Can You Register a Car Without Insurance?

Almost every state requires some form of car insurance to drive on the road legally, but do you register your car first or get insurance? That depends on which state you live in. Read on to learn if you need to take out an auto insurance policy before you can register your vehicle.

In most states, no, you can’t get a car registration without insurance. Every state except New Hampshire and Virginia requires that all cars on the road have a minimum amount of liability coverage. In all but a handful of those states, you have to show proof of minimum coverage to be able to register your car.

That minimum varies from state to state, and some states require additional types of coverage, such as personal injury protection or uninsured motorist coverage. Even if you live in a state where you don’t need insurance to register a car, you’ll have to insure any vehicle before you can drive it legally – including driving it home from the dealership. 

Yes, insuring your car is pretty much the first thing you should do after you buy it. It’s a good rule of thumb to say: insure first, register after.

Many states won’t let you register a car without insurance because you never know when something could happen to your vehicle. Say you buy a car, but you wait a while to insure it. Even if you aren’t driving your car, it’s still at risk.

A tree could fall and bust the windshield or cave in the roof, or someone could steal the car from your driveway. Without comprehensive car insurance, you would have to pay to repair or even replace your car out of your own pocket. 

In most states, you can’t register a vehicle without insurance or proof of insurance. You must present proof of auto insurance to register a vehicle in every state in the U.S. (including DC), except the following:

In Mississippi, North Dakota, Washington, and Wisconsin, you don’t need insurance to register your car, but you do need it to drive. 

In contrast, in New Hampshire, you don’t need insurance to register your car or drive, as long as you meet the state’s financial responsibility requirements. 

In Arizona, drivers must present proof of insurance 30 days after registering their vehicles. Technically, you don’t need insurance to register a car in the state, but you do need it within a month of registering your vehicle. 

In Arizona, the penalties for failing to provide proof of insurance are fines, license suspension, and SR-22 insurance. Driving without insurance in the state can make it harder and more expensive to find car insurance in the future. 

In California, drivers need to present proof of insurance within 30 days of registering their vehicle. So drivers can, technically, register a car without insurance in California, but they will need a policy shortly after registration. 

In California, uninsured drivers may face penalties like fines, vehicle impoundment, and having their license and car registration suspended due to no insurance. Plus, future auto insurance premiums will be far more expensive with this offense on your record. 

Insurance isn’t required to register a car in Tenessee, but it is required to drive one. Thus, you don’t need insurance to obtain a registration but you will need it should you get behind the wheel. 

In Tennessee, uninsured drivers may face penalties like fines, license suspension, and even jail time. Additionally, auto insurance premiums rise significantly with an uninsured driving offense on your record. 

In Virginia, car insurance isn’t required to register a vehicle if you pay the uninsured motorist fee at the time of registration. Virginia is one of two states that allow drivers to bypass the need for insurance by proving financial responsibility.

Illegally driving without insurance in Virginia, or driving without having paid the uninsured motorist fee, can result in major penalties. Drivers may face hefty fines, license and registration suspension, and possibly even jail time. Uninsured drivers will also have to file for Virginia SR-22 insurance. 

No, your car doesn’t already have to be registered for you to get insurance. In fact, the opposite is true, and you usually need insurance for your car to be registered. What you will need before you can get car insurance, though, is the title to the vehicle with your name on it. 

So, if you just got to the DMV and are wondering if you have to have insurance to register a car, the answer is yes. So, hopefully, you had a meeting with your insurance agent before you got in line at the DMV. If the opposite is true, if you just made it to your meeting with your insurance agent and you’re wondering if you should’ve hit the DMV first, don’t worry, you made the right call.

In most states, it’s illegal to drive without insurance. Thus, to get tags, renew your registration, or to register your vehicle, you’ll need to provide proof of insurance so the DMV is certain you’ll be getting behind the wheel with the legal minimum amount of coverage required in your state.

So, unless you live in New Hampshire, Virginia, or one of the other few states that don’t require you to provide proof of insurance during registration, you must certify you have at least the minimum amount of auto insurance coverage legally required in your state.

Uninsured drivers can end up costing law-abiding drivers, the state, and insurance companies a lot of money in the event of an accident, so most states prefer to certify drivers are insured before giving them the green light to get behind the wheel.

No, you cannot renew your registration without your state’s minimum auto insurance coverage. If you let your car insurance policy lapse, your registration will be suspended soon after. In some states, insurance providers report directly to the DMV when your insurance lapses, so your registration will be suspended almost immediately. 

Driving without insurance is considered a misdemeanor in many states, and it carries serious consequences. You could have your license suspended or be fined several hundred dollars. For repeat offenses, you might even face jail time or have to complete court-mandated community service. 

So, if you’re wondering if you can renew your tags without insurance, the answer is no in most states. However, if you live in New Hampshire or Virginia, where drivers can bypass auto insurance requirements by paying a fee during registration, the answer may be yes.

It’s impossible to register a vehicle or get a license plate without insurance in 41 states and Washington, D.C. But, in Mississippi, North Dakota, Tennessee, Washington, and Wisconsin, you can register your car at the DMV normally without an insurance policy. Just remember that even if your car is registered, you aren’t legally allowed to drive it until you get it insured. 

In Arizona and California, you can register your car normally without proof of insurance, but you’ll have to submit that proof to the DMV within 30 days. 

In New Hampshire, you can register and even drive a car without any insurance, provided you meet the state’s financial responsibility requirements. 

In Virginia, you can register and drive your car without insurance in one of two ways. You can either acquire a certificate of self-insurance from the DMV or pay an Uninsured Motor Vehicle fee of $500 every time you renew your registration. 

Car insurance and registration are two of the most vital things you need when you get behind the wheel. While, yes, you can own a car without insurance, you may only do so if it isn’t registered and you don’t drive it. Driving a car without a registration, even if you are insured, is illegal in many states and punishable by law.

So, if you have an old car sitting in your backyard that you’re never going to drive again, you don’t have to pay for insurance on it or register it. Just make sure you turn in the license plates to your local DMV before canceling your insurance policy. If you own a registered vehicle without insurance – even if you don’t drive it – you could face legal consequences. 

The legal consequences for driving an unregistered vehicle vary by state but likely include hefty fines, license suspension, vehicle impoundment, and potential jail time. You’ll likely also face higher auto insurance premiums the next time you seek a policy, because insurers will consider you a high-risk driver.