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NJInjury

Member
What is the name of your state? NJ

I'm wondering, is there a benefit for a husband and wife to each have their own auto insurance policy vs. one spouse being the primary and simply listing the other as a driver on the policy?

If each spouse had their own policy, would that make additional coverage available in the event of an accident? For example, if each spouse had an individual policy and they were in an accident together, could 1 spouse file a PI claim on the at-fault policy and then file an additional claim on their own policy on the "underinsured" coverage.

I hope this makes sense and isn't confusing. Having recently been involved in a very serious accident and paying much closer attention to my renewals, I'm wondering if it's beneficial for my wife and I to each have our own policies.

Thanks for the feedback.
 


ecmst12

Senior Member
There is no need/reason to have 2 policies for the same car. If each spouse has their OWN car, then there could be a separate policy for each, but you'd save money by having one policy with both cars and both drivers listed.

Most policies are going to prevent recovery of "general damages" (pain and suffering) against members of the driver's household though. They assume that you're not going to sue your spouse so they're not going to provide coverage for something that you wouldn't do.
 

alnorth

Member
Agreed, there is no reason for a married couple to have two policies for the same car. First, the insurance company(ies) is/are not going to be pleased if they discover this, and 2nd, it would likely be cheaper for you to double the liability limits on a single policy. The premium tends to increase slower the higher the limits go up, since small claims are far more likely than big claims. (ie, the first $50k is expensive, but additional coverage quickly becomes dirt-cheap to increase further once you pass 100k, 300k, add an umbrella policy, etc)

Your example doesnt make sense. If you make a Bodily Injury claim on the other at-fault driver's policy, and the other driver's limits arent enough, you can also make an underinsured claim on your own policy. The second policy gives you no advantage over a single policy with higher limits, only possible headaches and conflict with the insurance company(ies).
 

FlyingRon

Senior Member
Also, my company gives a slight discount for putting everything on one policy versus having separate policies for me and my car and my wife and her car.
 

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