Virginia car insurance: minimums, SR-22 rules and costs

Last updated: November 12, 2026

Virginia drivers must carry at least $50,000/$100,000 of bodily injury liability and $25,000 of property damage liability, plus uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage. In 2023, insured drivers in Virginia spent an average of $1,114.47 on car insurance, 13% below the national average of $1,281.60, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). That makes Virginia the 26th most expensive of the 50 states and D.C. by that measure.

Minimum car insurance required in Virginia

Coverage	Minimum
Bodily injury liability, per person	$50,000
Bodily injury liability, per accident	$100,000
Property damage liability, per accident	$25,000
Uninsured motorist (UM)	Required
Underinsured motorist (UIM)	Required

You'll often see this written as 50/100/25. The first two numbers are the bodily injury limits in thousands of dollars (per person and per accident), and the last is property damage. Those amounts are the most the policy pays for injuries and damage you cause to others. Anything above them can come back to you personally.

Virginia raised its minimums from 30/60/20 to 50/100/25 for policies effective on or after January 1, 2025. Since July 1, 2024, paying an uninsured motor vehicle fee is no longer an option, so insurance is required.

Is Virginia a no-fault state?

No. Virginia isn't one of the 12 no-fault states listed by the Insurance Information Institute, so the driver who causes a crash, and their insurer, is generally responsible for the other people's injuries and damage. That's why the liability limits above matter so much.

SR-22 rules in Virginia

Virginia requires every registered vehicle to stay insured, whether or not you drive it. If a vehicle you declared as insured turns out to be uninsured, the DMV suspends all of the owner's licenses, registrations and plates until the owner:

Pays a $600 non-compliance fee.
Files and keeps proof of financial responsibility (an SR-22) for three years.
Pays a reinstatement fee, if one applies.

If your coverage ends during the registration period, you have to reinsure the vehicle, deactivate the plates or turn them in to the DMV.

What drives car insurance costs in Virginia

Average spending in Virginia rose 30% from 2019 to 2023, compared with 19% nationwide. Here's average annual spending per insured vehicle, from the NAIC:

Year	Virginia average	U.S. average
2019	$858.75	$1,075.08
2020	$846.19	$1,047.76
2021	$863.73	$1,060.23
2022	$949.76	$1,124.45
2023	$1,114.47	$1,281.60

The NAIC's "average expenditure" is total written premium divided by insured vehicles. It isn't a quote, and your own price depends on your driver profile and the coverage you choose.

Uninsured drivers. An estimated 12.9% of drivers in Virginia were uninsured in 2023, lower than the national estimate of 15.4%. That's the 23rd highest rate among the 50 states and D.C. When more drivers are uninsured, insured drivers' own uninsured motorist coverage pays more claims, which pushes up its price.
Crash deaths. Virginia recorded 917 motor vehicle crash deaths in 2024, or 1.04 per 100 million miles driven, lower than the U.S. rate of 1.19 (the 16th lowest of the 50 states and D.C.). Severe crashes drive up bodily injury claim costs.
Where and how crashes happen. In 2024, 50% of Virginia's crash deaths happened in rural areas (U.S.: 41%), 31% involved speeding (U.S.: 29%), and 13% of those killed were pedestrians (U.S.: 18%).

Ways to save on car insurance in Virginia

Compare at least three quotes. Insurers weigh the same facts differently, so prices for the same driver in Virginia can vary widely. More ways to lower your bill.
Check your uninsured motorist limits anyway. Even at 12.9%, uninsured and underinsured drivers are common, and UM coverage is usually inexpensive. How UM coverage works.
Shop at every renewal. Prices in Virginia rose faster than the national average from 2019 to 2023, so a renewal increase is a good reason to compare.
Keep comprehensive if your car is worth it. Most crash deaths in Virginia happen on rural roads, where animal strikes and long distances are common. Comprehensive covers hitting an animal; collision covers crashes. Comprehensive vs. collision.
Ask about discounts. Common ones include safe driver, multi-car, bundling, paying in full, good student and usage-based programs. They're not always applied automatically.

See other states in our car insurance guides by state.

Sources

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DriveCheaper may be paid by companies shown on this site. How we make money. This page is general information, not insurance or legal advice. Laws and prices change, so confirm details with your insurer or your state's insurance department or DMV.