Car insurance required even when car isn't used?
 

I asked my insurance agent to cancel my car insurance while I'm out of town for several months. She informed me that if I did that, my plates could be recalled and I'd be fined by the state. There is a 'vacation hold' I could use, but it would still require liability, property damage, and comprehensive, and I wouldn't save that much on the premium. What gives here in Florida? It doesn't make sense to have all that insurance for a vehicle parked in a garage!

I think your insurance agent is wrong. Florida requires $10,000 in Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and $10,000 in Property Damage Liability (PDL) insurance. All other auto insurance is voluntary.

My experience...

I have my wife's car registered in another state (she is not FL resident).
I added my FL car (I am FL resident) to her policy, and then got a warning from Florida to turn in my plate to avoid fine (Her company does not insure in FL, but they had FL Plate listed).
I ended up moving it back to a FL insurance company/ policy.
I happen to have The Hartford, and you can "suspend liability".
For me the 6 month premium is $150 when suspended, but about $850 when not suspended.

I would shop around who is willing to offer this suspended coverage....

In both Maryland and Florida you MUST carry liability insurance in order to possess plates/tags. If you drop the insurance without FIRST turning in the plates you will be fined. As a driver in Florida you want this. Otherwise, some drivers will "forget" to reactivate their insurance.

Whether the other coverages can be canceled for a period of time is up to your insurance company.

Florida allows you to self insure your car if you meet certain requirements. Do a web search or check out the Florida DMV website

This is what you need for licensed Fl cars
- Personal Injury Protection (PIP): At least $10,000 in coverage, which helps pay for medical expenses regardless of fault.
- Property Damage Liability (PDL): At least $10,000 in coverage, which covers damage to another person's property if you're at fault
No license no insurance required.

Yes, and those are the drivers Morgan and Morgan will go after if they are involved in a bodily injury accident as they will have to pay for their own team of attorneys rather than using those of the insurance company. Very risky.

Yes, but if you only have the $10,000 minimum amount of liability coverage, your insurance company won't do very much to help you fight a lawsuit either. If there is bodily injury, $10,000 is basically worthless.

Florida is a no fault state.

Also, OP was asking what to do when the car isn’t used and they’re out of town.

Inquire with your insurance company about a low mileage discount, which can be a substantial premium reduction.

Have your agent reduce your coverage to the minimum.

When we lived in Illinois you could get storage insurance for motorcycles and classic cars

We just sold our place but for fifteen years we deleted all but comprehensive coverage when we were not there. We were with Allstate and I spent my life as an insurance broker so I know what I am telling you. They appeared be the best seasonal auto company do deal with.

When we leave for our extended stay in Michigan, we change our policy to STORAGE coverage, which is basically fire and theft. The premium reduction is significant. The only problem is the change has to be at least 60 days, which can be an issue since we are more "SNOW FLAKES" than "SNOW BIRDS" so we have to plan our returns more carefully. If we return too early, we can reinstate the full coverage, but have to repay the full premium retro to the date we changed to storage.

Have a discussion with the very helpful folks at the DMV to discover the minimum coverage necessary to keep the plates active and make your decision.

We often travel for months. If you do not wish to carry insurance on the vehicle while you are away, take the license plate and current insurance to the department of motor vehicles. It is a must that you do this before your current insurance expires. DOT will do the required paper work.

You must leave your vehicle in the garage. If it sits outside without a plate while you are away, it will be red tagged. If you are not home to receive the notice, your car will be towed. Easy peasy! Leave it in the garage!

When you return to the Villages, purchase an insurance policy and return to the department of motor vehicles. They will do the paperwork and give you a plate along with valid registration sticker.

We often travel for months. If you do not wish to carry insurance on the vehicle while you are away, take the license plate and current insurance to the department of motor vehicles.(county tax office) It is a must that you do this before your current insurance expires. DOMV will do the required paper work. I believe there is a charge of $8.

You must leave your vehicle in the garage while you are away. If it sits outside without a plate, you will be red tagged. If you are not home to receive the notice, your car will be towed. Easy peasy! Leave it in the garage!

When you return to the Villages, purchase an insurance policy and return to the department of motor vehicles. They will do the paperwork and give you a plate along with a valid registration and sticker.

Unfortunately, Florida canceled this a few years ago. You can not longer just post a 10k bound, and not have insurance.

