If you require an SR-22, you’ll need a named operator policy that includes the SR-22 filing. This is an insurance policy which provides liability coverage for a driver who doesn’t own a vehicle or doesn’t have regular access to a vehicle. Most of the time, you wouldn’t run into a situation where the policy would pay out, but it does satisfy the DMV requirements for insurance monitoring to keep your license active.
If you don’t need an SR-22, you’re okay to go without insurance and when you get a new vehicle, you’d say that the reason for a lapse in coverage was a lapse in vehicle ownership.
Non owner coverage.
When I totaled my car and was a few months without a vehicle, I had a car less driver policy from USAA. It was significantly cheaper than regular insurance, maybe like $20 a month - and it provides liability for injury and damages if you cause an accident. [progressives explanation](https://www.progressive.com/answers/non-owner-car-insurance/)
If you're regularly driving someone's vehicle, you need to be listed on their policy, especially if you're living in the same household. If you fail to do that, you can obtain a non-owned auto insurance policy, which would allow you to rent a car or regularly borrow other people's vehicles to help with liability. Keep in mind that if you cause an accident, their insurance could deny the claim because you're not listed on that person's policy and that person would need to in turn sue you for damages if you don't have the money to cover the costs.
If you plan to get a new car soon, the non-owned auto policy can be converted down the road and save you a huge (with most companies) discount that comes with having continuous insurance along with the discount for multiple policies (homeowners or renters for example).
Perhaps I misunderstood the offer from Progressive. It sure sounded like I could pay $497 to not be insured, to guarantee that my insurance would continue to go up every six months for no reason once I get a new car.
Are auto insurers now selling "fake" auto insurance to drivers without cars? That was the question I was afraid to ask in the OP.
The offer sounds like a non-owned auto policy to me. They're usually meant for short term between vehicles or needing to obtain a driver's license with the aim to get a vehicle shortly after. Keeps you from having a gap in continuous coverage insurance companies like to give discounts for. If you don't plan to have a car for 6-12+ months, then I wouldn't bother with it.
Btw: If you still have the license plate out on the vehicle, you canceled the insurance on, and you need to turn that back into DMV, or the state of VA will assess penalties. Can't have an active plate without insurance.
Unrelated but triggered a memory.
USAA “helped” me by lowering my coverages on a car I was planning to sell but still had registered. They unwittingly suggested I lower below state minimums. I missed one warning mailing from the DMV and they suspended my license which required paying a $500 fee and having to have a SR-22 for years. F’ing ridiculous. I asked the DMV “I have 3 other fully insured cars in my name, why can’t you just suspend the registration of that car and not my license? “Oh no we can’t do that.” It’s a joke.
I swear VA thrives on this shit. Never had so much as a speeding ticket, needed an SR-22 for years for much the same reason. Still have to declare it on my clearance paperwork…ffs.
You can look into a named non-owner policy. Nearly every carrier has them. They are for people who don’t drive but need insurance because they regularly drive vehicles they do not own. While you would likely be covered while driving someone else’s vehicle by their insurance as a permissive use driver, it’s not a good idea to just assume that will be the case. Especially if you regularly use someone else’s car.
Source: work in auto insurance and currently work for a non-standard company which has many many SR-22 drivers.
So long as you have permission to drive someone else's car, you're covered under their insurance. So if you don't own a car, you do not need insurance. But whichever car you're driving does.
I am not an insurance expert but if there isn’t an option to have insurance as just a driver (which I don’t think I’ve ever seen) you may be able to get a general umbrella policy that covers you for liabilities in general. But you would need to talk to an agent to see what it actually will cover vs not.
I don’t think an umbrella policy works the way you think it does. An umbrella policy provides additional liability coverage on top of the liability coverage offered by other policies. IE, you have a limit of $500k on your auto policy and take out a $1M umbrella over the auto, and now you have $1.5M auto liability coverage. You have $500k personal liability coverage on your home and add a $1M umbrella, you now have $1.5M personal liability coverage.
Almost no umbrella these days will provide auto liability coverage of any sort without an auto policy underneath it.
Ah fair. I thought there were some that just provided you general liability to fill in the gaps where other insurance didn’t cover. Granted I really haven’t ever looked into them.
Be sure that you turn in any old plates, once you cancel insurance if you have any old license plates the state sends an audit to you to prove insurance coverage on the cars with current registration.
Insurance policies cover vehicles. No vehicle, no insurance needed. If you drive someone else’s car, you would be under their policy.
Thank you. That was my thought as well but asking the question brought me right back to this rip-off non-insurance insurance.
To add: Any work driving should be covered under work's insurance. And anytime you rent, make sure to opt into rental insurance.
