How To Get Car Insurance With No License

Getting car insurance with no license is tricky, but it’s not out of the question. Most national insurers — like State Farm, Progressive or Travelers — won’t sell car insurance to a driver who doesn’t have a valid driver’s license. However, some smaller and more localized insurance companies may be more familiar with your state’s guidelines and have options for unlicensed drivers.

When you’re looking to compare car insurance quotes from local providers and independent insurance agents, it’s best to call directly since most companies’ online tools require you to provide your driver’s license number to proceed.

Why Do Insurance Companies Prefer Licensed Drivers?

Having a valid driver’s license is the easiest way for an insurer to access your driving record. When calculating your insurance quotes, providers look at your driving history and other factors to determine how risky you would be as a policyholder. Without a valid driver’s license number, providers have a harder time accessing your records. That’s why insurance companies generally look at unlicensed motorists as high-risk drivers.

Though it’s difficult to get car insurance with no license, there are some methods experts tend to recommend.

• Talk to an independent insurance agent: These agents can write insurance policies for many companies and may work with local insurers that offer coverage to unlicensed drivers.
• List someone else as the primary driver: If you own a car but don’t drive it, some insurance companies will allow you to list another person as the primary driver. The primary driver may need to be a member of your household, but requirements vary by company.
• Add a co-owner to your car’s registration: This is a handy workaround if you can’t find an insurance company since vehicle ownership is usually a requirement for getting car insurance. The process to add a co-owner is fairly straightforward. Most states require you to file a form with the department of motor vehicles and pay a fee.
• Buy parked-car coverage: If you don’t have a license and are storing or parking your car for an extended time, you may be able to purchase parked-car or car storage insurance.
• List yourself as an excluded driver: Be careful with this option — while your insurance company may allow it, you won’t be adequately covered if you get in an accident or drive illegally.

Reasons To Get Car Insurance With No License

Because getting car insurance as an unlicensed driver is so difficult, it’s important to work with an agent who understands your situation. Here are some of the most common reasons you would need to get car insurance with no license:

Your Driver’s License Has Been Revoked or Suspended

If your license has been revoked, say for a DUI conviction or multiple traffic violations, the state may order you to get SR-22 insurance. SR-22 insurance isn’t actually an insurance policy. It’s a form that an insurer files with the DMV to prove you have the state’s minimum liability insurance. Essentially, it’s a statement of financial responsibility.

You No Longer Drive

If you no longer drive due to disability, age or any other reason, you may still own a car but have a friend, family member or caregiver drive it for you. In these instances, you may want to purchase car insurance but list yourself as the excluded driver.

You’re Insuring a Car for a Minor

Say you’ve purchased a car for your teen driver. Depending on the insurance carrier, you may be able to buy an insurance policy that covers your teen’s car under your name. In this scenario, you would list your teen as the primary driver and yourself as the excluded driver. This option may be more expensive than simply adding your teen to your existing insurance policy.

You Only Have a Learner’s Permit

Adults with driver’s permits may have a harder time getting cheap car insurance. If you have your permit but don’t yet have a valid license, contact local agents to find an insurer with more lenient requirements.

You Collect Classic Cars or Have a Car in Long-Term Parking or Storage

If you bought a classic car but don’t plan to drive it, you may still want to insure that valuable asset. Some insurance companies offer classic car insurance, which is generally more affordable than regular car insurance, especially if you’re not driving the vehicle.

When you’re storing a vehicle that doesn’t qualify as a classic car, consider buying comprehensive insurance. A comprehensive-only policy will cover your parked or stored car in the event of non-collision property damage like theft, vandalism or natural disaster.

Even if you don’t have a license, almost every state requires any vehicle that will be driven to be insured. And even if you can’t drive the car, you still need insurance to protect your car if it’s being driven by someone else or is parked where it could be damaged.

You don’t always need a driver’s license to purchase a vehicle. But many dealers will be wary of unlicensed customers, and you won’t be able to drive it off the lot. You don’t necessarily need a license to register a car either, but you will need proof of insurance, which is why it’s important to have coverage.

Buying car insurance is a lot more difficult if you don’t have a valid driver’s license. While most national providers don’t offer insurance to unlicensed drivers, independent agents and local insurers may be able to help you find the coverage you need.

There are several ways to get car insurance with no license, including listing yourself as an excluded driver, adding a co-owner to your registration and purchasing car storage insurance. If your license has been suspended, you can have your insurance company file an SR-22 form to show financial responsibility.

Recommendations for Car Insurance With No License

Not every auto insurance company will sell a policy to an unlicensed driver. In our industry-wide roundup of the top insurance providers, we found that only Geico offers auto insurance policies to drivers without a valid license. 

However, smaller, localized insurance providers may provide policies for unlicensed drivers on a case-by-case basis. Before committing to a Geico policy, be sure to compare quotes from these providers as well.

Geico: Best for Budget-Conscious Drivers

Geico is one of the largest and most affordable insurance providers in the country. For drivers with no license, Geico provides minimum liability coverage only. The company also offers several ways to save on car insurance for licensed drivers, including usage-based insurance and more. 

Read more in our Geico insurance review. 

Below are some frequently asked questions about getting car insurance with no license.

Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best car insurance companies. 

We collected data on dozens of auto insurance providers to grade the companies on a wide range of ranking factors. The end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the insurers that scored the most points topping the list.

Here are the factors our ratings take into account:

• Cost: Auto insurance rate estimates generated by Quadrant Information Services and discount opportunities were both taken into consideration.
• Coverage: Companies that offer a variety of choices for insurance coverage are more likely to meet consumer needs.
• Reputation and experience: Our research team considered market share, ratings from industry experts and years in business when giving this score.
• Availability: Auto insurance companies with greater state availability and few eligibility requirements scored highest in this category.
• Customer experience: This score is based on volume of complaints reported by the NAIC and customer satisfaction ratings reported by J.D. Power. We also considered the responsiveness, friendliness and helpfulness of each insurance company’s customer service team based on our own shopper analysis.

Our credentials:

• 800 hours researched
• 45 companies reviewed
• 8,500+ consumers surveyed

*Data accurate at time of publication.