Aren't there fees involved with this process? Also, it sounds like a hassle. I think I would just keep my insurance in place.

No hassle except you may have to sit and wait for an hour or so. DOMV is always busy.

If you are gone for months, it saves you a few hundred dollars. We use the savings to upgrade our hotel stays.

Have you found a low mileage option here?

Can You Afford to Pay For Replacement Car?
 

Most experts advise that Homeowners Insurance DOES NOT cover motorized vehicles! Read your policy....insurance is relatively cheap compared to the expense of replacing a vehicle like a car...

When you purchase insurance, the agent/sales will ask how frequently you use your vehicle. We explain we live in a golf cart community and vehicle is rarely driven. Shop around if you feel the amount quoted is too much.

This is like asking not to pay your mortgage while you're away on vacation.

State Farm
 

I can't say what other insurance companies offer but State Farm Auto allows you to put the car in storage which cuts your premium to about a third of what it normally is. I have 2 cars in 2 different states and do the same thing with the other one when I'm not there. They allow me to reinstate the insurance at times I'm there like over Christmas.

Have vehicles in Florida and Maryland. Had a USAF plate Florida, and assumed had to have Florida insurance on both. Received a letter from Florida and they were going to suspend my license if I didn’t have Md insurance. Changed to Md insurance, had to get Md plates and turn in Florida plate. Both insurance policies went down. Still have Florida license and a card with information if we are stopped with a Florida license.

I'm in Maryland right now - this is indeed correct. Perhaps this is an argument for "insurance by the mile".

All I ever do is ask them to put it in storage.

I just checked with Allstate. They confirmed that liability insurance is required even for a vehicle not being used temporarily. Policy must have changed since you were a broker.

It’s still up on their website
Self-Insurance - Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
And
Natural Person - Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles

How're you going to get back home from the DMV without a license plate? You have to arrange an Uber or other alternative. Same when you come back to town and want your plates back. And how will you get around between the time you return the plates to DMV and the time you leave? Waiting til the last minute is just one more item on the 'to do' list trying to get out of town. NOT so easy peasy!!

Back when we were snowbirds we would have our insurance on one car and the other one which was technically “in storage” we just kept the Comprehensive Coverage. It reduced the premium substantially! Most companies require that it sis for several months. I think ours required 3 months. It has nothing to do with Florida laws it is your insurance company. Find a New one!

Car Insurance
 

It's the same in NY. I would just pit it in vacation hold and at least save some money. It's a hassle getting new plates, if you remove liability coverage.

It would be helpful to know what insurance company or broker you used. I contacted Progressive, Allstate, and a broker. Either it's more complicated than you describe, or things must have changed today since 'back when you were snowbirds'.

A late friend would suspend State Farm coverage during the summer without issue.

if your car is in your garage, your home insurance will cover you for liability. Also, if you are rebuilding your car and it's going to be off the road for many months, years, then all you need to have is comprehensiver insurance, which is very cheap. Also, you can self insure.

But, if you have a loan on your car, you have to have it insured based on the requirements of your loaner, because they are the actual owner until you pay it off

From the Florida Highway Safety Page:

Financial Responsibility sanctions can occur once insurance is dropped from the vehicle if the license plate is still actively registered and associated to your vehicle. Failure to surrender a valid license plate when your insurance is cancelled or expires will result in suspension of your driver license.

And from their Insurance Requirements page:

Proof of PIP/PDL coverage must be issued by an insurance company licensed in Florida to sell policies or by qualifying for a self-insurance certificate issued by FLHSMV.

have a minimum of $10,000 in PIP AND a minimum of $10,000 in PDL.

and

have continuous coverage even if the vehicle is not being driven or is inoperable. Surrender the license plate/tag BEFORE cancelling your insurance.

To me, the term comprehensive insurance does not include liability insurance. The comprehensive coverage I am familiar with typically covers fire, theft, and glass breakage.

IMO not worth the hassle, I’d just pay insurance, or get rid of stuff I really don’t need….

Maybe you need to find a new insurance company that allows you to just have liability on a vehicle when it isn’t in use. That’s what we do.

Agreed. I have autos in both places so to avoid this issue USAA allows me to put them in storage and it saves me about 2/3 the premium on each vehicle while in storage.