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Last updated: March 16, 2023

Car Insurance in Nevada: Vegas, Reno, and Beyond

What you need to know before you drive in the Silver State

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When you think of Nevada, you probably picture casinos, bright lights, and (beyond its cities) empty deserts. When you’re driving to get around Nevada, you’ll need car insurance. Nevada requires liability coverage only, with costs 19 percent higher in Nevada than in the rest of the U.S. If you’re one of the 2 million licensed drivers in the state, keep reading to learn what you need to know about car insurance in Nevada.

Minimum Car Insurance Coverage Required in Nevada

Despite its relatively high costs, Nevada’s auto insurance requirements are pretty minimal. It only requires drivers to have liability insurance coverage, which breaks down into bodily injury coverage and property damage coverage. These are the liability limits:

  • Bodily injury per person: $25,000
  • Bodily injury per accident: $50,000
  • Property damage: $20,0001

NOTE

If you only purchased the minimum coverage that Nevada requires, you’d be completely responsible for your bodily injuries and property damages if you caused an accident.

How Much Coverage to Get

How much car insurance do you need? The answer is, as much as you can afford, up to $500,000 for medical payments coverage and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage and your car’s actual market value for collision and comprehensive coverage. With full-coverage car insurance, you can get compensation for your injuries and damages, whether or not you caused the accident.

Nevada’s Cost of Car Insurance

Car insurance costs in Nevada are 19 percent higher than the national average. The average driver in Nevada pays $1,247 a year for car insurance:

  • Liability cost: $899
  • Collision cost: $341
  • Comprehensive cost:  $1162

That being said, you can expect to pay anywhere from $640 all the way up to $8,947.28 a year for car insurance.

Providers in Nevada

Here are the car insurance companies available in the Silver State:

  • AAA
  • Allied
  • Allstate
  • American Family
  • CSAA
  • Farmers
  • GEICO
  • Mercury
  • MetLife
  • Nationwide
  • Progressive
  • Safeco
  • State Farm
  • Travelers
  • USAA

How to Save Money on Car Insurance

Since car insurance in Nevada is expensive, you’re probably looking for ways to save. From discounts to bundling, we’ve got you covered.

Dropping Coverages

You can drop any coverages you don’t legally need, which, in Nevada, is any coverage aside from liability. The cheapest car insurance in Nevada would be the minimum coverage.

Raising Your Deductible

You can also raise your deductible to lower your premiums, but remember you’ll owe that amount if you have a covered collision or comprehensive claim.

FACT

The way a deductible works is that you’ll have to pay it before your provider compensates you up to your limit. If you can’t pay your deductible, the coverage becomes null.

Lowering Your Limits

Lowering your limits means that your provider will contribute less in a covered claim, leaving you responsible out of pocket. However, it could have a good short-term effect on your wallet.

Getting Discounts

Ask your agent how you can save on car insurance. From taking a defensive driving class to installing a steering wheel lock, there are options from every insurance company.

Bundling Policies

Finally, bundle your insurance policies together, whether that means putting multiple cars on one policy or getting your home, auto, and life insurance all from a single provider.

Proof of Car Insurance

Driving without proof of insurance in Nevada is illegal, and it’ll cost you both financially and legally.

Penalties for driving without insurance First offense Second offense Third offense
Fine $250-$1,000 $500-$1,000 $500-$1,000
Suspension of registration Until payment of reinstatement fee and/or SR-22 Until payment of reinstatement fee and/or SR-22 Until payment of reinstatement fee and/or SR-22
Reinstatement fee $250 $500 $750
SR-22 If the lapse is over 90 days If the lapse is over 90 days If the lapse is over 90 days
Suspension of license None None 30-day minimum

Nevada State Car Insurance and Driving Laws

Now that you know about the importance of insurance, read up on Nevada’s other laws surrounding car insurance and driving.

At-Fault System

Nevada is an at-fault state, meaning that the person at fault in an accident pays for the other party’s injuries and property damage. The state also has a modified comparative negligence system, which says that accident victims can recover money in an accident even if they were partially negligible. However, your compensation will be reduced by your percentage of fault, so if you were found to be 15 percent at fault, your compensation would reduce by 15 percent.

Drivers Without Insurance

In Nevada, insurance companies aren’t required to offer uninsured motorist coverage, nor does the state require customers to have it. Maybe that’s partially due to the fact that only 1 in 10 drivers in Nevada lack car insurance, 20 percent less than the national average.3

However, if you have uninsured motorist coverage on multiple cars, you can multiply the limit by your number of cars and reach a new, “stacked” limit.

