Car Insurance
Virginia's insurance requirement, the penalties and $600 DMV fee for driving uninsured, and what an insurer may not charge you points for.
3 guides
Every Virginia-registered vehicle has to be insured. The current text of Va. Code § 46.2-706 requires an owner registering a vehicle to certify that it is an insured motor vehicle, or to hold a DMV certificate of self-insurance, and it no longer offers the old option of paying an uninsured motor vehicle fee instead of buying coverage. Driving or letting someone drive an uninsured vehicle is a Class 3 misdemeanor under Va. Code § 46.2-707, and the administrative side is worse than the fine: a suspended license and registration, surrendered plates and a $600 noncompliance fee before anything is reissued.
These pages set out what the Commonwealth requires, what a lapse costs, and — on the other side of the ledger — what Va. Code § 38.2-1905 forbids an insurer from charging you points for, and the 60-day appeal that goes with it.
All guides
- Driving Without Insurance in VA: The Penalties
Driving without insurance in VA is a Class 3 misdemeanor: up to a $500 fine, no jail, plus a suspended license, surrendered plates and a $600 DMV fee.
- Virginia No-Fault Insurance: What the Law Actually Says
Virginia has no no-fault insurance law: fault decides who pays. What an insurer may not charge points for, and the 60-day appeal when it does.
- Can You Drive Without Insurance in Virginia? Not Even for a Day
You cannot drive without insurance in Virginia and there is no grace period: the DMV verifies coverage electronically, and a lapse costs a $600 fee.