Car Insurance Requirements in Virginia (2025)
You must carry bodily injury liability coverage and property damage liability coverage to drive in Virginia.
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Virginia, like every state except New Hampshire, requires you to carry a minimum amount of liability car insurance. But the minimum coverage requirements in Virginia differ from those in other parts of the country. That’s why it’s important to understand what’s expected in Virginia.
Here’s what you need to know to drive safely and legally in the Old Dominion.
Virginia car insurance requirements
Virginia increased its minimum coverage limits as of Jan. 1, 2025. Here are the minimum coverage limits for policies effective through Dec. 31, 2024, and for all policies effective on or after Jan. 1, 2025.1
Bodily injury liability
Liability coverage is broken into two coverage types. Bodily injury helps cover any medical bills related to another driver’s injuries that you’re responsible for after an accident with your vehicle.
Bodily injury will also cover your legal bills if someone sues you as a result of the accident. Your insurer will cover the cost of a legal defense or pay any settlements or judgments, up to your coverage limits.
In many cases, state-mandated minimum coverage levels may not be enough in the event of a serious accident. In these instances, once you exceed your coverage limit, you’ll have to cover any additional expenses out of pocket.
Property damage liability
The other component of liability car insurance is property damage coverage.
This coverage will pay to repair the other person’s vehicle if you’re at fault in an accident. It’ll also pay to repair damage to fences, mailboxes, garage doors, and any other property. Coverage limits apply to property damage as well.
Do you need more than state-minimum coverage in Virginia?
State-minimum liability coverage is available as stand-alone coverage or as part of a full-coverage policy. But in most cases, the state-required minimums aren’t enough coverage to properly protect you.
If you’re carrying a liability-only policy, you can choose the state-minimum limits or higher coverage limits depending on your needs. Here are a couple of situations where carrying the state minimums might make sense:
You drive an old vehicle. If you’d replace your vehicle instead of repairing it after an accident, carrying a liability-only policy might make sense. A liability-only policy will protect you if you injure someone or damage their property, and your premium will be lower since you aren’t carrying collision or comprehensive coverage.
You can’t afford additional coverage. Carrying the state-minimum required coverage can be risky, but if your budget is limited, it may be your only option. If you’re responsible for a serious accident, the state-required minimums can be quickly eaten up by hospital bills, and once you reach your policy limits, you’ll have to cover any additional costs out of pocket.
If you’re seeking additional coverage, consider full coverage. A full-coverage policy includes liability and adds collision and comprehensive protection.
In all, a full-coverage policy may make sense for you if:
You lease or have a loan to pay for your vehicle. If you lease your vehicle or you have a car loan, your lender will probably require full coverage on the vehicle. Technically, your lender owns the vehicle until you make that last payment, and it’ll want the vehicle repaired or replaced if it’s damaged or destroyed.
You can’t afford to replace your vehicle. Even if you don’t have a loan on your vehicle, you may still find it difficult to replace it if it were totaled in an accident. Carrying full-coverage insurance ensures your vehicle is repaired or replaced after a covered incident.
Penalties for driving without proof of insurance in Virginia
The penalties for driving without insurance or not paying the UMV fee can be severe. According to the Virginia DMV, if your insurance coverage terminates during your registration period, you must do one of the following:
Reinsure the vehicle. You’ll need to put a new insurance policy in place and provide proof to the DMV before driving. To reactivate your plates and registration, you need to provide proof of insurance and have no outstanding financial obligations to the DMV. If your insurance can’t be verified, your driving privileges and vehicle registration may be suspended.
Deactivate or surrender your plates. If you can’t get insurance coverage or pay the uninsured motorist fee, you can deactivate your plates on Virginia’s DMV website or permanently surrender them to the DMV.3
Cheapest liability-only car insurance in Virginia
The average cost of a liability-only policy in Virginia is $112 per month.
Liability-only insurance won’t pay to repair your vehicle if it’s damaged in an accident, but it’ll help cover the costs of hospital bills for the other party if you caused the accident. It’ll also pay to repair the other person’s vehicle when you’re at fault.
Here’s a look at the average monthly liability-only quotes from leading insurers in Virginia.
Cheapest full-coverage car insurance in Virginia
In Virginia, the average cost of a full-coverage policy is $179 per month. Full coverage includes liability coverage as well as collision and comprehensive, which will pay to repair your vehicle if it’s damaged.
If your vehicle is leased or you have a car loan, your lender will usually require full coverage on the vehicle to protect its investment until you’ve paid off the loan.
Here’s a look at the average monthly quotes for full-coverage insurance from leading insurers in Virginia.
Optional car insurance coverages to consider
Virginia drivers are required to carry liability insurance, but a number of other coverages are available that you should consider for additional protection, including:
Virginia car insurance requirements FAQs
If you’re looking for more information about the minimum car insurance requirements in Virginia, this additional information might be helpful.
Does Virginia require car insurance?
Yes. As of Jan. 1, 2025, Virginia requires drivers to carry minimum liability insurance of 50/100/25. This translates to $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident in bodily injury liability coverage, as well as $25,000 in property damage liability coverage.
Does insurance follow the car or the driver in Virginia?
Like in most other states, insurance follows the car in Virginia. This means that if you let someone borrow your car and they cause an accident, your car insurance will be the primary coverage for the accident, not the insurance of the person who borrowed your vehicle.
What is the current law in Virginia about car insurance?
Changes in Virginia’s UM/UIM coverage took effect for all policies dated after July 1, 2023. “UM/UIM” stands for “uninsured/underinsured motorist” coverage. UM/UIM will help cover your costs if you’re injured in an accident where the other driver is at fault and isn’t carrying any car insurance or their coverage levels are too low to cover your damages.
Changes were made to the underinsured portion of this coverage. Prior to the changes, your UIM coverage was calculated by subtracting the at-fault driver’s liability limits from your UIM coverage. This means if you were carrying $100,000 in UIM coverage and the at-fault driver only had $50,000 in liability coverage, you would only have access to $50,000 to cover your injuries.
The change allows both coverages to be “stacked,” which means you now have access to the full amount of your UIM coverage as well as the other driver’s liability insurance. Using the example above, you would now have $150,000 to help cover your medical bills related to the accident.
Do you need insurance to drive someone else’s car in Virginia?
It depends. If someone gives you permission to drive their car, their insurance policy should cover the vehicle. But if you don’t have insurance and get into an accident while driving someone else’s car, you’d be on the hook for any damages.
If you don’t have a car, it’s a good idea to have a non-owner insurance policy. These policies cost less than standard liability coverage, but they protect you when you drive a car that belongs to someone else.
Can you register a car in Virginia without insurance?
No. You can’t register a car in Virginia without insurance. You must have an insurance policy in place that meets Virginia’s minimum liability coverage requirements before you can register your vehicle in the state.3
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