Commuting vs Pleasure With Auto Insurance

If you have purchased auto insurance, you are familiar with the drill. The insurance company will want to know your name, the make, and model of your car, your driving experience, and how often you drive. Your answers to their questions are important. Giving incorrect information can void your coverage. Although some questions are straightforward, some may be less clear. Questions that help the insurer determine if you use your vehicle for pleasure or commuting are prime examples.

Why Do Auto Insurance Companies Care If I Commute With My Vehicle?

When insurance companies ask if you use your car to commute or for pleasure they are trying to understand circumstances you will driving in most. It helps them determine the likelihood you will be in an accident. The ultimate calculation for your rate will take into account risk factors and the probability they will have to pay out for repair costs and related accident fees.

It is for that reason they also ask how many miles you are likely to drive each year. A car driven ten thousand miles a year is far more likely to get into an accident than a car driven five hundred miles a year. It is the law of probability. Also, commuting and pleasure driving expose you to different volumes of traffic and driving times. All of that information impacts your risk and coverage needs.

What Do Auto Insurance Companies consider Commuting?

On the surface, it may seem simple. If you are driving your car to work regularly, then you are using it for commuting. If you are not, then it is considered pleasure.

However, it is very rare insurance companies consider a car to be used for pleasure only. It typically only happens when the car in question is a second or third vehicle. Even if you do not drive to work in your car, but you use it for running errands, it would not be considered a pleasure vehicle. Rather it would still be viewed as used for commuting purposes.

Other considerations are if you use your car to get to work, but work within five or ten miles of your home, vs. super commuters who drive a hundred miles or more to and from their jobs.

Carpooling most days, or using or driving ride share may affect your usage as well. That said, there is no need to worry, most insurance companies will ask probing questions to help them get a more specific picture of your use. All you have to do is answer them honestly.

How to Proceed With Your Auto Insurance Company

Insurance companies generally provide additional or alternative options to make calculating your use, risk, and coverage needs simpler. Those questions and others can give a more fair assessment of your situation.

You want them to have a clear understanding so your quote is accurate and your coverage will protect your vehicle. Nevertheless, don’t be afraid to read the fine print and directly ask for a clear explanation of what they consider to be commuting. It will help you make the best auto insurance decisions and prevent situations where claims are denied.