Non-Owner SR-22 Insurance Explained
Last Updated on April 16, 2023
Non-owner SR-22 insurance is a unique type of car insurance required by certain drivers.
Your state’s DMV may notify you about SR-22 requirements. The DMV may require you to provide SR-22 insurance to reinstate your driver’s license and vehicle registration, for example.
If you don’t own a vehicle or regularly drive someone 
else’s vehicle, you may need non-owner SR-22 insurance instead of a standard SR-22 insurance policy. Non-owner SR-22 insurance allows you to reinstate your license even if you don’t own a vehicle.
Today, we explain everything you need to know about non-owner SR-22 insurance and how it works.
Table of Contents:
- What Is Non-Owner Car Insurance?
- What Is SR-22 Insurance?
- How Non-Owner SR-22 Insurance Works
- Who Needs Non-Owner SR-22 Insurance?
- When Do I Need SR-22 Insurance?
- How to Get Cheap Non-Owner SR-22 Insurance
- What Does Non-Owner SR-22 Insurance Cover?
- What Is Not Covered by Non-Owner SR-22 Insurance?
What Is Non-Owner Car Insurance?
To understand non-owner SR-22 insurance, it helps to understand non-owner car insurance.
Some people want car insurance even if they don’t own a vehicle. Non-owner car insurance protects you when you’re driving a vehicle – even if that vehicle is not owned by you.
Non-owner car insurance is also known as nonowner, non owner, or non owners car insurance.
Non-owner car insurance functions as secondary coverage. The vehicle has primary coverage (say, the owner’s car insurance policy), while your non-owner policy is the second layer of protection.
Some people buy non-owner car insurance before renting a vehicle. Others buy non-owner car insurance if they frequently borrow a friend’s vehicle. Some people just want an extra layer of protection at all times – so they buy non-owner car insurance even if they don’t own a vehicle.
Some states offer non-owner car insurance. Other states do not.
What Is SR-22 Insurance?
SR-22 insurance is not technically insurance: it’s a certificate proving you have insurance. The SR-22 certificate verifies you meet your state’s minimum car insurance requirements.
If you are a high-risk driver or if you have let your car insurance lapse, then you may be required to obtain SR-22 insurance.
The DMV notifies you that you need SR-22 insurance. You talk to your insurance company, then receive an SR-22 certificate verifying you have a valid policy with that insurance company.
If you don’t have an active policy with an insurance company, or if your previous policy was canceled, then you need to shop around for SR-22 insurance. Most companies are willing to provide the SR-22 certificate. However, as a higher-risk driver, you’ll pay higher rates for SR-22 insurance than an average driver.
How Non-Owner SR-22 Insurance Works
Non-owner SR-22 insurance works similarly to ordinary SR-22 insurance – but with no underlying vehicle to cover.
Some people require an SR-22 certificate, and they own a vehicle. You buy SR-22 insurance for that vehicle. SR-22 insurance only covers liability coverage, including bodily injury liability coverage and property damage liability coverage, so the type of vehicle is less important.
Others require SR-22 insurance even if they don’t own a vehicle. You may have sold your vehicle. Or, maybe you were driving someone else’s vehicle. In this situation, you still need SR-22 insurance to reinstate your license – but you need to buy a non-owner SR-22 insurance policy instead.
Whether buying a non-owner SR-22 insurance policy or a standard SR-22 insurance policy, SR-22 insurance covers similar things:
Bodily Injury Liability Coverage: SR-22 certificates verify you meet or exceed your state’s minimum required amount of bodily injury liability coverage. Bodily injury liability coverage covers medical bills and similar damages you cause to other drivers on the road.
Property Damage Liability Coverage: SR-22 certificates verify you meet or exceed your state’s minimum required amount of property damage liability coverage, which covers the cost of repairing or replacing someone’s vehicle (or any other property). If you damage someone’s vehicle while driving, your insurance covers this damage.
Who Needs Non-Owner SR-22 Insurance?
You need non-owner SR-22 insurance if your state’s DMV has told you to obtain an SR-22 certificate – but you don’t have a vehicle.
