Insurance requirements for registering a car in West Virginia

Content

proof of insurance
Penalties for Violation

All drivers in the state of West Virginia are required to have minimum liability insurance or "financial liability" in order to legally operate a vehicle on West Virginia roads.

The minimum financial liability requirements for West Virginia drivers are as follows:

Minimum $25,000 per person for personal injury or death. This means you need to have at least $50,000 with you to cover the fewest possible number of people involved in an accident (two drivers).
$25,000 minimum for property damage liability

This means that the total minimum amount of financial liability you will require is $75,000 to cover bodily injury or death, as well as liability for property damage.

In addition, all West Virginia drivers must have uninsured motorist insurance on their minimum insurance policies for the same amount as the general minimum liability insurance ($75,000). However, while this general minimum is all that is required of drivers, insurance companies should offer you the following limits for an uninsured motorist:

A minimum of $100,000 per person in case of bodily injury or death and a total minimum of $300,000 to cover any potential injury or death.
At least $50,000 for property damage

West Virginia drivers can only accept the minimum amount of coverage for uninsured motorists to reduce the cost of insurance premiums.

proof of insurance

You must have an insurance document in your vehicle while driving because you must present it at the time of a traffic stop or at the scene of an accident. When registering a car, you must also have an insurance certificate. An acceptable form of proof of insurance in West Virginia is an insurance certificate or WV-1 form issued by an insurance company. This form must include the National Association of Insurance Commissioners' insurance company number.

West Virginia uses an electronic monitoring system to check the insurance status of any vehicle. With this system, you do not need to have a WV-1 to renew your registration in West Virginia.

Penalties for Violation

There are several types of fines West Virginia drivers can face if found guilty of an insurance violation. This includes:

Suspension of vehicle registration that can only be reinstated by paying a $100 fee and providing proof of insurance.
Suspension of vehicle license plates that can only be restored by paying a fee of $50.
Suspension of a driver's license that can only be reinstated by paying a fee of $50 after a certain period of suspension.

Providing false insurance information to a law enforcement officer or the West Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles may result in the following sanctions: