injury and property damage to third parties are covered by the compulsory car insurance insurance. Damage to the borrowed car itself is, however, not always covered. Depending on the insurance company, there is also a deductible.

If you drive a privately borrowed car without suitable insurance, you therefore risk incurring high costs. However, you can protect yourself with these options:

1. Do you only occasionally drive someone else’s car? Then it’s often worth taking out third-party driver insurance. This is available as an add-on to your personal liability insurance. This covers the costs of any damage you cause to the car you’ve borrowed. This includes, for example, repairs, the coinsurance of the owner’s insurance and bonus losses.

1. Do you regularly drive the same car that belongs to someone else? Talk to the owner about registering as a driver on their existing car insurance policy. Also check the scope of the cover. You may need to adjust the policy.

Important: You cannot take out third-party driver insurance for vehicles in the same household. In addition, it only insures «occasional driving» – and this is usually limited to a maximum number of days per year.

Is my car insured if someone else drives it in Switzerland?

For other drivers, usually the same conditions as for you apply. This means that if you have liability insurance, only damage to third parties is covered. In the case of a casco insurance the costs are covered according to the policy. 

2. Driving and damaging someone else’s car: who pays?

An accident involving a privately borrowed car can cause headaches. Who pays for the financial loss? Here are the different scenarios:

3. Renting a car: what insurance do I need?

Full casco insurance is common when renting a car in Switzerland. Nevertheless, you should still check your insurance cover beforehand. It’s often worth taking out Full casco cover without deductible, so that in the event of a claim, no costs are incurred.

With car sharing platforms such as Mobility, insurance is usually included in the booking fees. This includes full casco and liability insurance. However, you should also check the cover and the deductible and adjust it if necessary.

Which insurance covers car rental abroad?

Take special care when renting a car abroad. This is because full casco insurance is not always included. What’s more, the legal standards sometimes differ greatly from those in Switzerland.

4. What about insurance when driving a borrowed car abroad?

Travelling abroad with a privately borrowed car abroad? If the car is registered in Switzerland, the same framework conditions usually apply as when driving borrowed vehicles in Switzerland. However, as a precaution, check that all insurance policies are valid for travel abroad.

In addition, it may be useful to carry a Permission to use the car from the owner to be carried with you. Although it is not mandatory in most European countries, it can prevent misunderstandings.