Kentucky Auto Insurance Quotes and
Coverage Guide
Kentucky Motor Vehicle Insurance
Questions & AnswersQ: Is
auto insurance mandatory?
A: Because of the propensity of some drivers
to think they’re at Churchill Downs instead of the
highway and riding Smarty Jones instead driving Old
Betsy, the Commonwealth of Kentucky has had the good
sense to mandate minimum liability auto insurance
for its citizens.
Q: Is Kentucky a "no-fault" or a “tort” state?
A: In Kentucky, you can take your pick of
either no-fault or tort-type insurance. If pick
no-fault, you are rejecting the lawsuit threshold,
but you still retain your right to sue for injuries
incurred from that wild-eyed guy dressed in silks
who apparently thought he was still at the races.
You also have to buy state-required PIP (Personal
Injury Protection) for coverage up to $10,000 to
handle medical costs, loss of income, or funeral
expenses. If you pick basic no-fault insurance, you
receive up to $10,000 for medical expenses, lost
wages, and injury-related expenses – regardless of
who was reliving their jockey fantasies when the
wreck occurred.
Q: What type of insurance is required to purchase
and maintain a Kentucky tag and registration?
A: Minimum liability insurance written by a
Kentucky-licensed agent is required to obtain your
tag and registration, and this is done at your local
Motor Vehicle Registration office, not at the Derby.
You don’t have to get this, however, until you
actually plan on driving your vehicle. Some people
like to just sit in their parked car and pretend
they’re at the races.
Q: Can I maintain my current policy issued in my
previous state of residence?
A: Only if you don’t plan on driving it in
Kentucky. When you are ready and willing to fork out
what it takes for Kentucky-approved insurance from a
licensed agent, then you can actually put that buggy
on the road. Until then, you can still sit in it in
your driveway and pretend you’re at the Derby while
singing “My Old Kentucky Home” and sipping mint
juleps, too, if that makes you feel better.
Q: What if I fail to keep insurance on my vehicle
that I’ve registered in Kentucky?
A: Your license can be suspended or revoked,
you can get a $500 fine, and you can even look
forward to spending 10-90 days in the pokey. A
second go-round of being caught with no insurance
will reap you a $1,000 fine, 90 days in jail, and
getting your driver’s license suspended for a year.
But while you’re looking through the bars of your
cell, you can pretend you’re in the starting gate –
just don’t hold your breath waiting to hear the
starting pistol.
Q: What if insurance companies keep turning me
down?
A: The Commonwealth of Kentucky has a
solution, even for jockeys – er, drivers, like you.
These are called “markets of last resort,” and the
agency implementing them is The Kentucky Automobile
Insurance Plan. This was created way back in 1948 to
provide automobile insurance coverage to people
determined to win the Kentucky Derby while driving
instead of riding a horse and are therefore unable
to obtain coverage through the voluntary market (For
complete eligibility requirements, see the Plan
Manual at http://www.aipso.com/KY/.). Eligible
Kentucky Automobile Insurance Plan risks (that means
people like you) are shared among companies writing
automobile insurance in the state of Kentucky so you
can at least be able to get your car back on the
road.
Q: I own several vehicles but do not operate some
of them. Do I need insurance for the inoperative
ones?
A: You do not need insurance on inoperative
vehicles unless they’re registered. So don’t
register them – just designate them as special
“play-like-you’re-the jockey” vehicles.
Q: How can I own a vehicle and not need
insurance?
A: The only way you can legally own a vehicle
in Kentucky without getting insurance on it is to
refrain from registering it, park it in your
driveway and never, ever get it out on the road – or
you’ll wind up back at that starting gate.
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