A change in your marital status can raise or lower your car insurance.
According to Hungelmann, getting married can lower the premium of someone 25 years old or younger but won't have much change for older drivers.
Likewise, divorce can adversely affect premiums, but again it's a function of age. Generally, anyone 25 or older won't be penalized for a divorce. "Certainly anyone over age 30 should have no worries over a divorce," Hungelmann says.
However, regardless of age, marital status impacts coverage when multiple cars and drivers are involved.
Simply because you are married doesn't mean you are covered to drive one another's cars if you aren't on the same policy. Your coverage doesn't extend to vehicles not named in your policy that your spouse brings to the marriage or that he or she purchases later. Hungelmann recommends married couples buy a joint car insurance policy.
"Combining cars on the same policy means you can drive each other's cars, and it also qualifies you for a multicar discount," he says.
Conversely, if a married couple separates and lives under different roofs, the two should immediately get separate policies. Generally, the joint policy won't cover the spouse living off premises, Hungelmann says.