Adding a car to an existing car insurance policy is really easy. The change should only take a couple of minutes to complete. Know who to contact, what information you need, and look for verification in the mail.

Who to Contact

• Call your Insurance Agent
  Calling your agent directly is usually the fastest most efficient way to add a car to your insurance policy.


• Call Customer Service
  Every insurance carrier has a customer service center available 24 hrs a day. If you need proof of insurance on your new car right away and your insurance agency is closed, a representative at your carrier’s customer service center will be able to help you.


• Make the Change Online
  Insurance policies bought direct online or even some other insurance websites allow you to manage the policy yourself. Log into your insurance carrier’s website and see what is available for you.

What Information You Need

• Year, Make, Model, and VIN to your newly purchased vehicle
  The VIN number typically pulls the vehicle information such as the year, make, and model, but it doesn’t hurt for verification purposes to give all the information.


• Know the coverage you want
  Now is the time you need to know what coverage you want to put on your vehicle. Discuss your options with your insurance agent or the customer service representative. Ask about extras such as car rental, gap insurance, and OEM parts if you are interested.


• Lender’s name and mailing address
  If you have a loan your newly purchased vehicle, be sure to mention it at the time you add the vehicle to the policy. It is standard procedure for a lender to be listed on a car insurance policy as a loss payee. Getting your lender added at the same time as your vehicle will ensure the paperwork will get to the lender in a reasonable amount of time, causing less of a headache for you in the future.

Look for Verification

Any time you make a change to your car insurance policy, you should get verification. Most of the time insurance companies mail a declaration page directly to you within ten business days. If you selected a paperless option where the insurance company emails all of your documents, expect an immediate email verifying the change. It is important to look for verification because mistakes can happen. It is possible for the change to go unprocessed or have the wrong vehicle or coverage. Verification will let you know the change was made successfully.