Virginia’s vehicle insurance coverage requirements changing Jan. 1

Beginning Jan. 1, 2022 the minimum insurance coverage required for vehicles in Virginia will increase.

Senate Bill 1182, passed earlier this year, raises the minimum insurance coverage requirements for injury or death of one person; and separately for two or more people during the next three years. Thereafter, those two will increase again, and the minimum coverage requirement for property damage will, as well.

The current minimum liability insurance coverage requirements for the former two occurrences are $25,000, $50,000, respectively. They’ll increase to $30,000 and $60,000, respectively, Jan. 1. Then on Jan. 1, 2025, they will increase to $50,000 and $100,000, respectively, while the minimum coverage requirement for property damage will increase from $20,000 to $25,000.

The measure applies to vehicle insurance policies issued or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2022.

To purchase license plates and title and register a vehicle in Virginia, a customer must certify that his or her vehicle is covered by the minimum insurance requirements or pay an uninsured motor vehicle fee of $500 annually.

Vehicle owners who are caught driving without insurance or without having paid the uninsured fee will have their driving and vehicle registration privileges suspended. To have those privileges reinstated, drivers must pay a $600 noncompliance fee, file a Financial Responsibility Insurance Certificate with the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles for three years, and pay a reinstatement fee.