Letting someone borrow your car might seem harmless — but it can carry serious legal and financial risks. In this video, Gabriel Levin, founder of The Levin Firm, explains what can happen if the person you lend your vehicle to gets into an accident.
From insurance coverage to personal liability, this video breaks down what every car owner should know before handing over their keys.
👉 What You’ll Learn:
How your auto insurance applies when someone else is driving your car
When you could be held personally responsible for an accident
What “negligent entrustment” means and how it can impact your liability
How courts determine whether a vehicle owner acted negligently
High-risk situations that can expose you to legal consequences
Practical tips to protect yourself before lending your vehicle
⚖️ Why This Matters:
In many cases, your insurance follows the car — not the driver. That means if you give someone permission to drive your vehicle and they cause an accident, your policy may be the first to cover damages.
However, liability doesn’t always stop there. If you knowingly allow an unsafe or unqualified driver to use your car, you could face personal legal exposure under negligent entrustment laws.
🚨 Important Considerations:
Lending your car to an unlicensed driver
Allowing someone to drive while intoxicated
Trusting a driver with a history of reckless behavior
Failing to consider whether the person is capable of driving safely
Making the wrong decision can have serious financial and legal consequences.
📍 Office Location:
1500 John F. Kennedy Blvd 620
Philadelphia, PA 19102
📞 Local Phone:
215-825-5183
🌐 Stay Connected:
Website: https://www.levininjuryfirm.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/winwithlevin/
X (Twitter): https://x.com/LevinInjuryFirm
💼 About The Levin Firm:
The Levin Firm is a Philadelphia-based personal injury law firm dedicated to helping individuals navigate complex liability and insurance issues. Whether you’re dealing with an accident claim or questions about responsibility, our team provides clear guidance and aggressive representation.
You pay nothing unless we win.
Learn more: https://www.levininjuryfirm.com/
✅ Next Steps:
Have questions about liability after a car accident? Call 215-825-5183 for a free consultation.
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Like and share this video to help others avoid costly mistakes.
Leave your questions in the comments — our team is here to help.
⚠️ Disclaimer:
This video is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Every situation is different — consult an attorney for advice specific to your case.
Transcript
If you lent your car to someone and they got into an accident, would you be held liable for the harm that they caused?
And the answer is, it depends. You're absolutely allowed to lend your car to other people. If they get in an accident, your insurance will cover them, assuming again that they had your permission to use the car. But the question of whether or not you would be responsible for that harm personally would depend on whether or not you knew that they were a negligent, reckless driver and gave them your car. There's a tort called negligent entrustment.
Negligent entrustment is proven by showing that, number one, you owned a car and that you gave it to another person with permission who you knew their ability to drive a car was compromised.
Compromised. If you knew, for instance, they were a drunk and, uh, they were drunk all the time, or they were drunk when you gave them the keys, uh, that would make you negligent in the entrustment of that vehicle to the other person. The issue is not one that is crystal clear. It's very fact-dependent. But if you have knowledge that the person you're lending the car to might not be a good driver, or unlicensed, or likes to drink, or has any other number of problems, I wouldn't lend them the car.
You could certainly be bringing liability on yourself. So just make sure that you make a good decision when you're lending your car.
