Require Driver's License to be on title of a new car

Submitted by Altruistic_Fill_7465 t3_10cshde in Washington

My girlfriend and I recently moved to Washington and recently placed an order for Tesla. I have a DL but my girlfriend does not have a DL yet but has other country's passport. Can she be on the title of the car along with me with no DL? Does WA allow both of us to be on the title and only I on the registration?

I know the above thing is risky but we are getting married and jointly be on the loan, the reason I am thinking of this is because I can't claim the 2023 EV credit due to my income limitation so want to add her to the title so she can get the $7500 federal tax credit while I be on the registration (as I believe she cant' without a DL). I agree with the risks but keeping that aside want to know if this is at all possible

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FizzgigsDentist t1_j4hi9q1 wrote

Don't put someone youre not legally married to on the title unless you want to lose the car. Why does she need to be on the title if she doesn't even have a license? Shell still be able to drive the car after she gets one. This seems risky af

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[deleted] t1_j4hlywg wrote

Gaining the 7.5k is higher priority than losing the ~35k lol

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Altruistic_Fill_7465 OP t1_j4hjx5x wrote

>Don't put someone your not legally married to on the title unless you want to lose the car. Why does she need to be on the title if she doesn't even have a license? Shell still be able to drive the car after she gets one. This seems risky af

I agree with your statement of it being risky but we are jointly going to be on the loan. I can't claim the 2023 EV credit due to my income limitation so want to add her to the title so she can get the $7500 federal tax credit while I be on the registration (as I believe she cant' without a DL). I agree with the risks but keeping that aside want to know if this is at all possible

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Beardedpixeltv t1_j4hy697 wrote

Doesn't the tax credit come with your year end taxes? Meaning you two would have to file a joint tax return, as in be married, for both incomes to be taken into account.

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Altruistic_Fill_7465 OP t1_j4hyy33 wrote

Yes, we will be married end of this year so will be filling our taxes jointly so both of our incomes might be combined, this might work. Thanks!

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yangqi t1_j4radlf wrote

If you take delivery of your car this year, you can also use your tax return of 2022 to get the tax credit if qualified.

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lonerwolf85 t1_j4hjplq wrote

Why does your girlfriend, whom you're not married to, need to be the legal owner of a car she can't drive?

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Altruistic_Fill_7465 OP t1_j4hkn9x wrote

>Why does your girlfriend, whom you're not married to, need to be the legal owner of a car she can't drive?

I can't claim the 2023 EV credit due to my income limitation so want to add her to the title so she can get the $7500 federal tax credit while I be on the registration. I agree with the risks but keeping that aside want to know if this is at all possible

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peggysue_82 t1_j4hm9u2 wrote

Unless you’re getting married, having a joint loan is risky. It’s not worth the $7,500 credit if things go south.

I’d call the DOL and ask if the information isn’t posted. I’d also have her take her drivers test.

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toobadkittykat t1_j4hvyk2 wrote

must have more money than sense , buying a tesla !

let the downvotes commence

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rosesandpiglets t1_j4idhd0 wrote

Yeah I don’t get why anyone would still buy one. They’re poor quality, have tons of recalls, and well, Musk.

Like every other company has EV versions of their cars…

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No_Concentrate9935 t1_j4hi3sr wrote

She doesn’t need to be on the title to drive it, but she should get a drivers license.

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Pristine_Read_7476 t1_j4ijyy8 wrote

Yes, she can be on the title without a driver's license. She will also be on the registration as an owner. This is a bad idea.

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No_Concentrate9935 t1_j4hva3q wrote

Why not get a car you can afford without all that finagling?

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ChampagneStain t1_j4jics8 wrote

All opinions and cautions aside (which I mostly agree with), yes, she can be named on the title but not on the registration. We (married) recently bought a used truck. When we signed over the title only my wife put her name down. I ended up registering it. It’s now registered in just my name, while the title is just in hers. Maybe an oversight by the kid at the licensing office, but here we are. And since we’re legally married, it doesn’t matter too much since all of our property is shared according to WA State.

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Altruistic_Fill_7465 OP t1_j4jm45s wrote

That’s helpful to know that title and registration can be on different names. Thank you!

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ChampagneStain t1_j4jnrs5 wrote

Also, please proceed with caution on your relationship, especially when tying up finances. I’m sure you two are 100% committed, but I have a close friend who got seriously burned by a non-citizen after they got married and became a citizen. Turns out she was definitely NOT the person anybody thought she was. It’s weird and rare, but he’s still dealing with stuff years later.

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ChampagneStain t1_j4jmy7e wrote

I mean, proceed with caution. The kid who processed ours was pretty green. You could get a crusty old lifer at the office who says otherwise. But at least take comfort that the system technically allows it.

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