Non-owner car insurance in New York

What companies offer non-owner insurance in New York?

Quotes were gathered for 5 companies and are ordered by price, starting with the lowest.

New York's liability limits, stated in simple dollar figures

The minimum is set by Vehicle and Traffic Law section 311. A policy must pay $25,000 if one person is hurt, and $50,000 if several are hurt in one crash. Death resulting from the injuries raises the two amounts to $50,000 and $100,000. Coverage for property damage starts at $10,000.

No-fault rules also apply in New York. No matter who caused the crash, injury costs are paid first by your own policy.

According to the DMV insurance requirements page, your coverage has to come from an insurer the Department of Financial Services licenses. Insurance from another state will not be accepted.

New York has no SR-22: here is what takes its place

Because New York stopped requiring proof-of-responsibility filings many years back, there is no SR-22. A no-fault system is in place, and the DMV uses New York-issued insurance instead, which the company reports to it electronically.

Section 346 of the same law states that since February 1, 1957, proof of financial responsibility has not had to be filed or maintained by anyone. Your driving record therefore has no insurer certificate on it.

Coverage is verified by the DMV in a different way. An electronic notice is sent to the DMV by the company when a car is insured, and agents or brokers cannot file it. New York insurance ID cards are also given to the owner, and the DMV requires both.

Here, a non-owner policy is not a filing; it protects you in borrowed cars. Anyone behind the wheel of an owner’s car has to be ready to present proof of insurance for that car, the DMV states.

If your insurance lapses or you drive uninsured in New York, what will it cost you?

The DMV insurance lapses page takes a strict position. A lapse occurs for any period in which a registered car has no insurance. When a registration suspension extends beyond 90 days, you must surrender the plates and your license is lost for just as many days. It costs $50 to end that suspension.

It is worse to drive without coverage. The fine in traffic court may go up to $1,500, and a revoked license costs $750 in civil penalties to restore. Revocation for at least one year is the result of a crash in an uninsured car. Before the old policy ends, surrender the plates when you give up your car. During a registration suspension, a relative sharing your last name or address is not allowed to register the car, except with sworn form FS-2.

What you pay in New York, by age

A teenager pays roughly $813 each year. Insuring your own car at age 40, at the minimum level, averages $1,279 a year. That is about $673 more than the $606 average for a non-owner policy.