Can you get car insurance on a car that is not in your name?

Insurance for Someone Else's VehicleYes, of course You can Insure the property of another Person. So Long as you have authorization to do so and the owner is benefited, or some other insurable interest in that property exists.

An example would be a case where dad says " OK, you can use my spare car but you gotta get your own coverage".

If You have permissive use from the owner of a vehicle, then obviously you have an insurable interest. However, Only the Legal owner of the Property or the designated agent of the owner can receive compensation for the property in the event of a covered property loss.

Whether your insuring for liability only or you buy full property coverage you must list the owner as an insured on the contract, Then Dad will be proud and happy you were prudent enough to fully insure his and your interest in the vehicle he loaned you.

List all drivers for liability purposes and list the owner for property and liability interest.

Another example would be almost every time we Rent A Car. When we purchase the daily insurance with the rental car we insure our liabilities in the use of Someone Else's Vehicle.

Yet another Example would be when a vehicle has been recently purchased and you are still in process of transferring the title. Naturally you can insure the vehicle so you can drive it while your working on the title transfer. Almost any Insurance agent can do this for you.

You can not insure the property of another when no insurable interest exists. It would be unlawful to insure the property or life of another where the intent is to gain unduly from another persons loss.

Bare in mind though that Insuring the car is one thing. Registering the vehicle with your state is another thing and you may have local regulations regarding vehicle registrations as related to auto insurance and the vehicles operation on public roads. Yet another reason to always list the vehicle owner as an insured on the policy.

Insurance laws vary state to state. In MA, no. Contact your agent.