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So about 4 months ago I purchased my first car, 2014 Toyota RAV4, from a large Toyota dealership in Virginia, USA. During the purchase they told me for around $1000 they would title, put plates on, register, transfer insurance, etc ... the whole nine yards, so I thought.

This past Saturday I was rear ended by another driver who was clearly at fault. This was determined by the police officer that she called. Her Insurance is cooperating and they are going to pay for all the fixes necessary. During this time I realized ... oh my god, I don't think I have car insurance. The salesperson that was assisting me at Toyota when buying my first car failed to explain that the car insurance I had would expire after 30 days and not permanently carry over to my new car.

So today has rolled around and I am aggressively shopping for car insurance. I have quickly found that I cannot sign up with any major car insurance companies because I have an outstanding claim.

My question is this: Is there any way/known insurer that will cover individuals that are in a situation like mine?

I would like to have car insurance to cover the gap period between now, and when my car is completely fixed... which could be up to 2-3 weeks.

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    please specify the country, and even the state, because in the US insurance laws vary by state.
    – mhoran_psprep
    Commented May 29, 2018 at 17:16
  • What is the point of insuring the car while it's out of your possession being fixed? You can just call your insurer and buy the coverage as of the day you pick up the car the day you're picking up the car.
    – quid
    Commented May 29, 2018 at 17:21
  • Well I have been hit by other drivers 4 times in the past two years and the wait time for the claim evaluation can be a couple of days. I guess I have this worst case scenario in my head where somewhow I manage to cause a 10 car pile up and kill like 2 people... all while having no insurance. I know that seems extreme, I'm just willing to pay whatever to make sure everything is covered.
    – aquaballin
    Commented May 29, 2018 at 17:24
  • who did you have for the last few years?
    – mhoran_psprep
    Commented May 29, 2018 at 17:27
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    Then you need to call your insurer and get yourself your liability coverage, then rent a car, then have your car towed to whatever shop will be performing the work. That would be the belt and suspenders approach.
    – quid
    Commented May 29, 2018 at 17:52

2 Answers 2

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So I was able to get an insurance policy this morning through National General Insurance and provided all the information necessary with my special case scenario. Thankfully Farm Bureau (the insurer of the person who hit me) approved my claim this morning which helped my case while I was registering. I figured I would at least provide an update, and the insurer that was willing to work with me. National General Insurance is an affiliate of Nationwide that helps customers that have exceptional circumstances. I'm pretty confident I ended up paying a little extra, but better safe than sorry.

Thanks for the help.

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  • Glad you got this settled!
    – quid
    Commented May 30, 2018 at 15:42
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Talk to a local agent, they should be able to work this out. Don't call the 800 number or go though the website. Start with the company you had for the last few years.

One issue you will have is that Virginia requires you to have insurance, or you must pay an uninsured motorists fee.

While there is a fee for not having insurance, according to DMV paying the fee doesn't provide insurance:

The $500 Uninsured Motor Vehicle (UMV) fee, which is paid to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), does not provide any insurance; it only allows you to drive an uninsured vehicle at your own risk. It expires with your registration and must be paid at renewal. If you are driving an uninsured vehicle and are involved in an accident, the other driver may notify DMV that your vehicle is uninsured as part of reporting the accident to DMV.

Penalties

Severe penalties are imposed for not complying with insurance requirements. If liability insurance coverage on a vehicle terminates or cancels during the registration period, you must reinsure the vehicle, pay the uninsured motor vehicle fee, temporarily deactivate your license plates, or surrender the license plates to DMV.

Vehicle owners who are uninsured or have not paid the UMV fee will have their driving and vehicle registration privileges suspended. To be reinstated, they must pay a $500 statutory fee, file a Financial Responsibility Insurance Certificate (SR-22) with DMV for three years, and pay a reinstatement fee, if applicable. Eligible vehicle owners may enter into a payment plan program to pay the statutory fee over time.

I would resolve this today.

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  • Thanks for the help, I am going to try and tackle this after work today or tomorrow morning. I will let you know how it goes!
    – aquaballin
    Commented May 29, 2018 at 18:13

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