Ohio Car Insurance

This is the minimum coverage required in Ohio:

• $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person and $50,000 per accident
• $25,000 of property damage coverage¹

Together, bodily injury and property damage make up liability coverage, with a total liability limit of $100,000.

Of course, liability coverage and full coverage are two different things. Full coverage includes not only liability coverage, but also comprehensive and collision coverage and medical payments coverage. The problem with buying only the minimum coverage is that it will only pay for the other party’s damages and injuries in accidents you cause. If you only had the minimum coverage, you would have to pay for your own injuries and damages out of pocket.

To get reimbursed for your property damages, bodily injuries, and even deaths, you’ll need full-coverage car insurance with liability limits upward of $500,000, or however much you can afford. For collision coverage and comprehensive coverage, the limit is your car’s actual market value. We also recommend buying uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage in case:

• You get into an accident with someone who’s driving without insurance.
• You get into an accident with someone who doesn’t have high enough limits to pay for your damages or injuries.
• You are involved in a hit-and-run. Learn what to do when someone hits your parked car.

Ohio’s 8 million licensed drivers pay an average of $781 a year for car insurance, a quarter less than the national average, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. This number breaks down into these coverage costs:

• Bodily injury and property damage liability coverage: $433
• Collision coverage: $294
• Comprehensive coverage: $134

But this average of $781 is just that – an average. You may pay anywhere from $299 to $4,658.99 for car insurance annually in Ohio, probably on the higher end for young drivers. Be sure to compare auto insurance quotes from multiple providers to get the lowest price.

Ohio has more than enough insurance companies for drivers to choose from:

• Allstate
• American Family
• Auto-Owners
• Buckeye
• Erie
• Esurance
• GEICO
• Grange
• Hastings Mutual
• Merchants
• Nationwide
• Ohio Mutual
• Progressive
• State Auto
• State Farm
• Travelers
• USAA
• Western Reserve
• Westfield

Naturally, you can save money on car insurance in Ohio by comparing quotes to find the cheapest car insurance companies. Beyond that, you can raise your auto insurance deductible, lower your limits, or drop insurance coverages you may not need, like collision coverage on a car that doesn’t run. Also, ask your auto insurance agent for any car insurance discounts that could apply to you. For example, you may save money if you pay for an annual policy rather than a six-month policy.

In Ohio, you must drive with proof of insurance, whether digital or physical. If you don’t have proof of insurance, you’ll face license and registration suspension, plus up to $660 in fees.

Now that you’re equipped with the minimum coverage, here’s everything you need to know about driving in Ohio.

At-Fault Insurance System

Ohio’s at-fault insurance system means the person at fault in an accident pays for the other party’s bodily injuries and property damages. The victim can sue for damages in a civil suit and collect payment as long as they were less at fault than the perpetrator or 50% at fault, according to the state’s modified comparative negligence laws.

Uninsured Motorist Laws

Uninsured motorist coverage isn’t required in Ohio, and insurance companies aren’t required to offer it. We recommend getting it anyway, as the Insurance Research Council estimates that 13 percent of drivers in Ohio were uninsured as of 2019.

If you have uninsured motorist coverage for multiple cars, you can stack your coverage. For instance, if you had four cars with a $10,000 limit each, your stacked limit would be $40,000 for each car.

Driving Under the Influence

In Ohio, DUIs will stay on your driving record for six years. For the first offense, you’ll receive a 90-day license suspension, with some driving privileges restored after 15 days. Interlocks are required for repeat violations, although the court will decide how long you need to have the interlock. For blood alcohol concentrations of 0.17 percent and over, the penalties increase:

• $1,075 fine
• Up to six months in jail
• Six-month to three-year license suspension

Seat Belts

People in the driver and front-passenger seats must wear seat belts, along with children ages 8 to 15 in any seat³. However, this law is only under secondary enforcement, so police can’t stop you for seat belt violations alone⁴. For them to pull you over, violations under primary enforcement must accompany this violation type.

