Non-owner car insurance in Florida

Which insurers in Florida offer non-owner policies?

Quotes were gathered from 6 companies, listed from cheapest upward.

Under Florida law, what must a non-owner policy include?

Florida uses a no-fault system. Under this setup, whoever caused the crash, your own insurance takes care of your medical bills first. Most drivers do not need any bodily injury coverage, according to Florida Statutes section 324.022. A policy must include property damage liability at $10,000, paying for items you hit, such as a fence or someone else's vehicle.

A second requirement is $10,000 in personal injury protection (PIP), which section 627.736 created. FLHSMV states that PIP pays 80 percent of your reasonable and necessary medical expenses, up to the $10,000 cap.

Does Florida want an SR-22 or an FR-44 from you?

For most drivers, Florida does not require the usual bodily injury minimum, asking instead for personal injury protection plus property damage. That situation shifts with a DUI, because the state then demands an FR-44 carrying far higher liability limits.

The department for highway safety and motor vehicles in Florida (FLHSMV) processes both forms. The SR-22, according to the department’s insurance requirements page, is a filing that proves bodily injury and property damage liability coverage. Your insurer files it with the state on your behalf. So an SR-22 policy adds the injury coverage that the basic minimum does not call for.

The FLHSMV DUI questions page says anyone convicted of DUI after October 1, 2007 needs an FR-44 in its place. A person hurt is covered up to $100,000, a whole crash up to $300,000, and property up to $50,000. A combined single limit of $350,000 is also acceptable. Section 324.023 requires these higher limits for at least three years, counted by FLHSMV from the date your license is reinstated.

You have no car in your name? You can place either certificate on a non-owner policy, giving you protection any time you borrow another person’s car.

Going non-owner after selling your car in Florida

For the full registration term, a registered vehicle must stay insured in Florida. Going without coverage could mean losing your license and plate for as long as three years. FLHSMV advises owners to turn in the plate first, then cancel the insurance.

After a lapse, each time you reinstate, the fee goes up based on section 324.0221. The first time costs $150, and the second costs $250. For each one after that, still within three years of your first reinstatement, you pay $500.

A Florida license can also be suspended over an unpaid ticket from a different state. According to the FLHSMV page on court suspensions, you must provide a paid receipt sealed by that county court.

How age changes the cost in Florida

If you are a teen, expect to pay about $1,979 a year. At age 40, the average yearly cost to insure a car you own with minimum coverage is $1,228, which runs about $560 above a non-owner policy at $668.