Guide to SR-22s in Ohio

Car insurance in Ohio after filing an SR-22 costs an average of $984 per year, which is 26 percent higher than the average for someone with a clean record ($781).¹ While Ohio drivers benefit from the state’s relatively low insurance costs, which are the 10th-lowest in the nation, expect to pay about a quarter more if you need an SR-22. Here are the average rates by company.

Even if you don’t own a car, if the state requires you to get an SR-22, you’ll need to pay for insurance. In that instance, we recommend buying nonowner car insurance, which is car insurance on a car you don’t own. Nonowner insurance includes liability coverage only, which on average, costs $433 annually in Ohio if you don’t have an SR-22. At an increase of 26 percent, expect to pay around $545 for nonowner car insurance after getting an SR-22 in the state.

There are two situations in which the state of Ohio would require you to get an SR-22 form to reinstate your driving privileges:

• Noncompliance: Noncompliance means you didn’t comply with the state’s mandatory car insurance laws, such as if you were driving without insurance.
• Judgment: The second scenario is if you caused property damage or personal injury by caring for, maintaining, or using a motor vehicle.

It will be difficult to find insurance you can afford after getting an SR-22 as it places you in the “high-risk” category of drivers. Start by looking for one of the best auto insurance companies for high-risk drivers. Finding car insurance as a high-risk driver also means looking for companies that accept substandard drivers. For example, check out the best auto insurance after a DUI.

You can also opt for usage-based insurance or pay-per-mile insurance, in which you’re charged based on your driving habits and mileage, not your driving history. This is a good option if you are a safe driver with low mileage. However, if you have unsafe driving habits and drive a lot, it may make your insurance more expensive than it would have been otherwise.

One way to shop the market, other than by contacting AutoInsurance.com, is to use an insurance broker who can represent you to multiple companies. This will be much quicker than requesting and comparing quotes from multiple companies manually, although AutoInsurance.com’s Perfect Policy Connectors are even faster.

Here are the state minimum coverage and liability limits Ohio requires you to have.

• Bodily injury liability insurance coverage: $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability insurance coverage: $25,000 per accident⁴

Drive with proof of insurance, also known as proof of financial responsibility, to avoid needing an SR-22.

While only the state’s minimum coverage is required, we recommend getting full coverage car insurance, which includes the following.

• Collision coverage: Collision coverage pays to repair or replace your car if it’s damaged in a collision, regardless of fault.
• Comprehensive coverage: Comprehensive coverage also pays to repair or replace your car, but only if it’s damaged in noncollisions, such as the result of auto theft, vandalism or inclement weather events like tornadoes.
• Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM): UM and UIM cover your property damage and medical costs if someone hits your car and lacks insurance or enough insurance to cover the totality of your losses.
• Medical payments coverage (MedPay): MedPay would cover your and your passengers’ injuries if you caused an accident. Since Ohio is an at-fault state, MedPay covers medical costs only and not any wages you lost or child care costs you had to pay because of an accident.

The best way to avoid needing an SR-22 in the first place is to carry proof of insurance and avoid causing any injuries or property damages. Driving safely and insured will keep your rates low for the long haul. However, if you do have to get an SR-22, know that Ohio will find you insurance coverage if you can’t find it yourself. But note that even with this state-sponsored program, your new rates might be high enough that buying liability coverage only may be the sole option you can afford.

Still, there are ways to find cheap auto insurance, such as by taking advantage of discounts, lowering your limits, dropping coverages you don’t need, raising deductibles on collision and comprehensive coverage and bundling multiple types of insurance policies under the same provider. If you’re unsure of ways to save, ask your insurance agent for some assistance. You may be part of an organization or company that will land you a discount and not even know it.