Non-owner car insurance in Louisiana

What companies offer non-owner insurance in Louisiana?

Rates were checked for 4 companies, listed from cheapest up. USAA costs $302 and is open only to military families.

What is the required liability coverage in Louisiana?

The state's minimum requirement is called 15/30/25. Think of it as $15,000 for hurting a single person, and $30,000 for hurting two or more. Damage you cause to property is covered for up to $25,000. Every vehicle, according to the Louisiana Department of Insurance consumer guide, is subject to those limits.

The same guide also states that any automobile you own must be insured. A non-owner policy takes the opposite approach. It covers you, the driver, when you get behind the wheel of a borrowed or rented car, with limits that still satisfy the 15/30/25 minimum.

In what situations does the Louisiana OMV require an SR-22?

If you drive without insurance in Louisiana, you could lose part of the money from your own accident claim. After a DWI or a refused chemical test, the Office of Motor Vehicles also requires that an SR-22 stay on file for three years.

An SR-22 is a brief form your insurance company sends to the state, confirming you have the necessary coverage. The OMV suspensions page says you must maintain this filing for three years. If you refused the chemical test, the three-year period starts on your arrest date. For a DWI or underage DUI conviction, the period starts on the conviction date.

The reinstatement amount grows with each DWI. A first costs $100, a second $200, and a third or beyond costs $300. The fee is $60 for an underage DUI, and $50 for a refusal. According to the OMV disqualifications page, commercial driver disqualifications are subject to the same SR-22 requirements.

If you have no car, a non-owner policy can be bought and the insurer files the SR-22 on it.

No Pay, No Play and other penalties in Louisiana for a lapse in coverage

Under Louisiana's No Pay, No Play law, an uninsured driver cannot recover the first $15,000 of injury costs or the first $25,000 of property damage costs. This applies regardless of who is at fault. The LDI guide also describes additional consequences. A crash while you are uninsured can result in losing your vehicle registrations and a 180-day license suspension.

You could also face a separate penalty for selling or parking a car you owned. The OMV cancellations page says the fee depends on how long your insurance has been interrupted. A gap lasting 2 to 30 days results in a $125 fee. A gap lasting 31 to 90 days comes with a $275 charge. If the gap runs longer, the cost is $525. For anyone 65 or older, the fee never goes above $250.

Use the free OMV Driver License Status Inquiry before you head to an office. The tool lists any flag or reinstatement problem that stops a license or registration from going through. You must clear all flags before the OMV will process anything else.

What you pay in Louisiana, by age

A teenager can expect to pay about $2,004 each year. At age 40, the average annual cost to insure a car you own with minimum coverage is $1,033. That is around $623 higher than a non-owner policy, which averages $410.