Can You Get Car Insurance With No License?
You can get car insurance with no license, but you might have to shop around a bit before you find a company that will sell it to you.
You’ll also probably need to name yourself as an excluded driver or name someone else as a primary driver — or both — before you can buy no-license car insurance.
How to get car insurance without a license
To get insurance without a driver’s license, you’ll first need to find a car insurance company that will sell you a policy.
That can be tough, as not all car insurance companies will sell coverage to someone who doesn’t have a license.
When you find a company that will sell you a car insurance policy without a license, expect them to make you do one or both of these two things:
List yourself as an excluded driver
You can buy a car without a driver’s license, but you can’t drive it.
To fully protect itself, an insurance company may ask you to list yourself as an “excluded driver” on a policy you buy when you don’t have a license.
This way, if you drive the car and damage it, your insurer won’t have to pay any claims you file against it.
List someone else as a primary driver
If you go to buy car insurance for a vehicle you won’t be driving — but someone else will — you can expect an insurance company to make you list that other person as your policy’s primary driver.
Be careful who you name as a primary driver in this situation. If they have speeding tickets, accidents or DUIs on their driving record, you’ll pay much higher car insurance rates than you might otherwise.
When you should buy car insurance with no license
There are several reasons why you might need or want to buy car insurance with no license. Some common situations that could prompt you to buy no-license car insurance include:
You can’t drive because of a suspended or revoked license
If the state revokes or suspends your driver’s license because of driving under the influence (DUI) or another infraction, you may need car insurance to get your license back.
You only have a learner’s permit
If you’re working toward getting a driver’s license, you need car insurance. And of course you’re going to want it even more once you finally get your license and can drive without limitations.
You’re insuring a car for a minor
You may not drive, but if you have a child under the age of 18 years old who does, you might need to get car insurance for them.
In many states, you must be older than 18 to sign a contract, and that’s exactly what an insurance policy is. In this case, you’d have to list your child as a licensed driver and yourself as an excluded driver.
You don’t drive anymore
If you no longer drive, but someone else drives you around in a vehicle you own, you need car insurance.
This is another of those times when you’ll probably need to list yourself as an excluded driver and the other person as the primary driver on the policy.
You have stored, parked or classic cars
Some people buy and collect classic cars which they rarely or never plan to drive. And some of these people don’t have licenses.
If you’re one of them, you’ll still want car insurance for your classic car. The same is true if you own any other type of car that is stored or parked most or all of the time.
You want to avoid a car insurance lapse
It can be tempting to drop car insurance coverage if you find yourself without a car or if you can’t drive for a period of time. This can cause problems if and when you go to buy car insurance again, though.
Some insurance companies won’t sell you a policy if you have a car-insurance lapse. Others will charge you much higher rates than they would otherwise.
If cost is a concern in any of these situations, compare car insurance quotes from a number of companies before you buy. That’s one of the best ways to get the cheapest rate.
Companies that offer car insurance with no license
Many of the best-known car insurance companies won’t sell car insurance to people without a driver’s license. Some have found success with Geico, though, so get a quote from it if you need no-license car insurance.
Others have reported buying car insurance without a license from these companies:
- Access
- Advantage Auto
- Commonwealth
- Direct Auto
- The Hartford
- OnGuard
Frequently asked questions
No-license car insurance works like any car insurance policy you would buy with a driver’s license — this is because they’re the same thing.
No-license car insurance isn’t a specific policy you buy from an insurance company. Rather, it’s standard coverage a company sells you even though you don’t have a license.
Car insurance companies use your driver’s license to review your driving record. This helps them determine how much of a risk you could be to insure.
If they have a hard time with this, they’ll likely see you as a high-risk driver and charge you higher rates.
Yes, you can usually buy a car without a driver’s license. You’ll need to have a licensed driver with you if you buy the car at a dealership and want to drive it home, though.
You can sometimes register a car without a driver’s license, but it’ll usually require a bit of legwork.
Depending on where you live, you may be able to add a licensed driver to your car’s title as a part owner. Then you can register the vehicle under that person’s name.
To find out if you can register a vehicle with a license where you live, and how to do so, contact your state’s DMV or BMV.