How to Get Car Insurance With a Suspended License

A suspended driver’s license is a serious situation. But even if you can’t legally get behind the wheel, chances are you’ll still need to have car insurance.

Getting insurance with a suspended license can be difficult. Here’s what to know about car insurance when your license has been suspended.

How to get car insurance with a suspended license

You can get car insurance with a suspended license, but it might not be as easy to find a policy. Some insurance companies won’t offer coverage if a DUI or other high-risk behavior is the reason for your license suspension.

However, you can find car insurance with a suspended license in a few ways:

• Consider insurers specializing in high-risk drivers. If you’re having trouble finding a policy with a traditional insurer, look for non-standard car insurance companies. Typically, they also file SR-22 or FR-44 certificates on your behalf with your state if needed. These documents prove you have the minimum legally required coverage, but not all insurers offer filing services.

• List yourself as an excluded driver. Insurers may raise rates for your spouse or other family members in your household unless you list yourself as excluded, meaning you won’t drive any insured household vehicles. Excluding yourself as a primary driver isn’t the same as being removed, but your policy won’t cover accidents that occur while you’re driving.

• Compare multiple car insurance quotes and policies. Your rate will probably increase significantly after a license suspension, but getting quotes from multiple insurers, speaking with an insurance agent to figure out which coverage types you need, and comparing your options can help you find the best deal, no matter your situation.

• Obtain coverage through a risk pool. If you can’t find insurance through a traditional company, consider joining your state’s assigned risk pool.^[1] Auto insurance companies participate voluntarily and must provide coverage to every driver the state assigns. However, premiums tend to be significantly higher, so risk pools are usually a last resort.

Do you need car insurance with a suspended license?

When your driver’s license has been suspended, it can be tough to get or maintain car insurance. However, you still might be able to purchase coverage without a valid driver’s license. In fact, insurance may be required if someone else will be driving your car while your license is suspended.

In some cases, though, an insurer may reject your application for coverage if your driver’s license has been suspended. Additionally, your insurance company might cancel your coverage in this situation. If you fall into either of those categories, you might still own a car, but be unable to obtain the required car insurance. This would lead to a lapse in coverage.

Practically every state requires motorists to carry basic car insurance. So, if your coverage lapses, you could: 

• Be subjected to penalties, including license and registration suspension, if you’re caught driving without insurance

• Be sued if you lack insurance to cover damage or injuries that you cause in a crash

• Face higher car insurance premiums when you look for new insurance

You might consider applying for a hardship or restricted license, which lets you keep driving but with limitations, such as driving only to and from work, school, or doctor’s appointments. You also might look into a conditional license, which offers limited driving privileges once you complete a driver’s education course.

Your driver’s license may be suspended for a number of reasons, such as:

• Driving while intoxicated or under the influence of drugs

• Driving recklessly

• Leaving the scene of an accident

• Accumulating points for crashes and traffic violations

• Failing to maintain adequate car insurance

• Failing to pay motor vehicle fines, fees, or surcharges

• Failing to pay court fines, fees, or surcharges

• Failing to comply with a child support order

• Failing to appear in court for a traffic ticket or parking ticket

Cost of car insurance for unlicensed drivers

Depending on why your license is suspended, standard auto insurers might not offer coverage, particularly if your driving record shows you’re a risky or accident-prone driver, says Mark Friedlander, director of corporate communications at the nonprofit Insurance Information Institute.

“It is very difficult, if not impossible, to get auto insurance with a suspended license,” he adds. “Once your license is reinstated, you may still have a very difficult time obtaining coverage.”

However, non-standard insurers specialize in covering high-risk drivers, usually at a more expensive rate. As a last resort, you might apply for your state’s assigned risk pool. Insurance companies that participate in risk pools must accept every driver the state assigns them.

Even though coverage through the state risk pool is usually more expensive, it still provides car insurance, no matter what’s on your driving record.

The average car insurance cost of full coverage for unlicensed drivers comes from Insurify’s proprietary database of more than 90 million quotes.

Car insurance coverage for drivers with a suspended license

When companies do agree to offer coverage when you have a suspended license, you might find that it costs significantly more than you previously paid. At the very least, you might expect to pay more than $255 a month for this type of coverage, based on Insurify’s data.

If you’ve financed your car, your lender may require comprehensive and collision insurance as part of the lending agreement to protect its asset: the car itself.^[2]

You would have to purchase collision and comprehensive coverages in addition to state-mandated liability coverage.

SR-22s for drivers with a suspended license

Following a license suspension, a court or the department of motor vehicles in your state might require you to get a document known as an SR-22 from your insurer. The document, also called a certificate of financial responsibility, proves you carry the minimum amount of coverage needed to reinstate your driving privileges.

Florida and Virginia may require a document known as an FR-44, which is similar to an SR-22, except that an FR-44 applies only to DUI or DWI cases, and requires higher liability limits than an SR-22.

A driver with an SR-22 or FR-44 might pay more for coverage than a driver without one of these documents because some insurers view SR-22 and FR-44 drivers as high-risk, particularly drivers who are convicted of DUI or DWI.

The cost of car insurance for a driver who requires an SR-22 could range anywhere from $163 to $500 a month. Check out some quotes from top companies below, sourced directly from Insurify’s proprietary database of more than 90 million quotes.

Why do you need car insurance if you don’t have a license?

Even if you’re not driving, non-collision damages or a hit-and-run could damage your vehicle. A car thief could also steal your vehicle, leaving you financially responsible for the total cost of replacement. Maintaining certain types of car insurance ensures you won’t be stuck with major out-of-pocket expenses.

Comprehensive car insurance covers theft and damage from natural disasters, fires, hail, wind, storms, rocks, vandalism, and falling objects, like tree branches. If someone hits your car while it’s parked and flees the scene, your insurance company will usually consider the unknown driver uninsured, so uninsured motorist property damage coverage would pay for repairs in most states.

If your spouse, caregiver, teenager, or other people drive your car while you have a suspended license, you still need to carry your state’s mandated liability insurance.^[3] Likewise, if you finance or lease your vehicle, your lender or lessor will likely require you to carry insurance to protect itself financially from car theft and damages unrelated to driving.

Maintaining auto insurance with a suspended license can also help you save on your future premiums since insurers prefer proof of continuous coverage. Most states will also require insurance to reinstate your license and registration. And if you lease or finance your vehicle, your leasing company or lender most likely requires you to have continuous full coverage on it.