DUIs

Nevada takes drunk driving very seriously: DUIs will stay on your record for seven years. For the first offense, you’ll face a 90-day license suspension, although you could get some driving privileges back, like commuting to work, after 45 days. DUI interlocks are mandatory for all convictions. For first and second offenses, you’ll need to install an interlock for three to six months, which turns into 12 to 36 months for the third and subsequent offenses.

Penalties are even worse if you have a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.18 percent or above. If that’s the case, even for a first offense, you’ll face 12 to 36 months with an interlock plus mandatory alcohol treatment.

Seat Belt Laws

Nevada requires people ages 6 and older in all seats to wear seat belts. However, the law is under secondary enforcement, so police officers can’t pull you over for this offense alone; it needs to be accompanied by another traffic violation.

Distracted Driving Laws

Unlike its seat belt laws, Nevada’s distracted driving laws are under primary enforcement, including a handheld ban for all drivers. You’ll face these penalties for distracted driving, which includes the ever-popular texting and driving:

  • First offense: $50 fine
  • Second offense within seven years of the first: $100 fine, four points on your driving record
  • Subsequent offenses: $250 fine, four points on your driving record4

Teen Driver Laws

It’s no surprise that new drivers are more likely to get into accidents and have covered claims, which is why car insurance for teens costs more. In the same vein, Nevada places more restrictions on teen drivers.

  • Who they can transport: Teen drivers can’t transport anyone under 18, unless they’re immediate family members, for the first six months of their licenses.
  • When they can drive: Nevada imposes a statewide curfew for drivers under 18 from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., except for driving to and from scheduled events and jobs (you’ll need evidence of the event or job with you). Depending on where you live, you might face additional curfews.
Area Curfew for drivers under 18
Nevada 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. unless driving to a scheduled event or work
Las Vegas Strip and Downtown 9 p.m. unless accompanied by an adult
Other areas in Vegas 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday 12 a.m. Friday and Saturday
Reno Downtown Gaming District 9 p.m. unless accompanied by an adult
Other areas in Reno 12 a.m. on weekdays
  • Driving under the influence: The maximum BAC drivers under 21 can legally drive with is 0.02 percent. If the driver has any detectable amount of a prohibited or controlled substance, they can be arrested.5

Claims Statute of Limitations

In Nevada, you have three years from the date of the accident to file property damage claims and two years for personal injury claims. Beyond these statutes of limitations, you might not get your losses covered.

Notification Laws for Cancellation and Non-Renewal

If a company wants to cancel your insurance policy midterm, it has 30 days to alert you before the expiration date, or 10 if the cancellation is due to nonpayment. If a company doesn’t want to renew your policy at the end of its term, it has 30 days to alert you so you can find a new policy and avoid a gap in coverage.

Self-Insurance

Nevada allows its residents to self-insure their cars — if they have over 10 cars and the required collateral, that is. You can pay either 130 percent of your average annual claims in the previous three years or an amount based on the number of vehicles you’re insuring.

Number of cars Minimum required collateral
11-50 $55,000
51-100 $80,000
101-250 $130,000
251-500 $205,000
501-750 $280,000
751 or more $355,000

Inspection Requirements

If you buy a car from a dealer, whether that dealer is in Nevada or in another state, you’ll need to pass an emissions test. Emissions tests are also necessary for private-party sales, family sales, new residents to the state, and cars received as gifts. Basically, if you have a gas or diesel truck or car from 1968 or later, in most areas of Las Vegas and Reno, you’ll need an emissions test. These are some possible exceptions:

  • New vehicles until their fourth registrations
  • Hybrid vehicles for the first five model years
  • Diesel vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) over 14,000 pounds
  • Motorcycles
  • Mopeds

You’ll need to get an emissions test every 90 days for cars you bought out of state, or 180 days for cars from Nevada dealerships. You can find a testing site here: https://dmvapp.nv.gov/DMV/OBL/Business_Reports/Pages/BusinessLicenses.aspx?LT=EPES.

Make sure to have your vehicle identification number (VIN) handy when you go to your local DMV (contact information below).

