Florida Car Insurance Laws

The State of Florida has enacted very specific car insurance laws. Florida is a “no fault” car insurance state. No fault states, as compared to “tort” or “at fault” states, require that drivers carry car insurance to cover themselves and their property in the event of an accident. Tort, or at fault, states require that drivers carry a car insurance policy that covers other drivers and the property of others in the event of damage.

The State of Florida requires that drivers carry auto insurance policies in order to legally drive on the roads. Each driver must carry Personal Injury Protection, or “PIP,” as well as Property Damage Liability (PDL) coverage. If a driver is ticketed for no car insurance, not only may their drivers license be suspended, but the vehicle registration and tags may be invalidated, as well.

The penalties may apply for up to three years or until the driver is able to provide proof of insurance. Our FREE car insurance comparison tool can help you save on insurance costs.

In order to reinstate a drivers license after such a penalty, the driver is required to pay from $150 to $500 as a reinstatement fee. In addition to the reinstatement fee, the driver is required to show proof of insurance. In order to avoid the problem of insufficient insurance, enter your ZIP code into our FREE auto insurance comparison tool to find cheap rates for you.

Florida Insurance Coverage Requirements

The State of Florida requires drivers to carry $10,000 worth of coverage for Personal Injury Protection and $10,000 worth of Property Damage Liability coverage. An additional $20,000 is required for bodily injury for other persons that may be in the driver’s vehicle in the event of an accident. No exemptions or exceptions are available. All drivers must comply with these car insurance laws. In other words, even garaged and non-running vehicles are not exempted from the state insurance laws.

In addition, car insurance providers are required to report the initiation, as well as the termination, of all insurance policies to the State of Florida. The state tracks auto insurance policies by the vehicles that they cover. The state is aware of any lapses in the state required auto insurance coverage.

If an auto insurance policy is canceled or lapses for any other reason, and no other policy is purchased to provide coverage for the driver, the state notifies the driver that they need to provide the state with valid insurance policy information not only for the vehicle in question, but all vehicles the driver owns. The state may enact a drivers license suspension, as well as the vehicle registration and tag suspension, after only one day of the lapse in car insurance.

For those individuals whose vehicles are financed or leased, the finance company or leasing company will require that the vehicle is covered with both comprehensive and collision car insurance. Comprehensive car insurance covers theft, vandalism and damage to the car due to weather.

Collision insurance covers the cost of repairing or replacing the vehicle in the event of a collision. If the vehicle is leased or financed, the leasing or finance company requires that the driver carries these types of coverage to ensure that, in the event of damages, the finance or leasing company is able to recover its losses.

Buying Car Insurance in Florida

When buying a car insurance policy in Florida, be sure to shop around for the best policy and rates for your needs. The simplest way to shop around for car insurance in Florida is to use an online insurance comparison site. Such a site will allow you to first enter the zip code where you live. If you live in Florida and you enter a Florida zip code into the tool, you will receive back a list of car insurance carriers that sell no fault and other policies to the residents of Florida.

Once you have narrowed the search down to the companies that provide coverage in your area, then you can begin to compare companies in terms of their policies and rates. When you are shopping around for car insurance in Florida, some consideration that you may want to use to compare companies might include:

• Policies offered
• Rates for similar policies
• Discounts offered
• Online services

In addition, when shopping for car insurance, you may want to research the companies to find out what customers are saying about the carrier. Several websites provide customer reviews of auto insurance providers, as well as other companies. Our FREE auto insurance comparison tool can give you cheap rates when you enter your ZIP code.

When seeking to purchase an auto insurance policy in Florida, be sure to shop around for the best policies and rates to suit your situation and needs. Enter your ZIP code into our FREE car insurance comparison tool to get free rate quotes now! Using an online comparison site, along with other types of company research, will ensure that you are an educated consumer when it comes to purchasing car insurance.