Searching for Virginia automobile insurance? Sometimes shopping for a provider can be complex. But with CheapCarInsuranceinc.com, it’s as straightforward as keying in your zip code. We can supply you with the top 10 insurance providers in your spot, whether you live in a big city like Virginia Beach, Norfolk, or Chesapeake, or a lesser populated area such as Richmond or Newport News.
Virginia Auto Insurance – Average Premiums
Virginia has some pretty cheap rates across the state, with average prices around $53 per month. Some places are a little more expensive, however. Richmond, for example, can cost up to $70 or more monthly to stay insured. There are cheaper cities, too – Chesapeake drivers are only forking out around $47/month.
Important Virginia Auto Insurance Laws and Requirements
Drivers have the option of either purchasing cheap Virginia car insurance, or forking out an Uninsured Motor Vehicle fee of $500 for every registration period as long as you drive within the state. But if you choose to avoid the hassle, you should know that Liability and UM/UIM coverage is required when you buy your insurance policy. No-fault coverage is not mandatory.
| Coverage | Requirements | Most Common |
| Liability Bodily Injury | 25,500/50,500 | 105,000/305,000 |
| Liability Property Damage | 20,000 | 50,000 |
| Bodily Injury - Motorist Uninsured | 25,500/50,500 | 105,000/305,000 |
| Not required Coverage | Medical Payments Coverage | 5,000 |
| Collision | Not required | 250 deductible |
| Comprehensive | Not required | 0 deductible |
Choosing the Right Amount of Virginia Car Insurance Coverage
You’re going to have to pitch in a little extra for Uninsured Motorist coverage in Virginia, because it is required in addition to Liability coverage. But this is good for protecting you from hit-and-run drivers, or other drivers who cause a wreck with you and don’t have enough coverage.
Virginia DUI Laws
Drivers convicted of their first DUI offense may face the following penalties: a minimum of 5 days in prison if either a minor under the age of 18 is present in the vehicle or your BAL is above 0.15 (10 days if BAL is over 0.20); at least a $250 fine (with an additional $500-$1,000 if a minor under 18 is present in the vehicle with you); your license may be suspended for 1 year; an ignition interlock device may be installed on your car if your BAL is equal to or greater than 0.15; and you may be required to attend an alcohol safety program.
Not every driver is required to file an SR-22. These are for special cases when motorists have been convicted of significant driving violations. These include causing an accident or being caught driving without insurance. You may also need an SR-22 if you have been convicted of a DUI. Many of these convictions will result in a suspended license, and in many states, you will not be able to get your license back until you file an SR-22. The state of Virginia, for example, is a state which requires an SR-22 to be filed before your license is reinstated.
Age Limit Laws
Teenage drivers, listen up: you have to be at least 15 years and 6 months of age before you can apply for a learner’s permit. It only takes nine months to graduate to the next level, but you must get at least 45 hours of supervised driving (with 15 supervised night hours) before you get your intermediate permit. Intermediate drivers cannot be on the road between the hours of midnight and 4:00 AM, and cannot have more than 1 under 21 aged passenger in the car with them for the first year. After 12 months, that restriction rises to 3 passengers under 21 or less. At the age of 18, Teenage motorists can convert their permit to a full license.
Credit Score Laws and Regulations
Even if your low credit score is the result of a financial hardship, and not irresponsibility, your insurance provider can (and usually will) use that data to raise your rates. In Virginia, luckily, it isn’t likely to raise your rates as high as it might in some other states.
Insuring your Vehicle in Virginia
Someone may have told you that “insurance follows the driver” – but that is actually false. Your insurance follows your vehicle more than it actually follows you. This means that even if you aren’t behind the wheel at the time, your insurance company could still have to pay out claims based on the make and model of your vehicle.
Additional Virginia Auto Insurance Laws and Requirements
Everything we have discussed above – and everything we talk about below – are laws and regulations in the state of Virginia which can influence your monthly rates:
Highway Safety Laws
Aggressive driving laws are meant to discourage the type of dangerous, aggressive behaviors which are more likely to cause an accident than driving defensively. Some of those include: failing to drive on the right side of the highway, following too closely, driving outside of marked lanes, failure to obey traffic control device, failure to yield, passing when overtaking, passing on the right, stopping on the highway, or speeding.
| Aggressive Driving | Yes |
| Cell Phones and Texting Laws | Primary all-driver ban (texting) |
| Inc. Penalty for High BAC | BAC 0.15 and 0.20 |
| Admin. License Susp. on 1st Offense | 7 days |
Speed Limits and Cell Phone Use
Virginia is yet another one of many states which have put into place all-driver bans on texting while driving, and this ban is of primary level enforcement. There is also a primary ban on school bus drivers talking on a cell phone while driving. Novice drivers also have a ban on cell phone talking while driving, but this is only secondary level enforcement.
| Rural Interstate | 70 mph |
| Urban Interstate | 70 mph |
| Other Limited-Access | 65 mph |
Important Virginia Contacts
Virginia Department of Revenue – Motor Vehicle Division – click here for information on obtaining your driver’s license, requirements for ID cards, and vehicle registration.
Virginia Department of Insurance How to contact directly:
1300 East Main Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Phone: 1-804-371-9741
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