Georgia Car Insurance Requirements
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Written byEmily Guy Birken
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Emily Guy Birken is a former educator, lifelong money nerd, and a Plutus Award-winning freelance writer who specializes in the scientific research behind irrational money behaviors. Her work has appeared on The Huffington Post, Business Insider, Kiplinger’s, MSN Money, and The Washington Post, and she’s been writing for Compare.com since 2023. Her background in education allows her to help people relate to and understand complex financial topics.
She’s the author of several books, including The 5 Years Before You Retire, End Financial Stress Now, and the brand-new book, Stacked: Your Super Serious Guide to Modern Money Management, written with Joe Saul-Sehy.
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Edited byLequita Westbrooks
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Lequita WestbrooksSenior Editor
Lequita Westbrooks is an insurance editor at Compare.com. Her writing and editing experiences span several industries, including insurance, personal finance, higher education, and more. She excels at explaining complex topics like auto insurance in simple, easy-to-understand language and is passionate about helping readers save money. Lequita graduated from the University of South Florida, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English.
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Georgia drivers must meet the state’s minimum liability insurance requirements to legally get behind the wheel. And since it’s an at-fault car insurance state, if you cause an accident, you’re responsible for paying for any damages and injuries.
But auto insurance protects against more than just injuries and damaged property — it also covers vehicle theft, which is common in the Peach State. As of 2022, Georgia had the 10th-highest number of vehicle thefts in the nation, with over 26,000 cars stolen, according to the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I).
Car insurance regulations vary by state, so it’s important to understand your state’s specific coverage requirements. Here’s what you need to know about Georgia car insurance requirements and how to find the best auto insurance.
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What Are Georgia’s Car Insurance Requirements?
Georgia requires all drivers to purchase two types of liability coverage: bodily injury and property damage. Bodily injury liability pays for the medical bills of another person who is injured or killed in a car accident you cause, and property damage liability pays for damages to another person’s vehicle (or other property) from a car accident you cause.
We’ll explain how these required coverages work below.
Bodily injury liability
Georgia requires drivers to have a minimum of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in bodily injury liability (BI) coverage — but you can always purchase higher coverage limits.
Bodily injury liability kicks in after an accident that injures another person or their passengers. The at-fault driver’s BI liability insurance pays for the injured parties’ medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost income.
Property damage liability
Drivers in Georgia must also have a minimum of $25,000 in property damage (PD) liability coverage. This insurance pays for damages you cause to another person’s property, such as their vehicle, fence, or mailbox. As with bodily injury liability, you can always purchase a higher coverage limit for your property damage liability coverage.
Penalties for Driving Without Car Insurance in Georgia
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Under Georgia law, the insurance policy follows the car, not the driver, which means a lapse in coverage makes a car illegal to drive. You must maintain continuous auto coverage and keep proof of insurance in your vehicle at all times. Uninsured motorists face several penalties for failing to meet minimum insurance requirements.
The Georgia Department of Driver Services uses an electronic insurance compliance system to determine if your vehicle meets insurance requirements. The system issues a notice to reinstate coverage if 10 consecutive days pass without an insurance policy with the required liability coverage.
You’ll have 30 days from the date of the notice to reinstate your insurance and pay a $25 lapse fee and a $60 reinstatement fee, or the state will suspend your registration. If you don’t reinstate your insurance or cancel your car registration, you’ll be facing a misdemeanor. The state may issue you a fine of $200 to $1,000 and up to 12 months of jail time.
Georgia Car Insurance Laws You Should Know About
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In addition to the minimum liability insurance, other auto insurance laws and programs are unique to Georgia, such as the diminished value statute, self-insurance certification, and Joshua’s Law. Let’s take a closer look at each.
Diminished value statute
A car’s value depreciates for different reasons, and getting into a car accident is one of the main causes. Once a car is in a collision, it loses some of its resale value — even if the vehicle is repaired properly or the damage is minor. While this may not make a difference in the short term, a car with a diminished value will sell for a lower price in the future.
