Paying for car insurance is a necessary evil. You pay for it in the hopes that you’ll never need it, but you’re glad to know it’s there. That is until your insurance provider tries to add “hidden drivers” to your policy and bloat your rates. 

Car insurance providers may try to add expensive drivers to your policy without warning

Imagine getting a notice from your car insurance provider telling you that your rates are going up because your daughter or granddaughter drives your car. If she was a driver in your household, the adjustment in coverage and rate increase make sense. However, if you don’t have another driver in your household, you might be understandably irritated.

That’s exactly what happened to Colorado native Christine O’Connor. O’Connor has a Progressive policy for her beloved red 2015 Kia Rio. Insuring such a sensible little car should be straightforward. However, she received a notification that her car insurance policy increased by $1,045.49. 

Progressive claimed it discovered “another driver” in her household. Here’s the kicker: Christine lives alone in a Castle Rock basement apartment. “I was really mad. I’m like what the heck?” The “hidden driver” Progressive was seeking to add to Christine’s policy was the homeowner’s granddaughter, a person who hadn’t lived on the property in years. 

CBS Colorado talked to several other Colorado residents dealing with the same issue. In one case, a Dodge RAM 1500 owner received a notification that his insurance provider was adding his daughter to his policy. Troublingly, the man’s daughter lives in Alaska, around 3,000 miles away. “I would say Progressive needs to vet their data more,” the man calmly told interviewers. Fortunately, both drivers contacted Progressive to get to the bottom of things. As a result, neither motorist had to pay the swollen rate for the non-drivers. 

However, some viewers commented that their car insurance provider attempted to do a similar thing. One commenter responded, “Progressive tried to add my MIL (mother-in-law)… who lives in a completely different state!” Another viewer commented, “This happened to me. AMFAM.” In that case, the social media user was referring to American Family Insurance.

So, how do you stay a step ahead of insurance policy issues like this? Pay attention to notices from your provider. If you see something wrong, don’t be afraid to contact your provider and address it. Finally, don’t hesitate to shop around for insurance policies based on your budget, needs, and driving history.