Is car insurance required in Ohio?

Yes. Ohio law requires all drivers to purchase 25/50/25 minimum liability insurance. This translates to $25,000 per person and $25,000 per accident for bodily injury liability and $50,000 per accident for property damage liability. Alternatively, drivers can purchase a $30,000 bond in order to self-insure.

What are the three requirements for Ohio car insurance?

Ohio requires drivers to maintain $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury liability coverage and $25,000 per accident for property damage liability.

Do you need car insurance to register a car in Ohio?

Yes. When you register a new vehicle or renew your registration in Ohio, you need to sign a proof of financial responsibility statement. This requires you to purchase car insurance first.

How long can you drive without insurance after buying a car in Ohio?

You must maintain an active insurance policy at all times while driving in Ohio, even if you drive a new car off the lot. If you already have a car insurance policy in place, many auto insurance companies will automatically cover the new car with your previous policy’s limits, but you must officially transfer your coverage or add the car to your policy within 30 days.

Does insurance follow the car or the driver in Ohio?

Car insurance generally follows the car — including in the Buckeye State — so if a family member or friend has permission to drive your car, your policy covers them. However, your car insurance follows you in some cases, like if you rent a car.

Car Insurance Requirements in Ohio (2024)

Ohio requirements
State minimum coverage
Liability only
Full coverage
Penalties of no insurance
Optional coverages
FAQs

Ohio requirements
State minimum coverage
Liability only
Full coverage
Penalties of no insurance
Optional coverages
FAQs

Ohio car insurance requirements are 25/50/25, which translates to $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury liability and $25,000 per accident for property damage liability.^[1] All drivers must purchase and maintain at least this much insurance for their vehicles in order to drive legally.

But Buckeye State drivers have some of the best options for cheap car insurance. Ohio’s average rate for liability car insurance is $74 per month for minimum coverage but starts as low as $36 per month.

Ohio car insurance requirements

States set different minimum coverage requirements for drivers so that they can pay for damages and injuries after a car accident. If you’re the at-fault driver, you pay for other parties’ injuries and damages through your liability insurance, up to the policy limits.

Ohio requires that all drivers purchase two types of liability insurance coverage: bodily injury liability and property damage liability.^[1]

Bodily injury liability

If you injure someone in an auto accident you caused, your bodily injury liability coverage kicks in to pay their medical bills. It’ll also help pay your legal defense costs in case someone sues you. Ohio law requires you to carry a bodily injury liability policy with coverage of at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident.^[1]

Property damage liability

Property damage liability coverage reimburses parties for damages you cause their property. This includes vehicles, fences, light poles, structures, and more. In Ohio, you must carry at least $25,000 in property damage liability coverage.^[1]

Do you need more than state-minimum coverage in Ohio?

Keep in mind that these are the minimum coverage amounts. If someone sues you for amounts that exceed these minimum limits, you’re personally liable for the excess amount. For many people, that would be financially catastrophic, so they purchase higher coverage amounts.

If you financed or leased your car, chances are your lender or lessor will require a full-coverage policy.

Good to Know

Full-coverage insurance doesn’t have a formal definition, but it usually describes a policy that includes liability insurance, comprehensive, collision, and personal injury protection (PIP) or medical payments coverage.

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The cost of liability-only car insurance in Ohio

Liability-only policies are usually the cheapest car insurance policies in Ohio, costing an average of $74 per month, based on Insurify data.

Here are average quotes from the best and cheapest liability insurers in the state.

The below rates are estimated rates current as of: Sunday, September 1 at 12:00 PM PDT.

Insurance Company ▲▼	Average Monthly Quote ▲▼
Mile Auto	$36
State Farm	$38
Auto-Owners	$44
Erie	$44
GEICO	$48
USAA	$49
American Family	$55
Nationwide	$57
Elephant	$58
Safeco	$58
Progressive	$63
The General	$68
Clearcover	$75
Commonwealth Casualty	$75
Root	$78
Dairyland	$80
Liberty Mutual	$81
Direct Auto	$83
Allstate	$84
CSAA	$85
Travelers	$91
Farmers	$93
National General	$94
GAINSCO	$96
Bristol West	$103
Hugo	$112
State Auto	$128
Foremost	$143

Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.

The cost of full-coverage car insurance in Ohio

While average full-coverage policies cost more than liability policies, it’s still possible to find cheap rates. In Ohio, the average full-coverage car insurance policy costs $145 per month.

The table below shows average rates from top full-coverage car insurance companies in Ohio.

The below rates are estimated rates current as of: Sunday, September 1 at 12:00 PM PDT.