Generally, you need to buy non-owner SR-22 insurance if you fall into either of these two categories:
- You are required by the state to obtain a car insurance policy (say, to reinstate your license), but you do not currently own a vehicle
- You do not own a car, but you want insurance coverage (say, when driving rental cars or someone else’s vehicle)
Here’s an example. Let’s say your license was suspended because you were caught driving under the influence. You sold your car because car insurance was too expensive after your DUI. Your license was suspended after your DUI. Because your license was suspended, you are not permitted to drive a rental car or a friend’s vehicle. To reinstate your license, you must provide an SR-22 certificate to the DMV verifying coverage. Since you don’t own a vehicle, you need non-owner SR-22 insurance – not a standard SR-22 certificate.
When Do I Need SR-22 Insurance?
States have different rules for SR-22 insurance. Some states require you to obtain SR-22 insurance after multiple driving convictions in a short period.
Other states require SR-22 insurance after a lapse in coverage – even if you have an otherwise clean driving record.
Some of the most common reasons you need SR-22 insurance include the following:
- Caught driving without insurance
- Failing to carry liability insurance on your vehicle
- One or more serious moving violations (like excessive speeding tickets or reckless driving citations) in a short period
- DUIs, DWI, or OWI convictions
- Too many points on your driver’s license
- A lapse in insurance coverage
Most people require SR-22 insurance because, for one reason or another, they’re considered high-risk drivers. If you are a high-risk driver, then the DMV may suspend your license until you can prove you have adequate coverage. In this situation, you obtain a non-owner or standard SR-22 insurance policy.
How to Get Cheap Non-Owner SR-22 Insurance
Getting cheap non-owner SR-22 insurance is easy. Most major car insurance companies – like GEICO, State Farm, Allstate, USAA, Nationwide, Farmers, Liberty Mutual, and Progressive, offer non-owner policies. Just compare rates from multiple providers, then pick the lowest price.
Generally, non-owner car insurance policies are cheaper than standard car insurance policies. There’s no underlying vehicle to cover.
Non-owner car insurance policies only cover liability insurance. They don’t provide comprehensive or collision coverage because, again, there’s no underlying vehicle to protect.
Some drivers need to obtain non-owner SR-22 insurance after a DUI. Others require it after a lapse in coverage. Depending on your situation and driver history, you could pay higher or lower rates for SR-22 insurance.
What Does Non-Owner SR-22 Insurance Cover?
Non-owner SR-22 insurance works similarly to car insurance. It covers your liability, which means you can legally drive on the road. If you cause an accident, then your insurance covers this damage.
Non-owner SR-22 insurance covers:
- Bodily injury liability
- Property damage liability
In some states, non-owner SR-22 insurance covers medical payments, personal injury protection (PIP), uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and other items. If these coverages are required by state law, then your SR-22 insurance will include coverage for these items.
What Is Not Covered by Non-Owner SR-22 Insurance?
Generally, non-owner SR-22 insurance (or standard SR-22 insurance) does not cover your own damage. It does not cover collision coverage or comprehensive coverage.
When you obtain an SR-22 certificate, that certificate verifies you meet or exceed your state’s minimum car insurance requirements (including bodily injury and property damage liability coverage). It does not certify your collision or comprehensive coverage.
With standard SR-22 insurance, you may be able to buy additional collision or comprehensive coverage, which protects your own vehicle.
With non-owner SR-22 insurance, however, you cannot buy collision or comprehensive coverage because you don’t own a vehicle. You’re buying insurance for liability – not to cover your vehicle.
Final Word on Non-Owner SR-22 Insurance
Non-owner SR-22 insurance verifies you meet or exceed your state’s minimum liability insurance requirements.
By buying non-owner SR-22 insurance today, you can get back on the road at a reasonable rate – even if you don’t own a vehicle. The DMV may require you to provide proof of SR-22 insurance to reinstate your license.
Compare non-owner SR-22 insurance quotes online today to ensure you’re paying a competitive rate for coverage.
