Non-owner car insurance in Oregon

What insurers offer non-owner car insurance in Oregon?

We priced 7 insurers here, ordered from the lowest price to the highest.

Oregon's minimum required coverage amounts, and the higher limits after a DUII

When you hurt someone else, the standard minimum in Oregon's system is $25,000 for each person. The total per accident is $50,000. Damage you cause to property needs $20,000 in coverage, a bit lower than the figure in many states. The source for the numbers is ORS 806.070 along with the Oregon DMV insurance requirements page.

The rules are different after a DUII. The injury amounts shown on the certificate go up under ORS 806.075, a section of chapter 806 of the Oregon Revised Statutes. A single injured person calls for $50,000; two or more call for $100,000. That same law lowers the property damage coverage to $10,000. Keep those raised limits in place for three years, counting from the date of your first required filing. Tell the insurance company about any DUII before they submit the form, so the certificate states the correct numbers.

Why do Oregon drivers end up needing an SR-22?

Oregon DMV requires an SR-22 on record, even for people who do not own a car, so a non-owner policy fits the situation well. A DUII conviction also raises the injury limits the certificate must carry.

Your insurer uses an SR-22 to give the DMV a written guarantee that you have the coverage the law demands. Four situations trigger the order, according to the DMV SR-22 page:

• a collision that happened when you were driving without a valid policy
• a vehicle you own was in a crash while it was uninsured
• being convicted of a DUII, of driving uninsured, or of a different traffic offense that the list includes
• asking for a hardship permit

The filing begins on the day the DMV receives it, as long as its offices are open. Do you want to prevent a suspension from starting? In that case, the filing has to reach the DMV at or before 5:00 p.m. one working day before that date. Restoring your driving privileges carries a fee of $85. A hardship permit application adds $75 that the DMV will not give back. The DMV fee schedule shows this.

Canceling the policy early, or moving out of Oregon

ORS 806.245 says that after three years from the required date, most filings expire. One exception exists. The filing can finish after one year when it was ordered by ORS 806.200 following an uninsured crash. Per ORS 806.300, you are required to give your license and registration back to DMV immediately if the policy is stopped earlier. Failing to do that is a Class C misdemeanor.

Even if you move to a different state, the certificate is still sent to Oregon DMV. A hold from a court debt is a different issue. You can set up a payment plan through the Department of Revenue License Reinstatement Program by putting down $200. Each payment must reach them by the due date; the plan has no grace period.

How age affects Oregon rates

Drivers in their teens pay roughly $1,505 each year. At age 40, the minimum coverage on a car you own costs an average of $834 yearly, which is about $190 above the $644 for a non-owner policy.