Does insurance follow the car or the driver in wa state?

This is a common misconception in the public as well as with many Insurance Agents who have do not have a comprehensive understanding of the principles of Liability.

Your Auto Insurance follows the "Named Insureds liabilities" within the terms of the insuring policy, NOT the vehicle. This is the same in any state.

Examples,

1. You loan your neighbor your car and he has an accident. You are liable because you gave the neighbor permissive use. As a result of your liability your insurance will invoke and cover the accident barring any exclusions or limited endorsements.

2. You have a "Named Driver Policy", sometimes called a "Limited Policy", and someone uses your car with or without your permission and has an accident. No claims would be paid for your car nor the other vehicle simply because no drivers other than the named insured(s) are covered drivers under your Named Driver Policy. Named Driver means exactly as the name implies. Coverage is limited only those drivers named on the policy.

3. Someone steals your car and has an accident while robbing a Bank. Again, your car would be covered if you have comprehensive coverage but no Liability coverage would be extended to whomever the thief hit with your car. Since they stole the vehicle they obviously did not have permissive use and the named insured is not liable for the acts of the thief.

As you can see it is not so simple as to presume that any auto insurance policy simply, "follows a vehicle". Liability is much more complex than that.

If we were to assume that coverage just "Follows a Vehicle", then all the scenariOS above would have to be covered, even the car thiefs accident would be covered, which of course, defies reason.

Best of Luck