Cars are not covered. Using them and lending them is at your own risk. Terms are whatever you and the other party decide.
If you do get offered the car, I would ask these questions up front to HO.
We were told a car was available in case of emergencies. We do not permit usage of our car but also mention that it’s there in case of a pet-related emergency. We live in a city centre though so there’s really no reason for an HS to use our car.
I wouldn’t say it is common but some folks offer. If the sit location suggests that a car maybe needed, I will ask, and have had many HOs say yes. (for me, about 50% of the times I ask, the answer has been yes.)
Generally in the US, auto insurance goes with the car, not the driver and the car is covered so long as the driver is authorized by the owner. Many folks have at least a $500 deductible, some higher, and I think the sitter would pay that. But in case of a claim, the HO’s premium goes up for 3 to 5 years.
What are you doing with the car? Unless it is only to take the dog to the dog park and the HO has asked for that, the I’d pay the gas and on leaving make sure to fill the tank at least to where you found it.
I’ve only needed 1 repair - a flat tire. I used my auto club membership to get the tire changed and then I paid to plug the flat. I didn’t ask but the HO did reimburse me.
Never had a problem, but if I did, it is situational.
If I am allowed use of the car, I’ll ask what it is, to get a sense of the size. But I’ve had HOs let me use a 15 year old tiny Nissan EV, a new Toyota Rav4 PHEV , Tesla X2 (takes some getting used to), Mercedes SUVs, Honda SUVs… Everything I’ve used has been in good condition.
Nothing fromTH insurance.
Final points - if the HO is allowing you to use the car, they will likely ask to be driven to the airport. I’ll certainly do that and then figure out a way to swap the car with them at the airport on their return/my departure. Sometimes meeting them but more often, parking at the airport, hiding the keys and parking ticket and flying on.
Lots of photo speed and red light cams in the US. Never happened to me, but if you are ‘trapped’ the HO may get the ticket weeks of months after the sit and likely send it to you for payment.
If you will be using your cell phone GPS to navigate then buy one of the car cell phone holders that attaches through the car’s AC vents and bring with you -also a charging cord to plug into the car’s USB port.
I’ve also had HOs in the UK allow me to use their cars, but that was pre-covid and I think that has changed at least for US sitters. Post Covid I had a few UK sits where the HO has offered to share the cost of a car rental with me and that has worked out well.
I also used a HO’s car in South Korea with pretty much the same conditions as the US.
Much will likely depend on what country you are licensed in.
If you’re not American, note that usually U.S. drivers are required to carry a driver’s license and registration for the car.
Check online for whether you need an international driver’s license, depending on where you’re from and which state you would be driving in. I say state, because U.S. states individually regulate driving within their borders.
Driving laws and guidance are findable online for each state. And rental car agencies often will require international driver’s licenses.
If your hosts loan you their car and might be hard to reach, you might want to get a letter specifying that they gave you permission to use their car, in case you end up being pulled over by police. Getting pulled over isn’t normally likely if you’re driving safely, but if you’re in an unfamiliar environment, better to protect yourself.
U.S. insurance varies a lot, depending on the state, the insurer and the individual policy. Like in certain states, they’re increasing liability requirements. That would be required coverage for the car owner to buy, an example of how each state differs.
I mention that, because some people have bad info and think there’s some federal entity or set of laws for driving. There is no such thing in the U.S. at all. That’s why for example when Americans move among states, we have to get new driver’s licenses for our new state.
Because we live some distance from a grocery store, we offer use of a vehicle if needed. Most sitters from the US arrive in their own vehicles but we do try to get them setup to use our truck should the need arise (such as the sitters whose car died a few days before arrival). We’ve also had a few European sitters who definitely needed use of a vehicle. Again, this is because we live where a vehicle is pretty much a necessity. If we lived in a city, we wouldn’t make the offer of a vehicle at all.
They who drive buy their own fuel. We leave the vehicle with a full tank of gas and would consider it rude and bad form if we arrive back home to a vehicle with a partially full tank. Normal wear and tear are the vehicle owners responsibility. Flat tires, bridge tolls and parking tickets should be taken care of by the sitter but, in truth, the vehicle owner is on the legal hook for parking tickets and tolls with little to no recourse if the sitter chooses a less than honorable path.
Our vehicles have roadside service so small problems (flat tires, dead batteries, …) can be handled with a phone call and some patience. If the vehicle breakdowns completely requiring significant repairs, our roadside service would tow the vehicle to our home at no charge to the sitter sitter. The sitter, however, would then be left to their own devices; we wouldn’t be in a position to provide another vehicle. .
There is a legal form we fill out and leave in the vehicle that give sitters permission to be driving that vehicle. The form identifies the sitters including their full drivers license info. The form also specifies the period of time the sitters are authorized to use the vehicle (usually the day of arrival to 1 month past our return) and how far from our home they are authorized to go (200 miles). We also leave copies of our insurance coverage card in the vehicle. In the event of an accident, the sitter will need to contact the police and sort it out with them. Unless there are gross traffic violations involved (drink driving, excessive speed or gross recklessness) dealing with the police at the scene of an accident is no fun but not really a big deal other than exchanging insurance information.
Our vehicle insurance covers sitters for limited periods of vehicle use. That coverage is something we’ve verified with our insurance company though the question of how long qualifies as a “limited period” was answered somewhat ambiguously. Coverage for a week or 2 would almost certainly qualify. Longer than that and it might be best to add the sitter to the insurance policy as a named insured. An extra fee might be required by the insurance company; who pays that extra is negotiated between the sitter and the HO. Keep in mind that the majority of risks involved with sitters using an HO’s vehicle fall to the HO. Sitters assume very little risk. In that light, I’d limit questions about the vehicle condition to just asking whether the vehicle is reliable. The one we provide is reliable and has good tires but has not been a beauty for some few years.
In terms of paperwork, drivers are required to show a valid license and proof of insurance if stopped by police or in the event of an accident. So, as a sitter, I’d ansk about proof of insurance supplied by the HO and whether the vehicle has a roadside assistance service (AAA being pretty common). You’ll need the roadside assistance card to take advantage of that assistance.
If you’re pulled over or in an accident and do not have proof of insurance or a valid drivers license, there’s a chance the police will impound the vehicle. That would be very bad. Car impounding by officials Is legalized highway robbery: there’s the tow fee and a daily storage fee. Locally, it’s $200 to tow plus $250 per day for storage. Tow yards tow 7 days a week but the storage facility is intentionally closed over the weekend. So a tow on Friday night will set the vehicle owner back $1000. If a vehicle gets towed and isn’t reclaimed until the HO returns in a week or 2, do the math and cringe. There is no path for appeal. So a sitter having the proof of insurance and a valid drivers license is kind of important for the vehicle owner who, again, is taking on all the risk.
It’s not like anyone is coming after you once you leave the sit. How would they even know where to look? Your biggest risk is getting a bad review on THS if you destroy an HO’s vehicle. Tickets and unpaid tolls won’t show up until long after the post sit review period. As you should see in all this, you as a sitter have very little to worry about compared with the vehicle owner.
