120+ more){kind=small}
15 years at the Boston Globe
5+ years covering insurance industry
Doug joined Insurify as a senior content writer in 2025. He was previously a regular contributor to InsuranceNewsNet.
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Licensed property and casualty insurance agent
10+ years editing experience
NPN: 20461358
John is Insurify’s Chief Copy Editor, helping ensure the accuracy and readability of Insurify’s content. He’s a licensed agent specializing in home and car insurance topics.
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Licensed auto and home insurance agent
4+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing
NPN: 20564519
Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.
Updated
Non-owner car insurance covers drivers without a car. It primarily provides liability coverage when you drive a vehicle you don’t own, rather than insuring a specific vehicle.
For example, if you borrow a friend’s car in Richmond and you cause an accident, the owner’s policy generally pays first, but your non-owner coverage may provide secondary liability protection. However, it typically won’t include collision coverage or pay for damage to the borrowed car.
Virginia doesn’t generally require you to buy a non-owner car insurance policy simply because you have a driver’s license but don’t own a vehicle. But if you drive, you still need applicable coverage, and a non-owner policy can provide it if you regularly rent or borrow cars.[1]
Virginia’s minimum auto liability requirements for policies effective on or after Jan. 1, 2025, are:
$50,000 in bodily injury liability per person
$100,000 per accident
$25,000 in property damage liability
Virginia law also requires uninsured motorist (UM) coverage in auto liability policies, subject to statutory rules.[2] Unlike neighboring Maryland, Virginia doesn’t require personal injury protection (PIP); Maryland requires at least $2,500 of PIP unless waived.[3]
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Virginia law doesn’t require every driver without a vehicle to carry non-owner insurance. But some Virginians need proof of financial responsibility after serious violations or an insurance-related suspension, and a non-owner car insurance policy can help you maintain the required coverage without owning a car.
You may want non-owner coverage if you:
Frequently rent cars and want ongoing liability protection instead of relying only on insurance from the rental company.
Regularly borrow cars from friends or relatives outside your household.
Want to avoid a gap in auto insurance coverage before buying another vehicle.
Need an SR-22 insurance certificate or FR-44 filing to restore or maintain Virginia driving privileges, but you don’t own a vehicle.
The Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) says an uninsured-vehicle violation can require an SR-22 filing for three years. Uninsured/underinsured motorists are also a meaningful local risk: An estimated 12.9% of Virginia motorists were uninsured in 2023, according to Insurance Research Council data published by the Insurance Information Institute.[4]
An FR-44 is a certificate proving that a high-risk Virginia driver has the required liability insurance; it isn’t an insurance policy itself. Virginia requires FR-44 certification after certain convictions, including driving under the influence and driving while intoxicated (DUI/DWI), maiming while under the influence, and driving while a driver’s license is forfeited for a qualifying conviction.[5]
The Virginia DMV says FR-44 liability limits are double the state’s minimum-coverage requirements. With Virginia’s current $50,000/$100,000/$25,000 minimums, that means $100,000 per person, $200,000 per accident, and $50,000 for property damage.
Your insurance company files the FR-44 electronically with the DMV. You generally need proof of financial responsibility for three years from the applicable suspension or revocation end date. The FR-44 form itself doesn’t set your rate, but the underlying violation and higher required limits can make coverage more expensive.
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Non-owner car insurance in Virginia costs $48 per month, on average, according to Insurify data. That’s $2 more than the $46 national average, or about 4% higher. It’s still substantially cheaper than a standard Virginia auto insurance policy. Liability-only coverage averages $118 per month in Virginia, while full coverage averages $207.
You can see how the average rate for non-owner car insurance in Virginia compares to the national average. Keep in mind your actual quote may vary based on your driving history, location, coverage limits, and insurance company. A driver who needs an FR-44 may pay more because of the serious violation that triggered the filing and Virginia’s higher required liability limits.
Non-Owner Car Insurance | Average Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| Virginia average | $48 |
| National average | $46 |
Getting a non-owner car insurance policy in Virginia is similar to buying a standard auto insurance policy, but not every insurer offers this coverage. To find the right non-owner car insurance policy for you, follow these steps:
Decide what you need. If you only want protection when you rent or borrow cars, start with liability coverage. Ask about UM coverage and optional medical payments coverage, and remember Virginia doesn’t require PIP.
Check Virginia limits. Make sure the policy meets applicable state requirements, including $50,000/$100,000 bodily injury and $25,000 property damage liability for standard policies.
Tell the insurer about any filing requirements. If the DMV or a court requires you to have an SR-22 or FR-44, confirm that the insurance company can file it. An FR-44 requires double Virginia’s standard liability limits. Not all insurers will file an SR-22 or FR-44. If your insurer won’t, you’ll need to find coverage elsewhere.
Compare quotes and exclusions. Ask whether coverage applies to a rental car, borrowed vehicle, or car-sharing service and whether the vehicle owner’s policy pays first. Non-owner insurance generally doesn’t include collision or comprehensive coverage for the car you’re driving.
Non-owner coverage can fill several insurance gaps or lapses in coverage for Virginians who drive without owning a vehicle. If you still have questions, you may find your answers here.
No. Virginia doesn’t require a non-owner policy solely because you have a driver’s license without a car. But an SR-22 or FR-44 requirement may make non-owner coverage necessary to prove financial responsibility.
Virginians who frequently rent or borrow cars, want continuous coverage, or need an SR-22 or FR-44 without owning a vehicle should consider a non-owner policy.
Buying non-owner insurance doesn’t change your Virginia driving record. Traffic convictions still appear on your record, and your driving history can affect what an insurer charges for coverage.
Insurify data scientists analyzed more than 250 million quotes served to car insurance applicants in Insurify’s proprietary database to calculate the premium averages displayed on this page. These premiums are real quotes that come directly from Insurify’s 500+ partner insurance companies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Quote averages represent the median price for a quote across the given coverage level, driver subset, and geographic area.
Unless otherwise specified, quoted rates reflect the average cost for drivers between 20 and 70 years old with a clean driving record and average or better credit (a credit score of 600 or higher).
Liability-only premium averages correspond to policies with the following coverage limits:
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15 years at the Boston Globe
5+ years covering insurance industry
Doug joined Insurify as a senior content writer in 2025. He was previously a regular contributor to InsuranceNewsNet.
Licensed property and casualty insurance agent
10+ years editing experience
NPN: 20461358
John is Insurify’s Chief Copy Editor, helping ensure the accuracy and readability of Insurify’s content. He’s a licensed agent specializing in home and car insurance topics.
Licensed auto and home insurance agent
4+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing
NPN: 20564519
Katie uses her knowledge and expertise as a licensed property and casualty agent in Massachusetts to help readers understand the complexities of insurance shopping.
At Insurify, our goal is to help customers compare insurance products and find the best policy for them. We strive to provide open, honest, and unbiased information about the insurance products and services we review. Our hard-working team of data analysts, insurance experts, insurance agents, editors and writers, has put in thousands of hours of research to create the content found on our site.
We do receive compensation when a sale or referral occurs from many of the insurance providers and marketing partners on our site. That may impact which products we display and where they appear on our site. But it does not influence our meticulously researched editorial content, what we write about, or any reviews or recommendations we may make. We do not guarantee favorable reviews or any coverage at all in exchange for compensation.