Insurance Company ▲▼	Average Monthly Quote ▲▼
Mile Auto	$53
State Farm	$69
Auto-Owners	$80
Erie	$80
GEICO	$87
USAA	$89
Elephant	$90
Safeco	$92
American Family	$99
Nationwide	$102
Progressive	$113
Root	$124
Direct Auto	$138
National General	$142
The General	$143
Clearcover	$146
CSAA	$146
Liberty Mutual	$152
Allstate	$152
Travelers	$164
Farmers	$169
State Auto	$184
GAINSCO	$189
Commonwealth Casualty	$191
Dairyland	$211
Bristol West	$236
Foremost	$314

Penalties for driving without proof of insurance in Ohio

In Ohio, it’s important to always have proof of insurance with you when you drive. Driving without insurance is a serious offense with many consequences.

If the state convicts you of driving without insurance, you face license suspension for three months on your first offense and up to one year for subsequent offenses. You also face vehicle impoundment.^[1]

To get your car and license back, you’ll have to pay several costs and fines under state law:^[1]

Court costs: These include any court-imposed fees and costs for your court hearings and legal proceedings.
Impound fee: This varies by impoundment lot.
License reinstatement fee: You’ll pay $75 to get your license back, and up to $500 for repeat offenders.
Auto insurance coverage: You may have to file SR-22 insurance with the Ohio Department of Insurance.

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Optional car insurance coverages to consider

Liability insurance policies protect you from some of the most catastrophic costs, but not all of them. Drivers can add other coverages to their policies for more protection from various situations.

Here are some optional insurances to consider:^[2]

Collision coverage
Collision coverage pays for vehicle damages and repairs from hitting another car or object, regardless of fault.
Comprehensive coverage
Comprehensive insurance protects against non-collision incidents, like theft and severe weather, as well as collisions with animals.
Roadside assistance coverage
If your car breaks down during travel, roadside assistance pays for towing, battery jump-starts, tire changes, and more.
Personal injury protection (PIP) coverage
Personal injury protection (PIP) coverage will help pay for medical bills, lost wages, or other related expenses for you and any other passengers in your car if you’re involved in an auto accident.
Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage pays for your damages and injuries if someone without car insurance — or limits too low to cover your expenses — causes an accident with you.

Ohio car insurance requirements FAQs

Still have questions about Ohio car insurance requirements? Here are some quick answers.

Is car insurance required in Ohio?
Yes. Ohio law requires all drivers to purchase 25/50/25 minimum liability insurance. This translates to $25,000 per person and $25,000 per accident for bodily injury liability and $50,000 per accident for property damage liability. Alternatively, drivers can purchase a $30,000 bond in order to self-insure.^[1]
What are the three requirements for Ohio car insurance?
Ohio requires drivers to maintain $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury liability coverage and $25,000 per accident for property damage liability.^[1]
Do you need car insurance to register a car in Ohio?
Yes. When you register a new vehicle or renew your registration in Ohio, you need to sign a proof of financial responsibility statement. This requires you to purchase car insurance first.^[3]
How long can you drive without insurance after buying a car in Ohio?
You must maintain an active insurance policy at all times while driving in Ohio, even if you drive a new car off the lot. If you already have a car insurance policy in place, many auto insurance companies will automatically cover the new car with your previous policy’s limits, but you must officially transfer your coverage or add the car to your policy within 30 days.
Does insurance follow the car or the driver in Ohio?
Car insurance generally follows the car — including in the Buckeye State — so if a family member or friend has permission to drive your car, your policy covers them. However, your car insurance follows you in some cases, like if you rent a car.

Methodology

Insurify data scientists analyzed more than 90 million quotes served to car insurance applicants in Insurify’s proprietary database to calculate the premium averages displayed on this page. These premiums are real quotes that come directly from Insurify’s 50+ partner insurance companies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Quote averages represent the median price for a quote across the given coverage level, driver subset, and geographic area.

Unless otherwise specified, quoted rates reflect the average cost for drivers between 20 and 70 years old with a clean driving record and average or better credit (a credit score of 600 or higher).

Liability-only premium averages correspond to policies with the following coverage limits:

Bodily injury limits between state-minimum rates and $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
Property damage limits between $10,000 and $50,000
No additional coverage

Full-coverage premium averages correspond to the same bodily injury and property damage limits in addition to:

Comprehensive coverage with a $1,000 deductible
Collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible

Quotes for Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, State Farm, and USAA are estimates based on Quadrant Information Services’ database of auto insurance rates.

Sources

Ohio Department of Insurance. "Guide to Automobile Insurance."
NAIC. "Consumer Shopping Tool for Auto Insurance."
Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles. "Vehicle Registration."

Lindsay VanSomeren

Lindsay VanSomeren is a freelance personal finance writer living in Suquamish, WA. Her work has appeared with FICO, Credit Karma, The Balance, and more. She enjoys helping people learn how to manage their money better so they can live the life they want.

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Edited byCourtney MikulskiSenior Editor, Auto

Courtney MikulskiSenior Editor, Auto

3+ years producing insurance and personal finance content
Main architect of the Insurify Quality Score

Courtney’s deep personal finance knowledge extends beyond insurance to credit cards, consumer lending, and banking. She thrives on creating actionable content.

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