Guide to Car Insurance in Ohio

This is the minimum coverage required in Ohio:

• $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person
• $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident
• $25,000 of property damage coverage¹

Car insurance in Ohio is significantly cheaper than the U.S. average. GEICO, USAA, and Erie tend to have the cheapest rates in Ohio.

By City

Among Ohio’s cities, Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, and Cincinnati have the most expensive rates — though average costs in these cities are still below the national average of $2,356 for full coverage.

You can save money on car insurance in Ohio by comparing quotes to find the cheapest car insurance companies. Beyond that, you can raise your auto insurance deductible, lower your limits, or drop insurance coverages you may not need, like collision coverage on a car that doesn’t run. Also, ask your auto insurance agent for any car insurance discounts that could apply to you. For example, you may save money if you pay for an annual policy rather than a six-month policy.

In Ohio, you must drive with proof of insurance, whether digital or physical. If you are caught driving without insurance in Ohio, you’ll face license and registration suspension, plus up to $660 in fees.

Now that you’re equipped with the minimum coverage, here’s everything you need to know about driving in Ohio.

At-Fault Insurance System

Ohio’s at-fault insurance system means the person at fault in an accident pays for the other party’s bodily injuries and property damages. The victim can sue for damages in a civil suit and collect payment as long as they were less at fault than the perpetrator or 50 percent at fault, according to the state’s comparative negligence laws.

Uninsured Motorist Laws

Uninsured motorist coverage isn’t required in Ohio, and insurance companies aren’t required to offer it. It’s wise to purchase anyway, as the Insurance Research Council estimates 18.5 percent of drivers in Ohio were uninsured as of 2023 — the 12th highest rate in the country.

Unfortunately, Section 3937.18 of the Ohio Revised Code prevents two types of stacking, meaning that you cannot “stack” coverage on multiple cars, using another person’s uninsured motorist coverage for your losses:

• Interfamily stacking: Aggregating the limits of coverages by the same person/people who are not in the same household
• Intrafamily stacking: Aggregating the limits of coverages by the same person or family members of the same household

Driving Under the Influence

In Ohio, DUIs will stay on your driving record for six years. For the first offense, you’ll receive a one-to-three year  license suspension, with some driving privileges restored after 15 days, three days to fix months in jail, and a fine of $375 to $1,075. Interlocks are required for repeat violations, although the court will decide how long you need to have the interlock.

Seat Belts

People in the driver and front-passenger seats must wear seat belts, along with children ages eight to 15 who are not secured by car seats.³ For a first offense of each seatbelt violation, you’ll receive a fine between $25 and $75, or up to $250 and 30 days of jail time with a second offense.⁴

Distracted Driving

While texting and driving is banned for all ages, only drivers under the age of 18 are banned from using handheld devices while driving.  If you are caught breaking the law, you will face the following penalties:

• First offense: Two points, fine of up to $150 unless you complete a distracted driving course
• Second offense within two years: Three points, fine of up to $250 
• Third or subsequent offenses within two years: Four points, fine of up to $500, maximum 90-day license suspension. 

The fines will be twice as much if you are driving distractedly in a work zone.⁵ 

Teen Driver Restrictions

It’s no secret that there are more driving restrictions for teens, who, for example, are the only drivers in Ohio who can’t use handheld devices at all while driving. These are the restrictions for those under 18 in the first year of their probationary licenses:

• They can’t drive between midnight and 6 a.m. unless they’re accompanied by a parent or guardian, or driving to or from work, an official school-sponsored event, or a religious event.
• They can’t drive with more than one non-family member in the car unless a parent or guardian is present.
• Everyone in the car must wear a seat belt.

Need to register your car, get a duplicate title, or contact the state’s insurance department? Stop sifting through government websites – we’ve gathered the information for you.

New Registration

If you’re registering a car for the first time, follow these steps:

1. Gather the documents. You’ll need to bring your …
   • Certificate or memorandum of title.
   • Signed financial responsibility statement.
   • Ohio driver’s license, state ID, or proof of your Social Security number.
   • Tax ID number if the title is under a business name.
   • Lease agreement and/or power of attorney documents if your vehicle is a lease.
   • Verification of e-check if your vehicle is in an e-check county.
   • Proof of your legal name, date of birth, legal presence in U.S., Social Security number, and street address like a birth certificate, U.S. passport, Social Security card, pay stub, etc.
2. Visit a license agency. You can find a list of the deputy registrar license agencies at https://publicsafety.ohio.gov/local-office. There’s no way to complete a new registration online.

Registration Renewal

You’ll need to renew your registration 90 days before its expiration date.

1. Gather the documents you need. You’ll need a valid Ohio driver’s license or state ID card, verification of an e-check (in the counties that require it), and a financial responsibility statement, as well as a lease agreement and/or power of attorney documents for leased vehicles.
2. Register in person. Go to your local license agency to renew your registration.
3. Get help if needed. For more information, call 844-644-6268 or do a live chat at https://bmvonline.dps.ohio.gov/bmvonline/home/virtualassistant..

Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV) Contact Information

There are multiple ways to get in touch with the BMV.

• Physical address:
  • 1970 W. Broad St.
    Columbus, OH 43223
• Phone number: 844-644-6268
• URL to schedule an appointment: https://ohiobmvappt.cxmflow.com/
• Live chat: https://sms.ngtsohio.com/wChatClientV2/BMV2.html
• Email: https://bmvonline.dps.ohio.gov/home/contact/

Duplicate Car Title

Follow these steps to get a copy of your car title:

1. Print the form at https://dam.assets.ohio.gov/image/upload/publicsafety.ohio.gov/bmv3774.pdf.
2. Set aside $15 for the fee to include with your form.
3. Get the form notarized.
4. Send the form and the money to the County Clerk of Courts Title Office that issued the original title. You will also need to include a self-addressed and returned-stamped envelope.

Ohio Insurance Department

You can contact the state’s insurance department through these methods.

• Website: https://insurance.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/odi
• Phone number: 614-644-2658, or for consumers, 800-686-1526
• Mailing address:
  • 50 W. Town St., Suite 300
    Columbus, OH 43215-1067

Car repairs in Ohio cost about 4 percent less than the national average. Furthermore, Akron, Ohio, had even lower rates, nearly 17 percent less than the national average, according to a 2024 report from NetCredit.  That is the third-lowest rate across every city in the U.S., after Amarillo and Laredo, Texas, respectively.

While car theft is relatively rare in Ohio, its traffic fatalities are at an all-time high.

Car Theft

Car theft in Ohio is rare, occurring at annual rates of only 160 per 100,000 inhabitants (38 percent lower than the national average, which is 220). But for Buckeye State cities like Columbus, Springfield, and Cleveland, rates are higher than the state average. This is no surprise, as car theft is usually more common in cities than in rural and suburban areas.

Traffic Fatalities

In 2022, the last time the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) published data, Ohio had a traffic fatality rate about 19 percent lower than the average. While the U.S. at large has 12.8 motor vehicle deaths per 100,000 people, that rate is only 10.8 in Ohio.⁹ According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, FARs, 37 percent of these deaths involved drunk drivers and 21 percent of these deaths included speeding. Read more about how speeding tickets impact your insurance in Ohio.

Ohio drivers benefit from below-average insurance rates, but that doesn’t mean you should settle for minimum coverage.Carrying more than the state minimum can protect you financially. Compare quotes from top providers like GEICO, USAA, and Erie to find the best rate for your situation.