This may sound like a bizarre thing to be considering, but in reality, it happens more than you know! There are several reasons why someone might be willing to buy a car they probably will never get behind the wheel of, but typically that vehicle will be used in transporting them or someone important to them. You often see older adults buying a safe car for their caregiver to transport them in, so it’s really not that unusual. The big question is, can you buy and insure a car without a license? The answer to that depends on several variables. Let’s look at a few of those now.

The First Order of Business: Can You Buy a Car Without a Driver’s License?

The answer to this is quite simple. Yes, you can always buy a car without a driver’s license, even if you have never had one and never intend to get one. The real question here is, can you drive it off the lot and car insurance without a license? This is where so many car buyers and drivers get confused. Let’s break that down to understand better why the vehicle must be insured and how you can get car insurance without a license.

A Car That Is Not Insured Cannot Be Registered

At this point, the licensed driver is secondary to a car being driven without being insured. When going to the DMV in your state to register a vehicle and get plates for it, they will want to see proof of insurance. That vehicle needs to be insured, or it cannot be registered, plain and simple. So, even if you have a valid driver’s license and insurance on another vehicle, it will not follow you to an uninsured/unregistered vehicle. You must show proof of insurance before the car lot can legally allow you to drive the car off their lot, but you will, in almost every state, have a grace period in which to register that insured vehicle with the DMV.

As the Owner, Can I Get Car Insurance Without a License?

It gets a little more complicated here. Any car sitting on your property must be insured even if it is not driven. That’s standard law in any state, and the kind of insurance needed for a vehicle that won’t be driven is referred to as a non-op. So, technically, you can apply for a non-op registration for vehicles that will not be driven for reasons predetermined in that state. Still, they must be insured in most cases and registered as non-operational.

Everything Now Falls on the Intended Driver

If you are buying a vehicle for someone else to drive while caring for you, the insurance will depend on their license and the coverage you want on your vehicle. There are several options from what is often mistakenly referred to as ‘full coverage”, meaning collision and comprehensive on both liability and bodily injury. However, the car must be insured, and the driver must have a license in good standing.

The bottom line is you can buy a car without a license, but no one can drive it unless it is insured and the driver has a license in good standing. That driver must be stated on the policy as well. Those are the basics.