In most states, if your car is registered, you must insure it. If your car is inoperable, you may be able to request special status from your state’s DMV, but you’ll need to check with your local Department of Motor Vehicles to see what’s allowed in your state.
- Most states require all motor vehicles to be registered and to have auto insurance.
- If the vehicle is undrivable, you might be able to obtain special status from the DMV; however, you would need to verify with your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles to determine what the law allows in your state.
- You must also find out from the DMV where you can park this car if you do not intend to keep registration or insurance on a vehicle you do not drive.
State laws for inoperable vehicles vary
While a car is registered, it must carry auto insurance. However, some states allow you to get special status for a vehicle if it is not going to be driven.
For example, California has guidelines for inoperable cars. California law requires motor vehicles to have current registration if they are driven, towed, stored, parked on public roads or highways or parked in an off-street public parking facility at any time during the registration period.
If you have an inoperable vehicle in California and it will not be in any of the places listed above, you can apply for non-operational status on the car and pay a planned non-operation (PNO) fee. Once this status is placed on a vehicle’s record, it remains until you decide to operate the car and pay registration renewal fees.
Another example is in Connecticut. In Connecticut, if you do not want to pay insurance on a car that is inoperable or being stored, you must turn in your plates to the DMV and request that they be put on “hold.” At that time, you may drop insurance coverage on the vehicle. When you are going to drive the car once again, you would need to inform the Connecticut DMV and get insurance for your vehicle.
Check with your state’s Department of Motor Vehicles to determine what state laws allow for in your situation. Do not cancel your auto insurance without contacting the DMV and canceling your registration. If you cancel your insurance before your registration, many states will cite you and penalize you for a lapse in insurance.
In South Carolina, if your liability insurance is canceled or expires, you must return your vehicle’s license plate and registration to DMV or reinstate your coverage. Otherwise, your driver’s license and vehicle plate will be suspended and you will be subject to reinstatement fees and penalties.
If you do not plan to keep registration or insurance on a vehicle you do not drive, you will need to find out from the DMV where you can park this car. You must have it stored, garaged or in a private driveway or on private property since unregistered and uninsured vehicles cannot be parked on public roads.
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