SR-22s

Say you were caught driving without insurance, and you haven’t purchased minimum coverage within one day for a first offense. You would then need to carry an SR-22, a form that proves minimum insurance, for three years. For the second offense, if you were found driving without insurance for more than 90 days, a three-year SR-22 would also apply.

Defensive Driving

Nevada doesn’t have overarching rules about defensive driving courses, their lengths, or the number of points they remove from your driving record. Defensive driving courses are handled at the city level, so check your city’s website to find one.

Civil Suit Thresholds

There’s no monetary or serious injury threshold you need to reach to file a civil suit against someone you got into a car accident with in Nevada. That means you can sue for both economic (medical expenses, lost wages, etc.) and noneconomic damages (pain, suffering, anxiety, etc.), no matter the amount you lost or how severe your injuries were.

Accident Reporting Requirements

If you get into a car crash in Nevada, you’ll need to report it immediately or face a one-year maximum suspension of driving privileges, according to the state’s legislation.

Pricing Discriminations: Are They Legal?

Nevada doesn’t have laws preventing car insurance providers from determining prices based on credit scores or gender. That’s bad news for people with poor credit and men, who pay more for insurance than people with good credit and women if all else is equal.

Total Loss

Let’s say someone hits your car. You bring it to the repair shop, where the mechanic tells you that the car’s repairs will cost 70 percent of its actual market value (AMV). In Nevada, your car would be considered a total loss, so if you had collision coverage, you’d be reimbursed for your car’s AMV, as the total loss threshold is 65 percent. In other words, if repairs cost at least 65 percent more than your car’s AMV, it’s a total loss.

Contact Information

Here we’ve compiled the information for the Nevada DMV offices and Department of Insurance.

How to Register Your Car

You can register your car or renew your registration online, or visit a DMV office in person.

  • Register online: https://dmvapp.nv.gov/dmv/vr/edrs_online_reg/vehreginit.aspx
  • Renew your registration online: https://dmvapp.nv.gov/DMV/VR/RegRenewal/VRRenewal/VR_Ren_Input.aspx
  • Visit a DMV office in person: Find your closest location below.
DMV office Address Phone number
Aliante (Las Vegas AAA) 6905 Aliante Parkway, Suite 101
North Las Vegas, NV 89084
702-396-1350
Carson City 555 Wright Way
Carson City, NV 89711-0400
775-684-4368
East Sahara (Las Vegas) 2621 E. Sahara Ave.
Las Vegas, NV 89104-4136
702-486-4368
Elko 3920 E. Idaho St.
Elko, NV 89801-4970
775-684-4368
Ely 480 Campton St.
Ely, NV 89301
775-684-4368
Fallon 2147 W. Williams Ave.
Fallon, NV 89406
775-684-4368
Hawthorne 1085 Highway 95, Suite B
Hawthorne, NV 89415
775-684-4368
Henderson 1399 American Pacific Drive
Henderson, NV 89074
702-486-4368
Laughlin 3030 S. Needles Highway, Suite 100
Laughlin, NV 89029
702-486-4368
Mesquite 550 W. Pioneer Blvd., Suite 120
Mesquite, NV 89027-1403
702-486-4368
North Decatur (Las Vegas) 7170 N. Decatur Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89131-2798
702-486-4368
Pahrump 1780 E. Basin Ave., Suite 1
Pahrump, NV 89060-4605
775-684-4368
Rainbow (Las Vegas AAA) 937 S. Rainbow Blvd., Suite 1-B
Las Vegas, NV 89145
702-436-8100
Reno 9155 Double Diamond Parkway
Reno, NV 89521
775-684-4368
Reno (AAA) 6795 S. Virginia St., Suite D
Reno, NV 89511
775-326-2000
Sparks (AAA) 1360 Scheels Drive, Suite 120
Sparks, NV 89434
775-356-3000
Tonopah 1137 S. Main St., Suite C-8
Tonopah, NV 89049
775-684-4368
West Flamingo (Las Vegas) 8250 W. Flamingo Road
Las Vegas, NV 89147-4111
702-486-4368
Winnemucca 3505 Construction Way
Winnemucca, NV 89445-3155
775-684-4368
Yerington 215 W. Bridge St., Suite 9
Yerington, NV 89447-2570
775-684-4368

How to Get a Duplicate Car Title

To get a duplicate car title, you’ll need to fill out a physical form and get it to a DMV office, as there’s no online option.

