Do You Need New York Car Registration for Car Insurance?

The opposite is the case — as New York is a mandatory insurance state, you need car insurance in order to register a car there. You must have valid insurance for the entire time you have the car registered and while anyone drives the vehicle on a public road in New York.

Minimum Liability Coverage in New York

New York car insurance laws require that every car has minimum liability coverage limits of $25,000 in bodily injury per person, $50,000 in bodily injury per accident, and $10,000 in property damage.

In addition, drivers must also get uninsured motorist coverage with the same limits as the liability coverage, as well as personal injury protection in New York, which will cover:

• Up to 80 percent of lost earnings from work, with a maximum of $2,000 per month for up to three years from the accident
• Up to $25 a day for up to a year after the accident for reasonable/necessary expenses like transportation to medical treatment and household help)
• $2,000 death benefit

New York is a no-fault state, meaning that your insurance will cover your bodily injury losses regardless of who is at fault. The New York Department of Financial Services recommends buying more no-fault protection than the $50,000 minimum coverage limit.¹

Optional Coverage

We recommend getting full coverage car insurance, which would include comprehensive and collision coverage. Drivers need to elect for this and pay the associated premiums.² If you’re in the market, shop for the best car insurance in New York.

New York recommends that anyone with assets to protect opt for higher coverage limits than the minimum. These limits commonly go up to $250,000 in bodily injury per person, $500,000 in bodily injury per accident, and $50,000 in property damage, otherwise known as liability insurance coverage. Higher limits than these are available with some insurers.

CARCO inspections protect the insurance carrier and you regarding the physical attributes of a car. Previously, inspections were required within two weeks of buying a new car unless it has less than 1,000 miles on it. Licensed inspectors do CARCO inspections at car-related businesses such as tire retailers, gas stations, and dealerships.³ However, as of June 1, 2024, insurance companies can waive pre-insurance photo inspections. Some major insurers like GEICO no longer require them.⁴ Check with your carrier to see whether you need one.

Register your car at your local Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) office.

1. Find out what documents you need, which is based on your type of car: https://process.dmv.ny.gov/documentguide/dmv_reg/DisplayPages/pwizRegVehicleType.cfm
2. Get your car insured.
3. Submit your documents, payment, and application to the DMV in your country. You can find your local DMV office here: https://dmv.ny.gov/offices/county-offices. Payments will vary based on your home address and the weight of your vehicle, but will typically include:
   • Sales tax
   • Title certificate fee
   • Vehicle use tax
   • One or two-year registration fee
   • Vehicle plate or registration transfer fee.

Estimate your registration fees here: https://process.dmv.ny.gov/regfeecalc/. You can pay them in either cash, credit, debit, prepaid card, personal check, or money order to the “Commissioner of Motor Vehicles.”

Once you register, the DMV will give you your documents back, or will mail them back to you, within one to two weeks along with a registration document and window sticker, plus a 10-day inspection sticker for vehicles purchased outside of the state.

Do You Need a Valid License to Get Insurance in New York?

You don’t need a valid driver’s license to get insurance in New York, but you may have to shop around for an insurance carrier that will insure the vehicle if you don’t have a license. You will need some government-issued identification such as a state ID card when registering the car, and you won’t be able to drive it without a valid driver’s license.

It is possible to register a car with a license suspension in New York. The DMV only asks for valid government-issued identification when you register, which means even a state ID will allow you to register your car. However, you can’t drive your car (or any car) legally until you reinstate your license.

When you first register the car, you need to do it in person. However, there is an online process for the annual renewal registration. The online renewal form helps expedite the process and reduces lines at the local DMV.⁵

Here’s how to renew online:

1. Go to the online portal: https://transact3.dmv.ny.gov/registrationrenew/index.cfm/.
2. Enter your license plate number.
3. Complete your registration class, which you can find on the original registration above the plate number.
4. Enter your last name.
5. Pay with a debit or credit card.

You can register a car with a learner’s permit because you only need a valid government-issued ID to register a vehicle. However, the permit must be current or not expired for over two years in order to prove both your identity and age.

New York requires matching names on car insurance and registration — meaning the exact same sequence, including middle initials or suffixes. For example, if the name on your insurance is John E. Doe, you have to include your middle initial on your registration as well.

Your insurance and registration must be in the same state. You cannot insure a car registered out of state or vice versa. Where you garage the car determines both the registration and the insurance address of record.

New York allows you to use either a paper form or electronic version as proof of insurance. Insurance carriers send paper forms as insurance cards. Electronic evidence can be either a picture of the paper card or a downloaded version through your insurance carrier’s mobile app.⁶

Diminished value is the difference between your car’s value before and after an accident. Diminished value coverage allows you to recoup this difference. For example, if you bought a new car valued at $30,000 and got into an accident, leaving the car valued at $18,000, you could file for diminished value as part of the claim to recoup the $12,000 difference.

Your home state’s insurance policy will cover you up to the policy limits when you travel out of state. If your policy limits are below the state minimums where you are driving, the insurance carrier will meet those state minimums to make sure you are legally protected.

Did you know that, as of the most recent 2021 data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the average cost of car insurance in New York is over $1,511, the highest in the U.S.?⁷ In the past three years, that number has risen even higher, reaching around $1,800 to $2,000.

That being said, there are still ways to get cheap car insurance in New York. These are some types of auto insurance discounts that you may be eligible for:

• Senior citizen
• Carpool
• Low mileage
• Multi-car
• Multi-policy
• Good student

Using these discounts, you can get your annual costs down, even if you had a DUI in New York state.

New York’s driving laws for teens with junior licenses differ whether you live in Long Island, New York City, or upstate. For example, junior license holders can drive in upstate New York from 9 p.m. until 5 a.m. without a supervising driver directly between their home, employment or school course. In New York City, in contrast, they can’t drive during these hours under any circumstances.

Young motorists with class MJ or DJ licenses, or with learner’s permits, could get their license suspended for 120 days for texting and driving. For second convictions within six months, they could get their license revoked for at least one year. Additionally, they will have to pay the following fines:

• First violation: $50 to $200
• Second violation within 18 months of the first: $50 to $250
• Third or subsequent violations within 18 months: $50 to $450⁸

They will also get five points on their record. Learn more about fines for texting and driving in New York.

If you don’t have insurance while driving in New York, you could get a fine of up to $1,500. You might also have your license and car registration suspended until you show proof of insurance. Plus, to get your license reinstated, you may have to pay a civil penalty for $750.

Anyone registering a car in New York will need to show valid proof of insurance for that vehicle, which means that you get the insurance before you register the car. You could face penalties and fines if law enforcement catches you driving without insurance.