What Is the Minimum Car Insurance Requirement in West Virginia?
How much car insurance do you need in West Virginia? To comply with state laws, you must carry a mandated minimum amount of insurance to drive in West Virginia. This includes:
- $25,000 per person for injury or death
- $50,000 total per accident
- $25,000 per accident for property damage
- $25,000 per person with up to $50,000 per accident for uninsured motorist bodily injury
- $20,000 per accident for uninsured motorist property damage
You might see these liability limits shown as 25/50/25 and uninsured motorists’ coverage written as UM. For better protection, you can extend these coverage limits at an additional cost.
What Does This Minimum Coverage Mean?
Liability insurance is a mandatory requirement in most states, including West Virginia. This covers injuries and property damage sustained by the other involved party if you cause an accident. Liability limits in West Virginia are 25/50/25. This means you need to carry a minimum of $25,000 per person for injuries or death per accident and up to $50,000 total per accident for all involved. Property damage coverage pays for damage to property, like another vehicle or home belonging to a third party, if you damage it in an accident. Therefore, you need a minimum of $25,000 in property damage coverage in West Virginia.
West Virginia also mandates uninsured motorists coverage, which protects you financially if you are involved in an incident with an uninsured motorist. In West Virginia, you need $25,000 per person for bodily injury, with $50,000 per accident and $20,000 property damage coverage for uninsured motorists.
How Much Does the Minimum Car Insurance Cost in West Virginia?
The cost of car insurance in West Virginia can depend on several variables, including your age, driving record, ZIP code, credit score, the type of car you own and other factors. The cost will also vary between different car insurance providers in West Virginia.
The most affordable car insurance in West Virginia is offered by USAA and costs about $265 per year. However, USAA policies are only available to current and former military members and their families. The second most affordable option is Erie, which costs an average of $314 per year.
These prices are only estimates based on rates for an average West Virginia driver and should not be used to compare insurance prices.
MoneyGeek analyzed car insurance rates at the state minimum limits of 25/50/25 and mandatory UM for a 40-year-old male driver in West Virginia with a 2010 Toyota Camry, a clean driving record and good credit rating.
MoneyGeek also ranked the best car insurance companies in West Virginia for those who want strong service and affordable rates.
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What Is the Minimum Car Insurance Requirement in West Virginia While Leasing a Car?
While West Virginia has mandatory minimum liability insurance requirements, a leasing company can enforce its requirements if you lease a car. In most cases, leasing companies look for full coverage car insurance with minimum liability limits of 100/300/50. You can contact your leasing company to find out the minimum coverage requirements to meet your leasing terms. Make sure you clearly understand the terms of the agreement and the minimum insurance requirements.
If you want to know how much car insurance you should have in West Virginia, MoneyGeek recommends full-coverage car insurance with at least 50/100/50 liability limits. West Virginia has a relatively low risk of uninsured motorists with only 9.2% of drivers being uninsured. If you are involved in an accident with an uninsured or underinsured driver in West Virginia, you will be protected thanks to the mandatory 25/50/20 uninsured motorist coverage.
Penalties for Driving Without Car Insurance in West Virginia
Several penalties are in place for driving without car insurance in West Virginia. You need to carry proof of insurance at all times and present it whenever required to a law enforcement official.
Failure to show proof of insurance is considered a misdemeanor. Here are some of the consequences for drivers driving without insurance or proof of insurance:
- License suspension for 30 days for the first offense
- License suspension for 90 days for subsequent offenses
- A $200 fee for failure to respond to the first offense
- Vehicle registration revocation for a repeat offense
- A $100 fee for registration reinstatement and a $50 fee for license reinstatement
- Jail term between 15 days and one year
Frequently Asked Questions About Car Insurance in West Virginia
Here are answers to questions people may ask about car insurance in West Virginia.
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sources
- CARCO. "CARCO FAQs." Accessed July 9, 2021.
- ClaimsJournal.com. "Does Automobile Insurance Follow the Car or the Driver?." Accessed July 11, 2021.
- CollisionClaims.com. "West Virginia Diminished Value Claims." Accessed July 11, 2021.
- Insurance Information Institute. "2020 Insurance Factbook." Accessed July 11, 2021.
- Insurance Information Institute. "Facts + Statistics: Uninsured motorists." Accessed July 11, 2021.
- Kelly Blue Book. "Penalties for Driving Without Car Insurance by State." Accessed July 11, 2021.
- West Virginia DMV. "Consumer Insurance Information." Accessed July 11, 2021.
- West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner. "Automobile Mandatory Limits." Accessed July 11, 2021.