  1. Get the form. Print out the Application for Duplicate Nevada Certificate of Title at https://dmv.nv.gov/pdfforms/vp012.pdf or pick it up from your local DMV.
  2. Fill out the form. You’ll need to provide your VIN, car make, model number, year, and basic contact information.
  3. Get $20. Your duplicate title fee is $20, so be sure to include that with your completed form.
  4. Get the form notarized. Whether you’re the vehicle owner or not, the form needs to be notarized.
  5. Send the form. Either drop the form off at your local DMV or mail it to any DMV office.

How to Contact the Nevada Department of Insurance

There are three ways to contact Nevada’s DOI.

  • Website: https://doi.nv.gov/
  • Phone number: 775-687-0700
  • Mailing address:
    • Nevada Department of Insurance
      1818 E. College Parkway, Suite 103
      Carson City, NV 89706

Car Repair Costs

According to CarMD, car repairs in Nevada cost 3 percent more than the national average at $395.85. That’s $251.99 for parts and $143.85 for labor, in case you’re wondering.

Motor Vehicle Theft and Traffic Fatality Rates

Auto theft exists everywhere, but Nevada has high rates compared to the rest of the country. The opposite is true for traffic fatality rates, however.

Car Theft

In Nevada, there are 336 motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 inhabitants in a year, which is 27 percent higher than the rest of the country. However, Las Vegas seems to have an outsize influence on the theft rate, as it’s the only Nevada city with a motor vehicle theft rate over the state average. Rates are lower in Reno and Carson City, for example.

City in Nevada Motor vehicle thefts per 100,000 inhabitants in 2020
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise 407
Reno 299
Carson City 145

Traffic Fatalities

On the brighter side, Nevada has 133 percent fewer traffic fatalities than the rest of the country: 304 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.

Recap

To learn more about car insurance in Nevada, read our car insurance FAQs below, or learn about car insurance in other states in our state car insurance guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Whether you’re a new Nevada resident or a new driver, check out the questions we get the most about car insurance in Nevada.

What do you need to insure a car in Nevada?

To insure a car in Nevada, you’ll need at least the minimum coverage limits.

  • Bodily injury liability limit per person: $25,000
  • Bodily injury liability limit per accident: $50,000
  • Property damage liability limit: $20,000

How much is full-coverage car insurance in Nevada?

Full-coverage car insurance in Nevada ranges from around $2,246 a year to $2,900 a year. However, many factors affect the cost of car insurance other than the amount of coverage, such as your age, credit score, gender, and marital status. For example, someone with a clean driving record will get a lower car insurance quote than someone with a bad driving record.

Is it illegal to not have car insurance in Nevada?

It is illegal to not have car insurance in Nevada. All drivers need at least $95,000 worth of liability coverage, according to the Nevada Department of Insurance. If you are caught driving without insurance, you will face legal and financial consequences.

Offense number 1 2 3
Fine $250-$1,000 $500-$1,000 $500-$1,000
Reinstatement fee $250 $500 $750
SR-22 For lapses over 90 days For lapses over 90 days For lapses over 90 days
Registration suspension Until you pay the reinstatement fee and/or get an SR-22 Until you pay the reinstatement fee and/or get an SR-22 Until you pay the reinstatement fee and/or get an SR-22
License suspension None None Minimum of 30 days

Why are insurance rates so high in Las Vegas?

Insurance rates are so high in Las Vegas — 19 percent higher than the national average — because of factors such as these:

  • Population density: Las Vegas is one of the most populated places in Nevada, along with the Reno and Carson City area, according to research from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. More people means more accidents and thus more claims that insurance companies need to account for.
  • High auto theft rate: Las Vegas had the state’s highest rate of auto theft in 2020 — 407 thefts per 100,000 inhabitants. That’s 21 percent more than the state’s average of 336, according to FBI data.

Citations

  1. Understanding Auto Insurance. Nevada Division of Insurance. (2013). https://doi.nv.gov/Consumers/Automobile-Insurance/

  2. 2019/2020 Auto Insurance Database Report. NAIC. (2023, Jan).
    https://content.naic.org/sites/default/files/publication-aut-pb-auto-insurance-database.pdf

  3. One in Eight Drivers Uninsured. Insurance Research Council. (2021, Mar). https://www.insurance-research.org/sites/default/files/downloads/UM%20NR%20032221.pdf

  4. CHAPTER 484B – RULES OF THE ROAD. Nevada Legislature. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/nrs/nrs-484b.html