Guide to Auto Insurance in Arkansas

Arkansas’s car insurance laws require every vehicle lessee or owner to have auto coverage. Here are the bare minimums required by law.

• Property damage liability: You’ll need a minimum of $25,000 coverage for property damage liability. This covers damages to third parties’ vehicles or property that you or someone else on your policy made while driving your car.
• Bodily injury liability: You’ll also need a minimum of $25,000 in bodily injury liability coverage per accident involving one person, or $50,000 per accident involving two or more people.¹ It covers any injuries or deaths that occur from you or someone else on your policy driving your car.

Insurance companies are required to offer you uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage and personal injury protection (PIP). We recommend buying PIP in Arkansas, especially since it’s a no-fault state (more on that below).

What Happens if You Don’t Have Insurance?

If you are caught driving without insurance in Arkansas, you could be fined $50 and have your car’s registration suspended.

Property damage and bodily injury liability are the bare minimum; you’ll probably want to add on supplemental coverage such as comprehensive and collision coverage, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, and personal injury protection.

Comprehensive

Comprehensive coverage will reimburse you for thefts or damage from events other than collisions, such as falling rocks, floods, and fires.

Collision

Collision coverage reimburses you for at-fault accidents. We recommend it in case you accidentally hit another vehicle or object, run into a pothole, etc.

Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Coverage

Even though Arkansas requires auto insurance, not everyone complies. If you get into an accident with someone who has no insurance or insufficient insurance, this coverage will reimburse you for the costs. It also covers hit-and-runs.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

If you have any medical expenses or lost wages due to injuries from at-fault accidents, PIP will reimburse you up to your limits.

According to our industry research, Arkansas drivers pay an average of $1,655 for full coverage and $498 for minimum coverage. In 2021, the last time the National Association of Insurance Commissioners released national data, the average annual cost of car insurance in Arkansas was $1,089— 8 percent lower than the national average. We’ve seen estimates in the range of $249 per year all the way up to $6,940 (for younger drivers), however.

If you’re shopping for car insurance in Arkansas, consider the following companies:

• Allstate
• Auto-Owners
• Columbia Insurance Group
• Direct Auto
• Farm Bureau
• Farmers
• GEICO
• Nationwide
• Progressive
• Safeco
• Shelter Insurance
• Southern Farm Bureau
• State Auto
• State Farm
• The General
• Travelers
• USAA

These are some ways to lower auto insurance premiums and get cheaper insurance in Arkansas:

1. Take advantage of your provider’s discounts. Providers offer discounts for things like bundling home and auto, setting up autopay, and tracking your driving with an app.
2. Raise your deductible. However, make sure you could afford it if you caused an accident tomorrow. The average deductible is around $1,000.
3. Drop unnecessary coverages, like collision and comprehensive coverage on an older car.
4. Lower your liability limits. We recommend this as a last resort, as low liability limits put your assets at risk if you’re sued after an accident.

To get on the road, you’ll need your proof of liability insurance, which can be physical or digital. If you get caught driving without proof of insurance in Arkansas, you could pay a fee of $50 to $250 and have your registration suspended until you provide proof of insurance and pay an additional $100 reinstatement fee. For repeat offenses, you may pay fines of up to $1,000.

Driving isn’t just about getting insurance. You also need to know the Arkansas driving laws of the land so you can avoid penalties, fines, and license suspensions and revocations. Here’s some legal information about uninsured motorists, seat belts, distracted driving, teen drivers, and more.

Fault System

Arkansas is a no-fault state, meaning that each party pays for their own injuries after an accident. Arkansas follows a modified comparative negligence law, which means you can sue for damages as long as your fault is less than the other party’s. However, if you’re 50 percent at fault or more for the accident, you won’t be able to recover any damages.²

Now that you’re familiar with the driving laws in Arkansas, it’s time to take action. Whether you’re registering a car, scrounging up your car’s title, or contacting the state’s insurance department, we’ve covered the contact information below.

Registration Information

To register your car in Arkansas, you’ll need to either call or visit the DMV after you obtain insurance. Here’s how:

1. To contact the Arkansas DMV over the phone, call 501-371-5581.¹⁵
2. Go to your nearest office to show your documents.
3. Bring your insurance card, a primary document such as a bill of sale, and a federal odometer statement.

How to Get a Copy of Your Car Title

Follow these steps if you need your car’s title to prove ownership:

1. Go to https://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/images/uploads/motorVehicleOffice/VehicleRegistrationApplication.pdf.
2. Print out the form.
3. Fill it out.
4. Enclose a $10 payment in an envelope along with the form.
5. Send it to this address:
   • Charles D. Ragland Taxpayer Services Center
     Room 1040
     1900 W. 7th St.
     Little Rock, AR 72201

How to Contact the Arkansas Insurance Department

In case you have any questions about insurance in Arkansas that we haven’t answered, here is the state insurance department’s contact information:

• Phone number: 501-371-2600
• Mailing address:
  • 1 Commerce Way
    Little Rock, AR 72202
• URL: https://insurance.arkansas.gov/

So you’ve gotten into an accident and you need repairs. Here’s what they’ll cost in Arkansas, on average.

• Labor and parts: $382.76
• Labor: $155.66
• Parts: $227.10

Crime rates affect insurance rates, as insurance companies factor in risk. The more crime in an area, the higher its average cost of auto insurance.

Motor Vehicle Theft

In 2022, there were 270 motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 Arkansas inhabitants — slightly higher than the national average of 268. Rates were higher in cities like Memphis, Pine Bluff, and Little Rock (metropolitan statistical areas). In 2022, Memphis saw the 4th highest rate of auto theft in the country, with a total of 11,267 thefts, or 846 per 100,000 inhabitants. That’s nearly double its 2021 and 2020 theft rate (when it ranked 18th and 27th in the country, respectively).

Fatalities

In Arkansas, there were 1.67 traffic fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2022. This is 26 percent higher than the national average.¹⁶

If you want to learn more, read our state-by-state driving statistics guide. The laws are different in every state, so if you’re planning to travel, it’s important to brush up before you drive. To find an auto insurance provider, check out the best car insurance in Arkansas.