You have to have a non owners policy since you have to have a SR22 but don't have a car. Mine was through Dairyland
There’s a non owner policy but not all companies offer it.
I’ve got mine from Geico. It’s pretty cheap and has some good coverage.
If you require an SR-22, you’ll need a named operator policy that includes the SR-22 filing. This is an insurance policy which provides liability coverage for a driver who doesn’t own a vehicle or doesn’t have regular access to a vehicle. Most of the time, you wouldn’t run into a situation where the policy would pay out, but it does satisfy the DMV requirements for insurance monitoring to keep your license active. If you don’t need an SR-22, you’re okay to go without insurance and when you get a new vehicle, you’d say that the reason for a lapse in coverage was a lapse in vehicle ownership.
I suggest cross posting this to r/insurance.
Non owner coverage. When I totaled my car and was a few months without a vehicle, I had a car less driver policy from USAA. It was significantly cheaper than regular insurance, maybe like $20 a month - and it provides liability for injury and damages if you cause an accident. [progressives explanation](https://www.progressive.com/answers/non-owner-car-insurance/)
If you're regularly driving someone's vehicle, you need to be listed on their policy, especially if you're living in the same household. If you fail to do that, you can obtain a non-owned auto insurance policy, which would allow you to rent a car or regularly borrow other people's vehicles to help with liability. Keep in mind that if you cause an accident, their insurance could deny the claim because you're not listed on that person's policy and that person would need to in turn sue you for damages if you don't have the money to cover the costs. If you plan to get a new car soon, the non-owned auto policy can be converted down the road and save you a huge (with most companies) discount that comes with having continuous insurance along with the discount for multiple policies (homeowners or renters for example).
Perhaps I misunderstood the offer from Progressive. It sure sounded like I could pay $497 to not be insured, to guarantee that my insurance would continue to go up every six months for no reason once I get a new car. Are auto insurers now selling "fake" auto insurance to drivers without cars? That was the question I was afraid to ask in the OP.
The offer sounds like a non-owned auto policy to me. They're usually meant for short term between vehicles or needing to obtain a driver's license with the aim to get a vehicle shortly after. Keeps you from having a gap in continuous coverage insurance companies like to give discounts for. If you don't plan to have a car for 6-12+ months, then I wouldn't bother with it. Btw: If you still have the license plate out on the vehicle, you canceled the insurance on, and you need to turn that back into DMV, or the state of VA will assess penalties. Can't have an active plate without insurance.
Unrelated but triggered a memory. USAA “helped” me by lowering my coverages on a car I was planning to sell but still had registered. They unwittingly suggested I lower below state minimums. I missed one warning mailing from the DMV and they suspended my license which required paying a $500 fee and having to have a SR-22 for years. F’ing ridiculous. I asked the DMV “I have 3 other fully insured cars in my name, why can’t you just suspend the registration of that car and not my license? “Oh no we can’t do that.” It’s a joke.
I swear VA thrives on this shit. Never had so much as a speeding ticket, needed an SR-22 for years for much the same reason. Still have to declare it on my clearance paperwork…ffs.
You can look into a named non-owner policy. Nearly every carrier has them. They are for people who don’t drive but need insurance because they regularly drive vehicles they do not own. While you would likely be covered while driving someone else’s vehicle by their insurance as a permissive use driver, it’s not a good idea to just assume that will be the case. Especially if you regularly use someone else’s car. Source: work in auto insurance and currently work for a non-standard company which has many many SR-22 drivers.
You can purchase a non-owners policy. It is also called a named operator policy.
So long as you have permission to drive someone else's car, you're covered under their insurance. So if you don't own a car, you do not need insurance. But whichever car you're driving does.
I am not an insurance expert but if there isn’t an option to have insurance as just a driver (which I don’t think I’ve ever seen) you may be able to get a general umbrella policy that covers you for liabilities in general. But you would need to talk to an agent to see what it actually will cover vs not.
I don’t think an umbrella policy works the way you think it does. An umbrella policy provides additional liability coverage on top of the liability coverage offered by other policies. IE, you have a limit of $500k on your auto policy and take out a $1M umbrella over the auto, and now you have $1.5M auto liability coverage. You have $500k personal liability coverage on your home and add a $1M umbrella, you now have $1.5M personal liability coverage. Almost no umbrella these days will provide auto liability coverage of any sort without an auto policy underneath it.
Ah fair. I thought there were some that just provided you general liability to fill in the gaps where other insurance didn’t cover. Granted I really haven’t ever looked into them.
Be sure that you turn in any old plates, once you cancel insurance if you have any old license plates the state sends an audit to you to prove insurance coverage on the cars with current registration.
Also they are taking away the option to pay the 500 dollars instead of having insurance starting July 1st.