Guide to Car Insurance in Georgia

As a legal requirement, Georgia imposes minimum liability limits on drivers. The minimum liability requirements are $25,000 in bodily injury per person, $50,000 in bodily injury per accident, and $25,000 in property damage liability. Drivers can elect to have more than the minimum; that includes higher liability limits as well as elective coverages such as comprehensive and collision coverage.

There’s a lot more to your auto insurance options than liability coverage. You need a minimum of $25,000 in per-person bodily injury with $50,000 in per-accident injury coverage. You also need a minimum of $50,000 in property damage for liability coverage.

Though it’s not a requirement, most drivers should have full coverage. Full coverage means that you have comprehensive coverage, collision coverage, and medical payments coverage along with liability insurance. These coverages protect your car in different ways.

Comprehensive coverage pays to repair your car in a situation where you didn’t hit anything; think of incidents like theft or a tree branch falling on your vehicle. Collision coverage repairs your car if you hit another vehicle or object. Comprehensive and collision protection for a car sits at its fair market value.

You’ll select a deductible, which is your portion of the car’s repair costs after an incident. You pay your deductible before the insurance company pays its part of the claim. Medical payments coverage pays your medical bills if you are in an at-fault accident.

Aside from comprehensive, collision, and medical payments coverage, there are other options you should consider. You may want to select uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, which pays for your medical care and property damage if another driver hits you but doesn’t have sufficient (or any) insurance. The Insurance Research Council estimates that 18 percent of Georgia’s population drives without insurance.²

Other recommended options include rental car coverage, emergency roadside service, and death benefits. While optional, these coverages make things a little easier if you do have an accident. Consider shopping for the cheapest car insurance options in Georgia to get extra coverages while paying a lower monthly premium. In the long run, opting for coverage beyond the minimum state requirements can save you thousands of dollars.

Georgia ranked eighth as the most expensive car insurance state in 2020 in a study by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.¹ According to our research, the average annual rate was $2,129 with the average liability insurance cost being $778. This is 11 percent higher than the national average.

Drivers can get insurance from a wide range of insurance carriers in Georgia, including these companies:

• Allstate
• Auto-Owners
• Direct Auto
• GEICO
• Liberty Mutual
• Mercury
• Progressive
• State Farm
• Farm Bureau
• Travelers
• USAA

You can lower your insurance premiums in several ways:

1. Check for discounts. Every carrier has its own set of potential discounts, such as discounts for driving safely, being a good student, or bundling your policies. Bundling means that you combine another type of insurance, such as home insurance, with your auto insurance policy.
2. Raise your deductible for comprehensive or collision coverage. When you assume more of the cost in an accident, the insurance carrier will reduce the premium. Just make sure that you can afford the deductible; otherwise, your claim may not be covered if you get in an accident.
3. Lower your liability limits and eliminate optional coverage. Reducing your coverage can effectively lower your premiums, but it may leave you in the lurch after an accident.

You must show proof of insurance to register a car and when an officer stops you. Proof of insurance can be a printed insurance card, a digital download from your insurance carrier’s app, or an emailed version.³

If you drive without proof of insurance in Georgia, you are subject to penalties and fines. The first offense is a fine of $200 to $1,000, with potential imprisonment for up to 12 months and license suspension for 60 to 90 days.⁴ To reinstate your license, you must show proof of a valid six-month policy and pay a restoration fee of $200 or $210.

A second offense brings the same potential penalties of $200 to $1,000 with up to 12 months in prison. License suspension is for a longer period with a higher restoration fee: 90 days and $300 or $310.⁵

There are many insurance-pertinent state laws you need to be aware of when driving in Georgia.

Fault State

Georgia is a fault state, meaning that the at-fault party pays the injury claims and property damage for the car or object struck. When it comes to negligence, Georgia is a modified comparative state, meaning the plaintiff cannot recover losses if they are equally or more responsible for damages and injuries than the defendant.⁶

Uninsured Motorist Coverage

Uninsured motorist coverage is not mandatory for Georgia drivers, but your insurance carrier must offer it to you. So, when you get an insurance quote, the agent will ask you if you want uninsured motorist coverage. Though we recommend it, it is optional coverage.⁷

Georgia allows stacking for uninsured motorist coverage. Stacking means that you combine the uninsured motorist coverage of all the cars in your household to give you greater protection. For example, if you have two cars, each with $25,000 in uninsured motorist per-person liability protection, you would have $50,000 in coverage with stacking.

Georgia DUI Laws

Driving under the influence (DUI) has steep penalties in Georgia. If you have a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent or more, you are DUI.⁸ If you’re caught, a DUI will stay on your record for five years and come with a mandatory one-year license suspension.

Fines range from $300 to $5,000, with jail time up to 12 months. Ignition interlocks are mandatory from the first offense, with a license revocation for up to five years.⁹

Seat Belt Laws

Georgia is a primary seat belt law state, meaning that officers can ticket you for a seat belt violation even if there is no other penalty for the road stop. Those ages 8 and older in the front seat must wear seat belts.¹⁰ The fine for not wearing a seat belt is $15, or $25 if a child is not appropriately secured.

Distracted Driving Laws in Georgia

Distracted driving is an offense in Georgia. The state bans the use of handheld devices while driving, with all drivers forbidden from texting while driving.

Texting and driving is a primary offense, meaning it can be the only reason an officer stops you. There is a $50 fine for a first offense and a $100 fine for a second offense that happens within five years of the first. You’ll also get a point on your record for the first offense and up to three points if you commit a third offense within five years.¹¹

Teen Driving Laws

The Georgia Teenage and Adult Driver Responsibility Act (TADRA) is a licensing program for drivers ages 15 to 18. Drivers can get permits (Class CP) at 15 years old and provisional licenses (Class D) once they have held permits for over 12 months. At 18, they are eligible for full licenses (Class C).

