Does Marriage Affect Car Insurance?

Should you combine your car insurance after marriage?

Being married can save you money on your car insurance premiums, in most cases. Reach out to your agent with news of your updated marital status after you’ve sealed the deal and work with them to add your spouse to your policy.

With American Family Insurance, not only will you likely get a discount for your insurance, you’ll also be able to manage billing for both of your cars under one My Account login. Or download our MyAmFam app and add or remove a new policyholder, view your current insurance information, and manage your insurance policies on the go.

Even though you may be afforded a break on your premium, there are certain cases when that won’t happen. If you or your spouse have a driving record with any accidents or violations, it may make sense to keep the policies separate. Sometimes, excluding a spouse from a car insurance policy can be less costly. Insurance rates can increase for both of you in when one driver has had a number of recent moving violations or if they’ve been involved accidents that resulted in the recent filing of a claim.

Another way to reduce your insurance costs is to bundle and save. By combining multiple cars into a single policy or by bundling homeowners insurance with your auto coverage you can leverage even deeper savings.

Car Insurance and Domestic Partnerships

Here’s more good news: if you’re living in a state that officially recognizes domestic partnerships, you and your significant other can qualify for a domestic partnership car insurance discount. At American Family, that reduction in rate is the same as the one we offer married couples.

Getting your coverage right and qualifying for the married rate can mean that you’ll need to revisit your car’s title, in addition to reworking your auto policy.

Here’s what you’ll need to do in a domestic partner states to qualify for a married rate:

• Transfer ownership of the vehicle so that both of you are listed as owners on the car
• Verify that your title states you both list the same primary residence
• Request that your insurance agent list one of you as the primary named insured
• Request that your insurance agent list the other as the secondary named insured

How to Add Your Spouse to Your Car Insurance Policy

After you’re married or officially recognized by the state as a domestic partnership, you’ll need to get in touch with your American Family Insurance agent and request an adjustment to your policy. That way, you’ll qualify for the rate reduction and your agent will walk you through the process.

Keep in mind that some states that don’t allow for the discounting of insurance rates based on marital status.