Virginia Car Insurance Requirements

By Javier Marín, Editor·Last reviewed September 2026·How we check this

Virginia made two major changes to its insurance laws in 2024 and 2025. The General Assembly raised the minimum bodily injury liability limits to 50/100/25, and it eliminated the long-standing $500 Uninsured Motor Vehicle (UMV) Fee option that had let drivers register a vehicle without buying insurance. Every Virginia-registered vehicle now has to carry actual liability coverage.

Minimum liability limits

Effective January 1, 2025, Virginia's minimum liability limits are:

$50,000 bodily injury per person.
$100,000 bodily injury per accident.
$25,000 property damage per accident.

That's double the prior 30/60/20 minimum that had stood for decades. Virginia carriers were required to offer existing policyholders the new limits at renewal, but coverage only updates if the policyholder accepts the higher limit. Drivers who renewed before the increase took effect should confirm their current limits with the carrier.

The end of the UMV Fee

For nearly 70 years, Virginia drivers could legally register a vehicle without insurance by paying the state's $500 Uninsured Motor Vehicle Fee at registration. The fee did not provide any actual coverage; it simply allowed the driver to operate at the driver's own financial risk. As of July 1, 2024, the UMV Fee option was eliminated. All Virginia-registered vehicles must now carry liability insurance meeting at least 50/100/25, or qualify under one of the very narrow alternative compliance methods (a $50,000 cash bond filed with the DMV, or a self-insurance certificate for fleets of 26+ vehicles).

Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage

Virginia requires every liability policy to include uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage at the same 50/100/25 limits as the liability policy unless the policyholder rejects UIM in writing. UM coverage applies when the at-fault driver carries no liability insurance; UIM applies when the at-fault driver's limits are insufficient to cover the loss. In Virginia, UM/UIM stacks against the at-fault driver's policy — the injured party can collect the difference between what the at-fault driver carried and the injured party's UIM limit.

Insurance verification

Virginia operates an electronic insurance verification database. Carriers transmit policy data on every Virginia-garaged vehicle directly to the DMV. The DMV checks the database when:

Issuing or renewing a registration.
Receiving a citation for "no proof of insurance" from a Virginia officer.
Receiving an insurer's notice of cancellation or non-renewal.

A lapse in coverage produces a registration suspension, a $600 reinstatement fee, and an SR-22 financial responsibility filing for three years.

FR-44 for DUI cases

Drivers convicted of DUI under §18.2-266 or several related offenses must file an FR-44 certificate of financial responsibility for three years. The FR-44 differs from the more common SR-22 in two ways: the underlying liability limits must be doubled (currently 100/200/40 for FR-44 versus the standard 50/100/25), and the carrier must guarantee continuous coverage for the certified period. Any cancellation or lapse triggers an immediate license re-suspension. Not every Virginia carrier writes FR-44 policies; specialty insurers price them at substantially higher rates than ordinary policies.

SR-22 for non-DUI cases

An SR-22 is required for license reinstatement after several non-DUI events, including driving without insurance, an accident with no insurance, certain reckless driving convictions, and accumulating excessive demerit points. The SR-22 is filed by the carrier at standard 50/100/25 limits and runs for three years. As with FR-44, any lapse triggers a re-suspension.

Proof of insurance at registration

When titling or registering a vehicle, the buyer must show proof of liability insurance. Acceptable formats:

An insurance ID card showing the registrant, the VIN, and an effective date that's current.
A binder issued by the carrier in the registrant's name.
An electronic ID card displayed on a phone or tablet.

Penalties for driving uninsured

Driving uninsured in Virginia is a $600 reinstatement fee plus three years of SR-22 filings, plus the original citation's fines and costs. Repeated violations escalate to longer suspensions and higher fees. For the broader registration obligations triggered by an uninsured-driving citation, see the suspended license page; for ticket-court procedures, see Virginia traffic tickets.