FAQs
Last Updated on September 29, 2026 by James Shaffer
These are short answers to the questions New York drivers ask us most, from what the law requires to what happens after a crash. Each one links to a full guide if you want the details. If your question isn’t here, you can contact us.
Required Coverage and New York Law
What Car Insurance Does New York Require?
Most vehicles registered in New York need these coverages from an insurer licensed in the state:
| Coverage | New York Minimum |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability | $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident |
| Death liability | $50,000 for one person / $100,000 for two or more people |
| Property damage liability | $10,000 per accident |
| No-fault (PIP) | $50,000 per person |
| Uninsured motorist | $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident |
The DMV keeps the official list of insurance requirements, and our guide to New York car insurance laws and requirements explains each one.
Can I Use Out-of-State Insurance on a New York Car?
No. The DMV does not accept out-of-state insurance, so a car registered in New York needs a policy from an insurer licensed here. If you’re moving to New York, line up a New York policy before you register the car. Our guide to buying and managing car insurance in New York covers the rest.
What Happens If My Insurance Lapses?
The DMV can suspend your registration and your license. If the lapse is 90 days or less, you can pay a civil penalty instead: $8 a day for days 1 to 30, $10 a day for days 31 to 60 and $12 a day for days 61 to 90.
After 90 days, paying isn’t an option. You have to surrender your plates and registration, your license is suspended for as long as the lapse lasted, and there’s a $50 suspension termination fee. Our guide to insurance lapses explains how to fix one.
What Is Proof of Insurance in New York?
Your insurer gives you New York insurance ID cards, either two paper cards or electronic access. Electronic cards work in most cases, but not for some policy types, such as dealer and self-insured vehicles. If you’re registering a vehicle, you have to do it within 180 days of the card’s effective date. See our guide to proof of insurance cards.
After an Accident
What Should I Do Right After a Car Accident?
Get help for anyone who’s hurt first. You must report the crash to the DMV if anyone is hurt or killed, or if property damage to any one person is more than $1,000. Then tell your insurance company. For injuries, written no-fault notice is due within 30 days of the accident.
Our guide to car accidents and insurance claims in New York takes it step by step.
Who Pays My Medical Bills After a Crash?
No-fault coverage pays first, no matter who caused the crash. Basic no-fault covers up to $50,000 per person for necessary medical bills, 80% of lost earnings up to $2,000 a month for up to three years, and up to $25 a day for other reasonable expenses.
Medical bills are due within 45 days of treatment and lost-wage claims within 90 days. DFS answers common questions in its no-fault FAQ, and our guide explains how car insurance pays medical bills.
Can I Sue the Driver Who Caused the Crash?
For injuries, only in some cases. No-fault limits injury lawsuits, but you can generally sue the at-fault driver if you have a “serious injury” as defined in New York Insurance Law §5102(d). Damage to your car is a separate claim, paid by your collision coverage or the at-fault driver’s property damage liability.
Lawsuits also have deadlines, which our guide on how long you have to sue explains.
What If the Driver Who Hit Me Had No Insurance?
Your required uninsured motorist coverage pays for injuries caused by an uninsured driver in New York. Optional SUM coverage adds protection against underinsured drivers and covers accidents outside New York, which basic uninsured motorist coverage doesn’t. Our guide to uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage explains both.
If you have no auto insurance of your own, MVAIC may help as a last resort.
Rates and Discounts
Why Does Car Insurance Cost More in New York?
Where you live matters a lot. Insurers divide New York into rating territories based on their claim costs, so drivers in areas with more or costlier claims pay more. Your driving record, your car and the coverage you choose count too. See why car insurance costs so much in New York.
How Do Tickets and Accidents Affect My Rate?
Insurers look at your driving record when they price a policy, so at-fault accidents and moving violations can raise your premium at renewal. DMV points are a separate system that can lead to a license suspension. Our guide explains how your driving record affects your rates.
How Can I Lower My Premium?
Compare quotes for the same coverage at each renewal, consider a higher collision and comprehensive deductible if you could cover it, and ask about every discount you might qualify for. Completing a DMV-approved defensive driving course cuts your liability and collision premiums by 10% for three years.
Our tips to lower your car insurance costs cover the rest, including every discount we’ve written about.
Buying, Switching and Canceling
How Do I Switch Insurers Without a Lapse?
Start the new policy before you cancel the old one so there’s no gap. Your insurer reports changes to the DMV electronically. If you’re dropping coverage and not replacing it, surrender your plates before the policy ends. See how to switch car insurance companies.
Can My Insurance Company Cancel My Policy?
In the first 60 days of a new policy, an insurer can cancel for any reason that isn’t against the law. After that, it can cancel mid-term only for nonpayment, fraud or misrepresentation, or certain license suspensions. If it decides not to renew, it must mail notice 45 to 60 days before the policy ends. See when your insurer can cancel or drop you.
What If No Insurer Will Sell Me a Policy?
The New York Automobile Insurance Plan (NYAIP) assigns drivers who can’t get coverage in the regular market to an insurer. It usually costs more, the insurer must keep you for three years, and you can move to a regular policy whenever one is available to you. Read more about the NYAIP and insurance for high-risk drivers.
Choosing an Insurer or Agent
Which Companies Sell Car Insurance in New York?
Many national insurers sell here, along with New York-based companies like NYCM, Preferred Mutual and Utica National. Our company reviews cover 22 of them, including GEICO, Progressive, State Farm, Allstate, Nationwide, Liberty Mutual and Mercury, plus what changed for MetLife and Safeco customers.
You can look up any company in the Department of Financial Services’ insurance company search and compare complaint records in its auto insurance complaint ranking.
How Do I Find a Local Agent?
Our car insurance guides by city list agencies in 52 New York cities and boroughs. An independent agent can quote several insurers at once, while a captive agent sells one company’s policies, so it’s worth asking which kind you’re talking to.
About This Site
Is NewYorkMotorInsurance.com an Insurance Company?
No. We’re an information site. We don’t sell, underwrite or issue policies. Any policy you buy comes from an insurance company, which sets the final price after it reviews your application.
How Does the Quote Form Work?
You enter your ZIP code and answer a few questions about your car and drivers. We may share what you submit with insurers, agents or companies that route quote requests so they can respond, and they may contact you by phone, text or email.
How Does This Site Make Money?
We may earn money from advertising and from partners when you request quotes or click certain links. Our About page explains how that works and how we keep it separate from our guides.
Do You Help Drivers Outside New York?
Our guides are written for New York drivers, and other states have different rules and minimums. If you live somewhere else, check your own state’s requirements before you buy.