I am planning to buy car insurance in PA but I would like to know if I need to get drivers license first to purchase insurance? What auto insurance companies in Pennsylvania are the easiest to work with and have the best rates?

Lee

Philadelphia, PA

No, you do not need to get drivers license to get Pennsylvania automobile insurance.

Although you can buy automobile insurance without your drivers license, if you just moved in PA you will need to get drivers license to register and title your vehicle.

The minimum liability limits required in the state of Pennsylvania are:

• $15,000 for injury or death of one person in an accident
• $30,000 for injury or death of more than one person in an accident
• $5,000 for damage to property of another person

This insurance is usually referred to as 15/30/5 and it is better to get higher limits to better protect yourself and your assets.

If you are leasing your car, your lien holder may require you to get physical damage liability of collision and comprehensive coverage.

A: Although some states do have laws which mandate a grace period for late payments to auto insurance companies, in Pennsylvania there is no such law. Individual companies are able to shape their own policies which may or may not allow grace periods for DMV SR22 filing if not paid on time, and some do while others don’t. If you are worried about this happening in the future, you have a couple of solutions.

While shopping for companies, ask ahead of time if your DMV SR22 filing will be canceled if you make a payment a day or two late. Even if a company does offer a grace period, though, remember that repeated exploitation of the grace period could still lead to car insurance cancellation because it shows you to be irresponsible.

Another thing you can do is have your company set up an automatic debit from your bank account for your DMV SR22 filing payments. In any case, this will work if your problem is forgetfulness rather than lack of funds. If you do this, many companies will offer you a small discount on your premium as well.