Last updated: January 10th, 2023
Reviewed by
Grant Desselle
Licensed Insurance Agent
To legally drive a car, there’s a lot of paperwork needed, like registration, insurance, and most importantly, a driver’s license. If you’re missing even one of these, you’re looking at fines, possible jail time, or even lawsuits if you were to get into an accident without them.
On the other hand, you don’t actually need a driver’s license to own a car — you just can’t drive it. However, unless your vehicle is stored in a garage and is never driven, you do need insurance coverage for it. But where can I get insurance without a license?
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Before we answer, “Where can I get insurance without a license?”, let’s first take a look at why you may even need this. There are many reasons that a person might get insurance even when they don’t have a driver’s license, ranging from medical issues to legal troubles. What’s important to know is that any vehicle that you own, if it’s going to be driven by anyone, must have insurance on it. These are some of the most common reasons for buying auto insurance without a license.
Many people are unable to drive themselves due to age or medical conditions that make operating a vehicle unsafe. These people may have family members or paid chauffeurs drive them around using their vehicle, in which case they will still need auto insurance even though they don’t have a driver’s license.
Most states allow teenagers as young as 14 or 15 to drive a vehicle before getting a driver’s license. Typically this happens after the driver has passed a written test demonstrating that they know the rules of the road and allows them to get some practice before taking the actual driving test. These young drivers still need to insure their vehicle, even if they don’t yet have a driver’s license.
| State | Minimum age (years) |
|---|---|
| Alabama | 15 |
| Alaska | 14 |
| Arizona | 15 and 6 months |
| Arkansas | 14 |
| California | 15 and 6 months |
| Colorado | 15 |
| Connecticut | 16 |
| Delaware | 16 |
| Florida | 15 |
| Georgia | 15 |
| Hawaii | 15 and 6 months |
| Idaho | 14 and 6 months |
| Illinois | 15 |
| Indiana | 15 |
| Iowa | 14 |
| Kansas | 14 |
| Kentucky | 16 |
| Louisiana | 15 |
| Maine | 15 |
| Maryland | 15 |
| Massachusetts | 16 |
| Michigan | 14 and 8 months |
| Minnesota | 15 |
| Mississippi | 15 |
| Missouri | 15 |
| Montana | 14 and 6 months |
| Nebraska | 15 |
| Nevada | 15 and 6 months |
| New Hampshire | 15 and 6 months |
| New Jersey | 16 |
| New Mexico | 15 |
| New York | 16 |
| North Carolina | 15 |
| North Dakota | 14 and 6 months |
| Ohio | 15 and 6 months |
| Oklahoma | 15 and 6 months |
| Oregon | 15 |
| Pennsylvania | 16 |
| Rhode Island | 16 |
| South Carolina | 15 |
| South Dakota | 14 |
| Tennessee | 15 |
| Texas | 15 |
| Utah | 15 |
| Vermont | 15 |
| Virginia | 15 and 6 months |
| Washington | 15 |
| West Virginia | 15 |
| Wisconsin | 15 |
| Wyoming | 14 |
Homeowner’s insurance policies typically do not cover vehicles, primarily because vehicles are very expensive compared to the other items that are insured under a household policy. If your car is in storage and you don’t have a license, you won’t need liability or collision insurance, but you’ll still want comprehensive coverage for your vehicle to protect it against vandalism, theft, fires, and natural disasters.
Your driver’s license can be revoked for six months to a year in many states as a punishment for too many moving violations, driving without insurance, or driving under the influence. Those states typically require a driver’s insurance company to file an SR-22 form, which indicates that the driver has purchased a policy that meets the state’s minimum insurance requirements and that there have been no lapses in coverage. Even if a driver doesn’t own a car, filing an SR-22 is often a condition of getting their license reinstated.
Not all insurance companies provide coverage for unlicensed drivers, but many do, so if you’re wondering whether you can get car insurance without a license, it pays to shop around. When buying a policy, there are a few things you can do to make it clear that you won’t be driving the vehicle. However, since this is a somewhat unusual situation, it’s usually better to run a free quote with an auto insurance agency who can walk you through your options.
As you do not have a driver’s license and will not be driving the vehicle, your insurance company will need to assess the premiums for liability coverage on another driver’s record. When picking a policy, carefully consider who will be doing most of the driving with your car and whether they are considered a safe driver.
When you purchase car insurance, it’s assumed that you will be the primary driver on the policy and that you might add other drivers in your household. The premium price is determined by your driving record, but you’re not actually required to be a driver on your policy. You can exclude yourself or any member of your household that won’t be driving the insured vehicle. This could be useful in a situation where you own a car but need someone else to drive it for you.
Perhaps you don’t have a driver’s license and you own a vintage car that gets trailered and taken to car shows or maybe you have a car that isn’t operational right now. You should still buy coverage for these vehicles to protect them from vandalism, theft, fires, or natural disasters. When purchased alongside liability and collision insurance, this is usually called comprehensive coverage. However, if you’re buying coverage for these vehicles without those other types of insurance or even a driver’s license, it’s sometimes called parked car insurance. This is considerably cheaper than liability and collision insurance but usually requires the car to be stored off-street in a garage or parking area.
There’s no law stating that you can’t buy a car without a license, but in practice, it’s quite difficult. Dealers won’t allow you to test drive a car without a license and you’ll need someone with a license to drive it off the lot or have the vehicle delivered by the dealership.
In most states, you do not need to have a driver’s license to register a vehicle. What’s important is that you are a resident of the county where you’re attempting to register the vehicle, which you can prove with utility bills, a voter registration card, or bank statements. All but a few states require proof of insurance before they will register your vehicle.
It’s time to answer, “Where can I get insurance without a license?”. The major auto insurance companies are much less likely to provide no license car insurance. You’re better off going with a local or regional agent that has more leeway when writing your policy. If you purchase insurance from a nationwide company like Progressive or Geico, you might want to add someone with a license to the policy as the primary driver.
Brian is the founder and CEO of Insurist and carries Life, Health, and Property & Casualty licenses in all 50 U.S. states. Since 2013, Brian has been a member of Million Dollar Round Table, a designation for the top 1% of financial advisors worldwide. Brian has been featured in Yahoo! Finance, Money.com, Entrepreneur.com, Life Happens, Forbes, MSN, and Good Financial Cents. Brian’s goal is to show customers the best products, the quickest answers to their questions, and provide expert advice.
Grant's past experience includes work as a licensed sales agent for Hagerty Insurance. He has reviewed thousands of existing auto policies across the nation and issued hundreds of new ones on everything ranging from classic cars undergoing restoration to modern exotics and motorcycles.
