Do You Need Car Insurance In California? 
If you operate a vehicle in the state of California the vehicle must be insured . You are not required to be the owner of the vehicle because in California insurance follows the vehicle . So in other words if a friend loaned you his or her car that fried is responsible for the insurance on the vehicle . If you did carry your own insurance your insurance would become secondary to the primary vehicles insurance . However , at the end of the day the vehicle must be insured to be operated on the road or you may be subject to stiff penalties . On a side note not all vehicle insurance has permissive driver use . I recommend you always consult with your insurance company to find out what exclusions may apply . 