The provisional license means that they cannot drive between midnight and 5 a.m. Only immediate family members may ride in the teenage driver’s car for the first six months. The following six months allow one passenger under 21 who is not a member of the family to be in the car with the provisional licensed driver. After a year, up to three passengers who are not family members are allowed in the car.¹²

Statute of Limitations for Claims

Georgia has a statute of limitations for claims. The limit is four years to file a claim for property damage, and two years for personal injury claims. If you miss this window, your insurance will not cover your claim.

Cancellation/Non-Renewal Notification Laws

Insurance companies must give you enough time to find other coverage when canceling or declining to renew your policy. In Georgia, 30 days is the minimum time required for the provider to notify you of your policy cancellation or non-renewal, regardless of the reason, before your policy expires.

Self-Insurance

Georgia allows you to self-insure a car. To do so, you must put up a $50,000 bond with the Department of Revenue. This bond waives your requirement to buy insurance from a carrier. If you plan to self-insure, you’ll also need to report any accidents to the Commissioner of Insurance within 30 days of the incident.¹³

Car Inspection Requirements

If your car is older than three years, you must have it inspected by a licensed emissions inspector each year before registration renewals. You can get an inspection at a licensed mechanics shop or gas station. You’ll get a sticker as proof of inspection, and the inspector will file a form with the state.

SR-22s

An SR-22 is a financial responsibility insurance certificate. Insurance carriers issue SR-22s when you have had your license suspended for an offense like not adhering to financial responsibility laws or driving under the influence. Georgia requires an SR-22 if you are a habitual violator or have had your license revoked; you must use the SR-22 for up to five years.

Defensive Driving

If you take a defensive driving course, the DMV may reduce the points on your license, and you may be eligible for insurance discounts. These courses help you be a more courteous and responsible driver to reduce accidents or dangerous scenarios. The maximum number of points that a defensive driving course can take off your record in Georgia is seven.¹⁴ Georgia requires you to take all defensive driving courses in person; online courses are not accepted.

Serious Injury and Monetary Thresholds

There is no serious injury or monetary threshold to sue after a car accident in Georgia. When someone gets serious injuries in an accident, they may have noneconomic damages such as emotional distress, inconvenience, stress and anxiety, and loss of companionship. These losses don’t have bills associated with them, so attorneys use a multiplier of the economic losses to come to a figure. This multiplier is anywhere from 1.5 to five times the medical costs and lost wages in accident cases.

Accident Reporting Requirements

Georgia’s accident reporting requirements kick in for any accident that results in death or injury, or property damage over $500. You must report the accident as soon as possible; otherwise, there is a fine up to $1,000 and a misdemeanor charge.

Price Discrimination

Georgia allows insurance carriers to use credit scores to help determine the cost of insurance. Carriers find that those with better credit tend to have fewer accidents and warrant preferential rates. Georgia also allows carriers to determine prices based on sex. For example, young males are higher-risk drivers than young females, so men pay more for auto insurance in Georgia.

When Is a Car Declared a Total Loss?

Georgia insurers use a total-loss formula to determine if a car damaged in an accident is repairable. A vehicle is a total loss when mechanics can’t repair it safely, the cost of repairs is higher than the fair market value of the vehicle, or the damage meets the state’s total-loss guidelines.

In Georgia, a vehicle is a total loss when the actual cash value is equal to or less than the repair costs plus the salvage value. At this point, the car is too expensive to repair for the insurance carrier.

See below for pertinent contact information in Georgia.

Department of Driver Services

You can contact your local Georgia Department of Driver Services online, over the phone, or by mail.

• URL: DDS.Georgia.gov/location
• Phone: 678-413-8400
• Mailing address:
  • P.O. Box 80447
    Conyers, GA 30013

Department of Revenue

You can get a copy of your car title in Georgia by completing the following steps:

1. Visit https://dor.georgia.gov/replace-lost-or-stolen-title.
2. Complete the MV-1 Title/Tag Application.
3. Pay an $8 fee.

Insurance Commissioner

You can contact Georgia’s insurance commissioner with questions or concerns about your insurance carrier.

• URL: OCI.Georgia.gov/
• Phone: 404-656-2070
• Mailing address:
  • 2 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.
    West Tower, Suite 7
    Atlanta, GA 30334

Georgia’s average repair cost is $519, slightly above the national average of $501. Repairs make up 16 percent of the yearly cost of owning a car for drivers in Georgia.

Like most places, Georgia has auto thefts and fatalities resulting from traffic accidents.

Motor Vehicle Theft

The good news is that Georgia doesn’t have as many car thefts as other states. In 2022, Georgia’s motor vehicle theft rate was 9 percent less than the national average, with about 244 thefts per 100,000 inhabitants.¹⁵ It also ranked ninth overall for vehicle thefts by volume, with over 28,000 thefts in 2023.¹⁶ These Georgia cities had the highest rates in 2020 (the most recent citywide data available):

• Chattanooga: 436 per 100,000 inhabitants
• Albany: 291 per 100,000 inhabitants
• Atlanta: 282 per 100,000 inhabitants
• Savannah: 265 per 100,000 inhabitants

Motor Vehicle Fatalities

Georgia’s traffic fatality rate is 29 percent higher than the national average, with 1,797 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles driven.¹⁷

Georgia is an at-fault insurance state that requires liability insurance for drivers. Those who don’t follow driving laws are subject to penalties that include fines and jail time in some cases. Georgia has more accidents than average, so you should consider getting full coverage on your car, with additional options such as rental car coverage, for adequate protection. You can also find the right provider by checking out for the best car insurance in Georgia.