Distracted Driving

While texting and driving is banned for all ages, only drivers under the age of 18 are banned from using handheld devices while driving. Enforcement is secondary for adults and primary for people under 18. For the first offense, adults could face $150 fines⁵, plus two points on their driving record per violation. Drivers under 18 will also face license suspensions.

Teen Driver Restrictions

It’s no secret that there are more driving restrictions for teens, who, for example, are the only drivers in Ohio who can’t use handheld devices at all while driving. These are the restrictions for those under 18 in the first year of their probationary licenses:

• They can’t drive between midnight and 6 a.m. unless they’re accompanied by a parent or guardian, or driving to or from work, an official school-sponsored event, or a religious event.
• They can’t drive with more than one non-family member in the car unless a parent or guardian is present.
• Everyone in the car must wear a seat belt.

Need to register your car, get a duplicate title, or contact the state’s insurance department? Stop sifting through government websites – we’ve gathered the information for you.

New Registration

If you’re registering a car for the first time, follow these steps:

1. Gather the documents. You’ll need to bring your …
   • Certificate or memorandum of title.
   • Signed financial responsibility statement.
   • Ohio driver’s license, state ID, or proof of your Social Security number.
   • Tax ID number if the title is under a business name.
   • Lease agreement and/or power of attorney documents if your vehicle is a lease.
   • Verification of e-check if your vehicle is in an e-check county.
2. Visit a license agency. You can find a list of the deputy registrar license agencies at https://publicsafety.ohio.gov/local-office. There’s no way to complete a new registration online.

Registration Renewal

You’ll need to renew your registration 90 days before its expiration date.

1. Gather the documents you need. You’ll need a valid Ohio driver’s license or state ID card, verification of an e-check (in the counties that require it), and a financial responsibility statement, as well as a lease agreement and/or power of attorney documents for leased vehicles.
2. Register in person. Go to your local license agency to renew your registration.
3. Get help if needed. For more information, call 844-644-6268 or do a live chat at https://sms.ngtsohio.com/wChatClientV2/BMV2.html.

Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) Contact Information

There are multiple ways to get in touch with the BMV.

• Physical address:
  • 1970 W. Broad St.
    Columbus, OH 43223
• Phone number: 844-644-6268
• URL to schedule an appointment: https://ohiobmvappt.cxmflow.com/
• Live chat: https://sms.ngtsohio.com/wChatClientV2/BMV2.html
• Email: https://bmvonline.dps.ohio.gov/Home/ContactUs

Duplicate Car Title

Follow these steps to get a copy of your car title:

1. Print the form at https://publicsafety.ohio.gov/static/bmv3774.pdf.
2. Set aside $5 for the fee to include with your form.
3. Get the form notarized.
4. Send the form and the money to the County Clerk of Courts Title Office that issued the original title.

Ohio Insurance Department

You can contact the state’s insurance department through these methods.

• Website: https://insurance.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odi
• Phone number: 614-644-2658
• Mailing address:
  • 50 W. Town St., Third Floor, Suite 300
    Columbus, OH 43215-1067

Car repairs in Ohio cost 10 percent less than the national average at only $348.79. That’s $140.61 for labor and $208.18 for parts, according to CarMD.

While car theft is relatively rare in Ohio, its traffic fatalities are at an all-time high.

Car Theft

Car theft in Ohio is rare, occurring at annual rates of only 172 per 100,000 inhabitants (43 percent less than the national average). But for Buckeye State cities like Columbus, Springfield, and Cleveland, rates are much higher than the state average. This is no surprise, as car theft is usually more common in cities than in rural and suburban areas.

Traffic Fatalities

While Ohio has relatively low rates of car theft, it has higher traffic fatality rates than average – 39 percent higher than the rest of the U.S., to be exact. The state is sixth in the nation for traffic fatality rates, with 1,153 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled as of 2019⁹.

From 2020 to 2021 alone, Ohio’s traffic deaths increased by 11 percent, despite pandemic stay-at-home orders meaning less driving. In 1 in 5 fatalities, the passenger was not wearing their seat belt. Many of the fatalities involved speeding as well¹⁰.

If you need more information on car insurance in the Buckeye State, read our frequently asked questions below. If not, it’s time to start driving!