Non-owner car insurance in Iowa

What insurers offer non-owner coverage to Iowa drivers?

Listed from least to most expensive, here are quotes from 7 companies.

The lowest coverage an operator's policy must have in Iowa

You can read about the operator's policy in Iowa Code section 321A.21. Coverage follows the named person, not a particular car, any time that person operates a vehicle they do not own. The required dollar amounts come from the auto insurance section of the Iowa Insurance Division. When one person is injured or killed, you need $20,000; the limit is $40,000 for two or more. An amount of $15,000 is required for harm to somebody else's property.

What if no insurer will accept you? When the standard market turns you away, the Insurance Division directs you to the Iowa Automobile Insurance Plan, a fallback for getting insured.

The form the Iowa DOT wants: an SR-22

In Iowa, the two-year SR-22 clock begins on the first day your license is suspended, not when it gets reinstated. There is also an operator's policy in the code; it covers a named individual when they drive a car that belongs to someone else.

According to the Iowa DOT page about verifying coverage after a suspension, the proof period begins on day one of the suspension or revocation and lasts two years. Only an Iowa-authorized insurer can file an SR-22, which is a standard form used to prove to the DOT that you have coverage. Should the proof lapse, your license and registrations are both suspended by the DOT.

Drivers who borrow cars should know one DOT rule. Only the vehicles that appear on your SR-22 may be driven or registered by you. Before you start driving, check with the agent to see exactly what a non-owner filing will state.

The DOT OWI page lists a $200 civil penalty, a course for drinking drivers, and a $20 reinstatement fee after an OWI, Iowa's name for impaired driving. Drivers under 21 who face a zero-tolerance revocation do not have to file an SR-22.

Getting to an Iowa job on a suspended license

Suspended drivers may be able to get a temporary restricted license, called a work permit in Iowa. On its temporary restricted license page, the DOT names the SR-22 as a needed step, plus any civil penalties and the $20 reinstatement charge. So you need the filing first, and the permit comes after.

A work vehicle follows its own set of rules. The company's insurer can put an SR-23 on file under the business name. This coverage protects you solely when you are in vehicles belonging to your employer. As an alternative form of proof, the DOT will take a $55,000 surety bond, or the same sum in cash or securities.

What you pay in Iowa, broken down by age

For teens, the yearly cost runs about $868. Minimum insurance on a car you own averages $481 annually when you are 40, around $201 more than the $280 for a non-owner policy.