Connecticut Auto Insurance Quotes and
Coverage Guide
Connecticut Motor Vehicle Insurance
Questions & AnswersQ: Is
auto insurance mandatory?
A: Well, not to walk
around on the moon, but it
is if you want to be able to
drive a car in Connecticut.
The state’s minimum
liability coverage is
20/40/10, which means if you
hurt someone in an accident,
your coverage pays up to
$20,000 of their medical
expenses; if you hurt two or
more people, you’re covered
up to $40,000 of their
medical expenses, and if you
damage property, your
insurance has to pay up to
$10,000. Keep in mind these
are just the state-required
minimums. Just remember you
don’t have to be driving
with your eyes closed or
ogling the hunky-looking guy
walking down the street to
get into a high-dollar
wreck. Morons aren’t the
only ones that have
accidents – it can happen to
a smart person (like the one
who bought more than the
minimum coverage), too.
Q: Is Connecticut a
"tort" state?
A: Yes, Connecticut
is what is known as a “tort”
state. In a tort state,
there are no restrictions on
lawsuits, so you can get
sued to high heaven and put
through h-e-double hockey
sticks if your insurance
doesn’t cover the victim’s
medical expenses or fix the
property upon which you have
wrecked (pardon the pun)
havoc. Oh, and don’t forget
the pain-and-suffering part
you’ll be liable for, too.
Q: What is required for
proof of insurance when
registering a vehicle?
A: You will need a
current Connecticut
Insurance Identification
Card for the vehicle you’re
registering. You get this
from your insurance company,
and it will do you
absolutely no good if you
leave it on the toilet tank
in your bathroom, on your
dresser, or if you file it
safely away somewhere in
that Black Hole of Calcutta
you call your office. It
must be carried on your
person or in the vehicle at
all times. The insurance
card must be in the name of
the registered owner(s) of
the vehicle and should
include:
-- Name of your insurance
company
-- Name(s) of the insured –
All names being listed on
the registration must appear
on the insurance card. In
the case of a married
couple, the insurance card
can be in one name only. If
a vehicle is owned by a
leasing company, that
company’s name and/or the
lessor should be listed.
-- Policy number
-- Effective date of
coverage (must be valid when
the vehicle is registered)
and expiration date (not to
exceed one year)
-- Vehicle year, make or
model, and complete vehicle
identification number (VIN)
Q: Is there any way I can
get a discount on my
insurance?
A: One of the great
things about getting older –
besides being able to wear
your clothes inside out with
impunity -- is that you get
a lot of freebies and
discounts, and here is one
of them: If you’re 62 or
older, you can get at least
a 5% discount (many
insurance companies give
more – ask) for two years if
you complete an
accident-prevention course
approved by the DMV. By law,
you can’t be refused the
minimum discount, regardless
of your driving history, so
don’t worry about the fact
you’ve backed into your
neighbor’s mailbox once a
week for the past eight
years or you keep forgetting
you can’t drive on the
median.
And even though it’s not the
law, many insurance
companies will give younger
people discounts, even
teenagers with pierced noses
and purple hair, when they
complete one of these
driving courses.
Q: What if I fail to keep
insurance on my vehicle that
I’ve registered in
Connecticut?
A: Connecticut law
requires that all registered
motor vehicles have
liability insurance.
Insurance must be maintained
at all times when there is
an active registration
entitling the vehicle to be
operated on the public
highway. The Connecticut
mandatory insurance
reporting law requires
insurance companies to
report records of uninsured
vehicles. Following a
matching process of other
active insurance and
registration records,
vehicles in violation are
reported to the DMV and will
be scheduled for the dreaded
“Administrative Action.” The
hand of doom will then
befall you, and your vehicle
will be subject to seizure,
impoundment, and potential
forfeiture if seen being
driven on a public highway
or even if it’s parked. Even
if you want to make things
right again between you and
the state, you’ve got to
respond to the Warning
Notice you’ll get by, at the
very least, getting
insurance again and paying a
$100 fine.
Q: What if I don't want
to pay insurance while my
car is inoperable or being
stored?
A: You can turn your
plates into any DMV and
request they be placed on
"hold." You can then drop
all insurance coverage on
the vehicle. You may also
cancel your plates and
request a refund if a year
or more remains unused. But
don’t come crying to the
insurance company if
something happens to your
car while it’s not insured.
Q: If I am selling my
vehicle and wish to keep my
plates, what do I do?
A: Prior to the sale
of the vehicle, you may
request "suspension of
liability," but keep your
comprehensive coverage on
the vehicle. By doing so,
you may keep the plates on
the car until it is sold and
this way, you will remain in
compliance with the law and
can sleep at night without
worrying about getting a
big, fat ticket you really
don’t need right now. Now
you will be able to worry
about something else.
Following the sale of your
vehicle, you must bring your
plates in and either place
them on "hold" until you are
ready to use them again or
cancel them. Should you have
more than a year left of the
registration, you may
request a one-year refund.
This must be done prior to
the dropping of insurance on
that vehicle, otherwise your
request will be met with a
blank stare.
Q: How would I obtain a
new registration following
cancellation?
A: After you’ve
finished trying to kick your
own backside for losing your
registration due to not
paying your insurance
premiums, here’s what you’ve
got to do next:
-- Pay an uninsured motorist
penalty for each lapse of
insurance: $250 for the
first 30 days, $5 for each
day thereafter.
-- Pay a $50 fine if plates
are confiscated by law
enforcement.
-- Pay a $100 restoration
fee if your driver’s license
is suspended for failure to
return your plates.
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