If you get into an accident that isn’t your fault, you may be eligible to receive diminished value compensation. This is essentially the difference between your vehicle’s value before and after the accident. You can file a claim to request this compensation from the at-fault driver’s insurer.
Your car must meet the following requirements to be eligible:
A market value of over $7,000
At least $500 in damage from the accident
Under 10 years old
Average or lower mileage
A clean title
Self-insurance
Though Georgia requires all vehicles to have minimum liability auto insurance policies, you can apply for a certificate of self-insurance through the Commissioner of Insurance. To qualify, you must prove you have a net worth of at least $100,000 and make a security deposit or purchase a surety bond worth at least $50,000.
Joshua’s Law
Named for Joshua Brown, a 17-year-old driver who died after a car accident in 2003, Joshua’s Law requires 16- and 17-year-olds to complete a Department of Driver Services-approved teen driver training before receiving a Georgia license.
Though young drivers can complete the driver training requirements in several ways, each method requires at least 40 hours of supervised driving plus classroom instruction.
Are Georgia Minimum Car Insurance Requirements Enough?
Georgia’s minimum car insurance requirements might not provide the right coverage for your needs. That’s because the state minimums are pretty low and likely won’t be enough to pay for the medical care of someone seriously injured in an accident you cause.
Likewise, with the average new car approaching $50,000, just $25,000 in property damage coverage may not cover the full replacement costs if you total another vehicle.
So, if you only buy the minimum amount of liability insurance and the other driver’s injuries or vehicle damage exceeds your policy limits, you’ll still be financially responsible. To protect your finances, consider increasing the coverage limits on your liability insurance policy.
You may also consider buying additional coverages for greater financial protection. We’ll go over these in the next section.
Optional car insurance coverage in Georgia
Georgia ranks in the top 10 states for car thefts, and nearly one out of every eight Georgia drivers is uninsured, according to the Insurance Research Council. If someone steals your car or you get into an accident with an uninsured driver, your liability insurance won’t protect you.
You can protect yourself and your vehicle by purchasing comprehensive insurance and uninsured motorist coverage.
The table below explains what these coverages and other optional coverages pay for.
Optional Coverage | What It Pays For |
|---|---|
| Collision coverage | Damage to your vehicle from an accident with another car or object |
| Comprehensive coverage | Damage to your vehicle caused by something other than a car accident, like weather, animals, vandalism, or theft |
| Medical payments coverage (MedPay) | Medical expenses for you and your passengers after a car accident, regardless of fault |
| Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage | Your medical bills or property damage caused by an accident with an uninsured driver or one that doesn’t have enough coverage |
Choosing to add optional coverage can often depend on cost, but there are ways to reduce insurance costs. Next, we’ll cover what you can expect to pay, on average, for car insurance in Georgia.
How Much Does Car Insurance Cost in Georgia?
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The cost of car insurance in Georgia depends on various factors, only some of which are under your control. For example, your ZIP code, credit history, driving record, and coverage level can all affect your insurance rates.
The average cost of liability-only insurance — which provides only bodily injury and property damage coverage — is $115 per month in Georgia, according to our research. Full-coverage insurance — which includes both collision and comprehensive coverage on top of liability coverage — costs an average of $215 per month in the Peach State.
The following table features the seven cheapest car insurance companies in Georgia. The rates listed below are for drivers with clean records. Drivers with accidents, speeding tickets, DUI, or other traffic violations on their records can expect to pay higher premiums.
Company | Liability Only | Full Coverage | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia Farm Bureau | $48 | $105 | $76 |
| COUNTRY Financial | $58 | $97 | $78 |
| Auto-Owners | $52 | $113 | $82 |
| Central Insurance | $74 | $140 | $107 |
| USAA | $92 | $144 | $118 |
| Progressive | $72 | $167 | $119 |
| State Farm | $94 | $153 | $123 |
Georgia Farm Bureau has the cheapest average liability-only rates, at $48 per month, while COUNTRY Financial offers the cheapest full-coverage rates, at $97 per month.
