Guide to Car Insurance in Nebraska

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist: $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident

Minimum coverage has its appeal because it represents the lowest price you can pay for car insurance. However, if you hit someone’s car and they have injuries or property damages, the amounts could easily exceed the minimum amounts of $50,000 and $25,000, respectively.

If that’s the case, under Nebraska’s at-fault law, you’d be responsible for paying these costs out of pocket. The same goes for someone with no insurance or too-low limits who hits your car. How can you protect yourself financially?

The solution is to raise your liability limits as high as you can afford, up to $500,000 if you have considerable assets. But liability and uninsured motorist coverage aren’t enough. If you cause a car accident, you’ll also want to be covered for your property damages and bodily injury costs, so consider the following coverages.

• Collision: Collision insurance pays for your property damages in collisions you cause. The limit is your car’s actual market value (AMV).
• Comprehensive: Comprehensive coverage also pays for your property damages, but it only covers incidents other than collisions, such as car theft and vandalism. Like collision coverage, the comprehensive coverage limit is also your AMV.
• Medical payments: Medical payments coverage will pay for your injuries and your passengers’ injuries in accidents you cause. Match your medical limit with your bodily injury limit.

As a driver in Nebraska, you can expect to pay 24 percent less than the national annual average for car insurance, with average rates of only $796 a year. Here’s what most people pay by coverage type.

• Liability: $418
• Collision: $271
• Comprehensive: $269.¹

But take these average costs with a grain of salt. We’ve seen annual rates as low as $167 for adults with a clean driving record and as high as $5,238 for 16-year-old drivers. Similarly, drivers with a DUI and young drivers under 25 will pay more for car insurance. Get car insurance quotes from multiple companies to determine the actual cost of auto insurance in Nebraska for you.

• Allied
• Allstate
• American Family
• Farmers
• Farmers Mutual of Nebraska
• GEICO
• Iowa Farm Bureau
• Iowa Mutual
• Nationwide
• Progressive
• Safeco
• State Farm
• The Hartford
• USAA

1. Ask your insurance agent for discounts. You may be able to get a significant cut for taking a defensive driving course, driving your car less, or even paying early.
2. If you have multiple policies with multiple providers, bundle all your insurance policies with the same company.
3. Lower your limits.
4. Raise your deductibles.
5. Drop coverages that Nebraska doesn’t require.

If you’re caught driving in Nebraska without proof of insurance in either physical or digital form, you could face a license or registration suspension until you pay a $50 fee for each. After that, you’ll need to carry proof of minimum insurance, known as an SR-22 certificate, for three years following your reinstatement date.

At-Fault State

Since Nebraska is an at-fault state, the party at fault in an accident will be responsible for the other party’s property damages and bodily injury costs, as well as their own. The state’s modified comparative negligence law means you can receive compensation even if you were partially at fault in an accident, as long as it was less than 50 percent. If you’re less than 50 percent at fault but still somewhat at fault, your payout will be reduced by your degree of fault.

Uninsured Motorists

As we highlighted earlier, you must buy uninsured motorist coverage as a driver in Nebraska. The good news? It includes coverage for hit-and-runs, collisions in which someone hits your car and flees the scene, preventing you from obtaining their insurance information.

The bad news is that you can’t stack the coverage limits of multiple cars, like you can in some other states. In other words, your limit remains the same regardless of the number of cars covered under your uninsured motorist coverage.

How to Get a New Car Registration

1. You can get a new registration at a county treasurer’s office or by mail. Find your local office at https://dmv.nebraska.gov/locations/county-treasurers.
2. When applying, include your proof of insurance (which must be the original document), proof that you’ve paid the sales/excise tax, and a copy of the signed lease agreement if you have a leased vehicle.
3. Pay the $15 registration fee.

How to Renew Your Car Registration

You can renew your registration online at https://www.nebraska.gov/dmv/vtr/start.cgi or follow these steps to renew by mail or in person:

1. Gather your registration document and original proof of insurance.
2. Find your county treasurer’s contact information at https://dmv.nebraska.gov/locations/county-treasurers.
3. Send or bring the required documents.
4. Pay the $15 fee, plus any money you owe for local fees and taxes.

How to Get a Car Title Copy

1. Print out this form: https://dmv.nebraska.gov/sites/dmv.nebraska.gov/files/doc/dvr/forms/dupttlapp.pdf.
2. Fill it out.
3. Get it notarized.
4. Gather the $14 fee.
5. Mail the form and fee to your county treasurer’s office (find your location at https://dmv.nebraska.gov/locations/county-treasurers).

How to Contact the Nebraska Department of Insurance

• URL: https://doi.nebraska.gov/contact
• Phone number: 402-471-2201
• Mailing address:
  • Terminal Building
  • 941 O St., Suite 400
  • Lincoln, NE 68508-3639

Car repairs in Nebraska cost $364.38 on average, 5 percent less than the national average. That’s $149.76 for labor and $214.62 for parts.⁵

Motor Vehicle Theft

Surprisingly, given the number of rural areas, Nebraska’s motor vehicle theft rates are 6 percent more than the national average. In 2020, there were 261 auto thefts per 100,000 inhabitants.⁶ Rates were higher in cities like Omaha, according to data from the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).

To decrease your chances of car theft, the NICB recommends parking in either private garages or, if you have to park on the street, busy and well-lit areas. Install warning and immobilizing devices in your vehicle, as well as tracking devices in case your vehicle is stolen. Aside from making auto theft less likely, these protective add-ons may qualify you for a discount on car insurance.

Learn more about catalytic converter theft, which has become increasingly common in the U.S., which increased by 27 percent in December 2020 from the prior month, according to NICB data.

Traffic Fatalities

Fortunately, Nebraska has a low rate of traffic fatalities. In 2019, there were only 248 traffic deaths per 100 million vehicle miles driven, which is 185 percent less than the national average.⁷

That’s the most important information about driving and auto insurance in Nebraska. If you want more information about insurance in the U.S. in general, read our state driving guide. If you want to learn even more about car insurance in Nebraska, continue to our section of frequently asked questions.