Are there any recurring charges (or other downsides) that come with having a driver's license but not owning a car or regularly driving?
I'm mostly thinking about insurance here. I've been told conflicting information. I live in Florida.
I live with someone who has a driver's license and a car, but I don't have either. I've avoided getting one because I have no interest in car ownership, and I feel like if I started driving regularly I'd probably die - I have driven before but I really don't think it's something I'd ever get good at.
It's undeniable that having one would be convenient though - for rare occasions like emergencies at a minimum but also other scenarios.
I know almost nothing about how this stuff works. If I get a license, am I required to acquire and pay for insurance, even if I don't own a car or regularly drive? Or will the person I live with have to pay more for their insurance? Are there any other costs or downsides associated with it that I might not be thinking of?
Thanks.
The longer you have your license, the cheaper your car insurance will be if you do eventually get a car. From the point of view of an insurance company, having the license and never driving is exactly like having the license, driving a lot, and getting zero tickets or accidents.
I've been driving for 30 years, no accidents, and my yearly insurance comes out to a little less than $900. I imagine it would be similar if you just never actually drove a car.
Here in Norway insurance is bound to how long you had your insurance, not the drivers license. If you've had the insurance for 7 years without an accident you get the cheapest price. And if you have it for 4 more years accident free you don't lose the 7 years if you have one.
In Sweden it's basically tied to the age of the driver.
Yeah, age of the driver, size of the engine and age of the vehicle also factors in, but the bonus you get per year of accident free driving is a big part.
The same is generally true in us as long as you stick to the same insurance company.
Not here. No accidents in decades and insurance sky high because Florida. Most of the cost is for "uninsured motorist". More uninsured motorists make it higher, and the higher cost makes more uninsured motorists, and round and round we go.