Remember, these are average rates, which means you may or may not qualify for the rates listed above. But you can use several hacks to save money on your car insurance. You can start by shopping around and comparing quotes with different insurers to get the lowest rates for your situation.
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Georgia Auto Insurance FAQs
Here are answers to some of the most common questions people ask about car insurance requirements in Georgia.
Can you register your car without insurance in Georgia?
No. You need car insurance to register and receive a Georgia license plate (and to drive in the state legally). Georgia law allows for self-insurance certification, but to qualify, you must be able to prove you have a net worth of at least $100,000 and make a security deposit or purchase a surety bond worth at least $50,000.
Do you need full coverage in Georgia?
No, full-coverage auto insurance isn’t required in Georgia. To comply with the state insurance laws, you need a minimum of $25,000 per person in bodily injury liability ($50,000 per accident) and $25,000 in property damage liability coverage.
Does insurance follow the car or driver in Georgia?
Insurance follows the car rather than the driver in Georgia. This means a car that has lapsed insurance is illegal to drive.
How long can you go without car insurance in GA?
While driving without insurance in Georgia is illegal, the electronic insurance compliance system doesn’t consider a lack of insurance to be a “lapse” until at least 10 consecutive days have passed. At that point, you have 30 days to reinstate your insurance to avoid suspension of your car’s registration.
Is a CARCO inspection required in Georgia?
No, a CARCO inspection isn’t required in Georgia. It’s currently required only in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Florida. A CARCO inspection is a pre-insurance vehicle inspection that documents the condition, mileage, and options that already exist on a vehicle before it is insured.
This is similar to the walk-through inspection you might make before signing a lease on an apartment. The CARCO inspection protects you and your insurance company by documenting the vehicle at the beginning of your insurance relationship.
Sources
Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, “Auto Insurance,” Accessed February 29, 2024.
Georgia Department of Revenue, “Penalties and Fines for Lapse of Insurance Coverage, Registration Suspension and Reinstatement Process,” Accessed February 29, 2024.
Georgia Department of Revenue, “Georgia Electronic Insurance Compliance System,” Accessed February 29, 2024.
Georgia Department of Revenue, “Registration Suspension,” Accessed February 29, 2024.
Justia, “GA Code § 40-6-10 (2022),” Accessed February 29, 2024.
Ride Safe Georgia, “Understanding Georgia’s Diminished Value Law After a Car Accident,” Accessed February 29, 2024.
Rules and Regulations of the State of Georgia, “Subject 120-2-46 Automobile Self-Insurance Regulation,” Accessed February 29, 2024.
Ride Safe Georgia, “What is Joshua’s Law?,” Accessed February 29, 2024
Georgia Department of Driver Services, “Joshua's Law Requirements,” Accessed February 29, 2024
Insurance Research Council, “One in Eight Drivers Uninsured,” Accessed February 29, 2024
Insurance Information Institute, “Facts + Statistics: Auto theft,” Accessed February 29, 2024
CARCO, “FAQs,” Accessed March 1, 2024
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Emily Guy BirkenPersonal Finance Writer
Emily Guy Birken is a former educator, lifelong money nerd, and a Plutus Award-winning freelance writer who specializes in the scientific research behind irrational money behaviors. Her work has appeared on The Huffington Post, Business Insider, Kiplinger’s, MSN Money, and The Washington Post, and she’s been writing for Compare.com since 2023. Her background in education allows her to help people relate to and understand complex financial topics.
She’s the author of several books, including The 5 Years Before You Retire, End Financial Stress Now, and the brand-new book, Stacked: Your Super Serious Guide to Modern Money Management, written with Joe Saul-Sehy.
Lequita WestbrooksSenior Editor
Lequita Westbrooks is an insurance editor at Compare.com. Her writing and editing experiences span several industries, including insurance, personal finance, higher education, and more. She excels at explaining complex topics like auto insurance in simple, easy-to-understand language and is passionate about helping readers save money. Lequita graduated from the University of South Florida, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English.
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