Whether you live in the Bronx or Manhattan, on Long Island, or Buffalo in upstate New York, if you own a car, having the right car insurance coverage is important – and required.

In order to register your car and obtain license plates in New York, you must either purchase an automobile liability insurance policy from an insurer licensed by the Department of Financial Services, or provide other acceptable proof of financial responsibility in at least the minimum amounts required by law.

New York Car Insurance – Minimum Coverages

Liability coverage in New York is a requirement. If your car is registered with the NY DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles), then your insurance must meet the New York liability coverage minimums. They are:

Bodily Injury
Minimum $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident

Property Damage
Minimum $10,000

Uninsured/Underinsured Bodily Injury
Minimum $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident

Basic Personal Injury Protection
Minimum $50,000

New York Is a No-Fault Insurance State

New York also requires that you have no-fault coverage, which helps you with costs after an accident regardless of who was at fault. New York basic no-fault coverage includes a limit of $50,000 per person to cover the following:

• Your accident-related medical expenses.
• 80% of lost income due to injuries from a car accident, with a limit of $2,000 per month for up to 3 years.
• Up to $25 a day for expenses such as household help (for up to 1 year from the date of the accident).
• A $2,000 death benefit on top of the $50,000 limit.

No-fault insurance covers your medical costs after an accident, before your health insurance. If your medical costs exceed your no-fault coverage limit, your health insurance will take over.

Proof of Insurance

Your car insurance company is required to electronically notify the DMV of your car insurance coverage. When you register your car, the DMV will verify your car insurance with the electronic notice and your insurance card.

If you do not have liability insurance, you must surrender your vehicle plates to the DMV immediately. You must respond to the letter you receive from the DMV or surrender your license plates to prevent the suspension of your registration and driver license. If you do not have insurance coverage and you do not surrender your vehicle plates to the DMV, keep these points in mind:

• Your registration and driver license are suspended indefinitely
• If you had a lapse in insurance coverage and did not surrender your vehicle plates immediately, your registration is suspended for period that you did not have insurance coverage, but did hold the vehicle plates.
• If the period is more than 90 days, your driver license is also suspended for the same number of days as the registration.

To reinstate your driver license, you must pay a termination fee of $25 when the suspension ends. For a suspension with an effective date on or after July 6, 2009, the termination fee is $50.

You can prevent the suspension of your registration and driver license if you surrender your vehicle plates to the DMV before your liability insurance lapses. You are not required to surrender your vehicle plates for a suspension of 90 days or shorter if you pay a civil penalty. You cannot use the civil penalty option if the lapse is longer than 90 days or you used this option in the past 3 years.

The civil penalty amounts shown below are the amounts for suspensions that take effect on or after October 1, 2005. The civil penalty amount is:

• $8 per day for each day of the lapse from day 1 through day 30
• $10 per day for each day of the lapse from day 31 through day 60
• $12 per day for each day of the lapse from day 61 through day 90

Driving in the Big Apple can be a big headache, especially if you’re caught without auto insurance. Request a free car insurance quote by calling us at 800-777-5620 or by entering your zip code at the top of the page.

*Please note state minimums may change. Check with New York DMV if you have additional questions about current state minimums.