How To Take Care Of Car Accident Repair Without Insurance

At least some amount of car insurance coverage is legally required in about states in the U.S. If yous live in a land where car insurance isn't legally required, you still need to exist able to pay for whatsoever damage or injuries you cause with your car. The best fashion to make sure y'all can practice that is, well, to take automobile insurance. But what happens if you go into an accident without insurance?

The severity of the consequences will depend on where y'all live, who was at error, and how much damage the accident caused. But no matter what, getting into an accident when you don't have insurance isn't going to be a simple fix.

Key Takeaways

If you're the at-mistake driver in a car blow and you don't take insurance, you'll exist on the hook financially for whatsoever damage y'all crusade
The consequences for driving without insurance vary based on where you live, who was at mistake, and how much impairment was caused in the accident
If the other party is at-mistake for causing an accident, you can file a third-party claim through their insurance company to get compensation for the harm, but you may yet face consequences for driving uninsured

If yous live in a state that requires machine insurance

Most states crave at least a minimum of car insurance coverage, and getting defenseless driving without insurance, even if y'all oasis't had an accident, can pb to serious consequences. Some of the penalties for driving without insurance can include:

License suspension
License revocation
Fines
Jail time

And that'southward simply for driving without insurance. What if you get in an accident?

1. If yous're at fault

If you lot have an blow and you're the at-fault driver, you'll face up penalties for driving uninsured and exist on the hook financially for whatever damage y'all cause. The commuter can likewise sue you, and y'all'd have to pay all your legal fees out of pocket too.

If yous don't have the money to pay for the damage and injuries you acquired, the court may allow the other driver to recoup those costs through wage garnishment, which means the money you owe them would come directly out of your paycheck. The combined costs for causing an blow could be thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of dollars — much more than yous'd save by not paying for car insurance.

Just this as well depends on where in the U.S. y'all are. There are 12 states that are called no-fault insurance states, where drivers must get compensation for damage and injuries from their own insurance company, no thing who was at fault in a auto accident. If you were driving uninsured and acquired an accident in one of those 12 states, the other commuter will be paid out from their ain insurance. Unless you cause above a certain threshold of damage, you may not owe them for the damage and injuries you caused, although you may still face consequences for driving uninsured.

2. If the other driver is at mistake

What well-nigh if you were driving without insurance and another driver acquired an accident? If you don't have your own car insurance, your land may identify limits on what you're able to get from that commuter and their insurance. And yous'll still face penalties for driving without insurance.

If you live in a state that doesn't require machine insurance

At that place are two states that don't legally require you to accept car insurance: New Hampshire and Virginia. In Virginia, you lot must pay the country Department of Motor Vehicles a $500 fee to exist able to drive uninsured. And in both states, if you're driving without insurance, you're still financially responsible for whatever property impairment or injuries you cause.

So if you get into an accident without insurance in either of those states, a few things tin happen.

1. If you're at mistake

If you were the at-fault commuter in the accident and you lot don't have insurance, you'll have to pay out of pocket for any damage or injuries you acquired — even though you don't have coverage, the other commuter has the correct to recover damages from you, pregnant they can sue. Car insurance will comprehend legal fees, but if y'all're uninsured, that would too exist an out-of-pocket expense.

Depending on the severity of the accident, you may also have to report the accident to your state's DMV. You also run a risk having your license suspended and other serious consequences.

2. If the other commuter is at error

If the other driver is at fault, you'd file a third-party merits with their insurance, and that should cover the damage or injuries they caused. If they as well don't accept insurance so they're however responsible for paying you for any damage or injuries they acquired.

You also accept the correct to take them to court — only you lot should check your land'south statute of limitations. About states give you three years to file a lawsuit against another commuter afterwards an accident, so if you drag your anxiety likewise long, your window of opportunity may shut.

How to find affordable car insurance

Insurance companies use many different factors to make up one's mind your car insurance rates, including your location, your driving history, and the make and model of your automobile. Only some of these factors (including having lapses in coverage) can really enhance your rates, making information technology difficult to discover affordable motorcar insurance. When looking for the cheapest automobile insurance policy, you should:

Compare quotes at multiple companies to find the cheapest rates
Look for discounts, like for going paperless or driving a machine with sure safety features
Maintain a make clean driving record
Heighten your deductible

If yous have a history of lapses in your automobile insurance coverage, y'all may need to await into what'south called loftier-run a risk motorcar insurance, or nonstandard auto-insurance. Most major carriers will insure loftier-hazard drivers, but at a higher cost than standard policies. However, if your record is especially poor, you may to check out smaller companies that specialize in writing policies for high-risk drivers.

If machine insurance seems too expensive, or if y'all're worried that a poor driving record volition make it hard for you to detect affordable insurance, a Policygenius expert tin help you find a policy that fits your budget and your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if someone hits me but I don't have insurance?

If someone hits you with their car, their insurance (specifically their liability coverage) will pay for the impairment to you lot and your motorcar. You can file a third-party claim directly to the other political party's insurance company and their insurance will deal with making a settlement. But if yous live in a land where insurance is required, you may still face consequences for driving without insurance.

What happens if another driver hits me and they do not have insurance?

If you're striking past an uninsured driver simply you have motorcar insurance, you can file a claim under your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM). UM/UIM pays for your medical expenses and vehicle repairs if you lot're hit by someone without insurance or non enough to cover the full extent of the harm. If yous accept collision coverage, y'all tin can likewise file a claim to get your vehicle repaired later on the accident, regardless of who caused information technology.

What is the cheapest car insurance company?

After comparison quotes from five of the largest auto insurance companies in the U.S., we found that Progressive had the cheapest rates for a full coverage policy, at $864 per year for our sample driver. This is hundreds of dollars cheaper than the national average price of car insurance in the U.Due south. which is effectually $1,190 per year, simply think that rates can vary widely from driver to driver.

Anna Swartz is a managing editor and auto insurance expert at Policygenius, where she oversees our car insurance coverage. Previously, she was a senior staff writer at Mic.com, besides as an associate writer at The Dodo.

Editor & Home and Auto Insurance Expert

Stephanie Nieves is a former editor and insurance proficient at Policygenius, where she covered habitation and auto insurance. Her work has also appeared in Business Insider, Money, HerMoney, PayScale, and The Muse.