STATE LAW – TENNESSEE LIBRARY – GUIDE 04
Who Is an Insured Under Tennessee Auto Insurance?
Insured status can differ by coverage. Liability, UM/UIM, MedPay and other policy parts may define insured persons differently.
Insured status changes by coverage part
A person can qualify as an insured for liability but not UM/UIM, or vice versa. Analyze the named insured, resident relatives, permissive users and occupants under the accident-date policy and the specific coverage part being claimed.
Permissive use can matter under Tennessee’s required-policy framework
Section 55-12-122 supplies Tennessee’s statutory permissive-user framework for qualifying motor-vehicle liability policies. Permission remains fact-sensitive, and voluntary policy language above the statutory floor may require separate analysis.
Employer and borrowed-vehicle facts require a separate analysis
Employer-owned, borrowed, loaner and rental vehicles can raise additional insured-status questions. Preserve trip purpose, permission, employer instructions and vehicle-use records before deciding whether the driver or occupant is covered.
Read definitions before exclusions
Identify the insuring agreement and definition of ‘insured’ first, then test exclusions, conditions and endorsements against that grant. Do not treat an exclusion as a substitute for first deciding whether the claimant falls within the coverage grant.
Current-law review: October 4, 2026. Verify the accident-date policy, current primary authority, later case treatment, and claim-specific deadlines before legal reliance.
PUBLIC-INTEREST LEGAL EDUCATION
VictimsGuide does not provide legal services or create an attorney-client relationship. Insurance requirements, deadlines, remedies and controlling authority can change. Verify current primary authority, policy language and the law applicable to the particular event before legal reliance.
Authorities and source notes
- Tennessee Financial Responsibility Law — minimum liability, policy contents and proof — Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 55-12-102, 55-12-107, 55-12-122, 55-12-139
- Clark v. Sputniks, LLC / Tata v. Nichols — Tennessee insurance-contract interpretation — 368 S.W.3d 431 (Tenn. 2012); 848 S.W.2d 649 (Tenn. 1993)
- Tennessee permissive-user and rental-car provisions — Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 55-12-122, 56-7-1110
- Lambright v. National Union Fire Insurance Co. of Pittsburgh — M2003-02133-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Feb. 3, 2005)
Registry authority mapping and cited propositions reviewed October 4, 2026. Canonical source preservation and formal subsequent-history review remain maintenance items where noted.
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