Connecticut Car Insurance Laws: Minimum Coverage, Penalties and SR-22

Connecticut requires liability coverage of at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury and $25,000 per accident for property damage (25/50/25), or a $50,000 single limit for bodily injury and property damage. Drivers must also carry uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage of at least $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident. Liability insurance must be maintained continuously on any registered vehicle until its registration or plates are canceled. Collision and comprehensive coverage are not required by law.

Connecticut uses the at-fault (tort) system: liability insurance pays for personal injury or property damage the insured causes to a third party, and does not cover the insured's own injuries or damage. The Alabama Department of Insurance's national list of state auto insurance systems lists Connecticut among the "Tort States."

Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage is required in every auto liability policy, with bodily injury limits at least equal to the state minimums ($25,000/$50,000). Insurers must provide UM/UIM at whatever limits the named insured requests (with the premium paid) and must offer limits equal to twice the policy's bodily injury liability limits. The insured's selection carries over to renewals and replacement policies unless a named insured changes it in writing. Connecticut also offers optional underinsured motorist conversion coverage.

The registration certificate and the insurance identification card must be carried in the vehicle whenever it is driven on a public highway (failure is an infraction with a $50 fine). An insurance card may be shown to the DMV or a police officer electronically, on a cell phone or other device, and showing it does not allow the officer to view other content. Insurers must report cancellations to the DMV, and police and the DMV can check the state's Online Insurance Verification System. When the DMV asks for proof, only a declaration page, a letter of experience, or a valid permanent Connecticut insurance ID card are accepted — temporary cards, bills or binders are not.

An owner who drives or allows a registered vehicle to be driven without the required insurance faces a fine of $100 to $1,000 on conviction (a knowing violation with a commercial-registration vehicle is a class D felony), and the DMV suspends the owner's registration and license for one month on a first conviction and six months for a second or later conviction; the license is not restored until the owner proves insurance on every registered vehicle. Separately, when an insurer reports a lapse of more than 14 days, the DMV mails a suspension warning notice; the owner can resolve it by showing current insurance and paying a $200 civil penalty under a consent agreement, or by proving continuous coverage. If the owner does not respond, the registration and all registration privileges are suspended, and the owner's license may be suspended if the matter is not resolved within 30 days of the registration suspension.

When a driver's record on file justifies it, the DMV Commissioner can require proof of financial responsibility (at least $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident and $25,000 property damage) before issuing or keeping a license or registration; if it is not provided, the license or registration is suspended or revoked until it is. Proof can be an insurer's certificate (an SR-22-type filing) that cannot be canceled without 10 days' written notice to the Commissioner (insurers may charge up to $10 for the filing), a surety bond, or a deposit of money or collateral with the State Treasurer.

After a policy has been in effect 60 days (or if it is a renewal), an insurer may cancel only for nonpayment of premium or because the driver's license or registration of the named insured, a household member or a regular driver was revoked during the policy period (or the 180 days before a renewal). Cancellation notice must be sent at least 45 days before the effective date, except at least 15 days for nonpayment of the first premium on a new policy and at least 10 days for nonpayment of any other premium (and, during the first 60 days, 10 days for material misrepresentation); the notice must state the reason. To nonrenew, the insurer must send at least 60 days' advance notice stating the reason. Insurers may not decline, cancel or nonrenew based on race, religion, nationality or ethnicity; solely on age, sex, gender identity, marital status, lawful occupation or erased criminal records; on prior residual-market coverage or another insurer's refusal; on a first or second not-at-fault accident; or solely on credit history or lack of it. Cancellation fees charged to an insured who cancels are capped at $100.

Connecticut prohibits insurers from declining, canceling or nonrenewing a private passenger auto policy solely on credit history, credit rating or lack of credit history (unless coverage is available through an affiliated insurer), solely on age, sex, gender identity or expression, marital status or erased criminal history, solely on lawful occupation, on race, religion, nationality or ethnicity, or on the vehicle's principal location unless for a legitimate business purpose that is not a pretext for unfair discrimination.

Connecticut defines a "constructive total loss" as a vehicle whose cost to repair or salvage (or both) equals or exceeds its total value at the time of loss. When an insurer declares a vehicle a constructive total loss, it must value it using at least the average of the retail values from the NADA used car guide (or another approved public source) and one other approved industry source. By the time it pays, the insurer must give the claimant a detailed copy of its valuation, any non-public valuation report used, and a written notice that the claimant may dispute the amount by contacting the Insurance Department's Consumer Affairs Division.

To register a vehicle after buying it, the buyer completes the Application for Registration and Title (Form H-13B), brings the Certificate of Title assigned by the seller, a current Connecticut insurance card and acceptable identification, and pays the applicable fees; registration is by appointment at a DMV office. If the vehicle was previously registered in Connecticut, it may be registered first but must pass an emissions test within 30 days or a late fee applies. When an immediate family member dies, the executor or administrator assigns the title to the family member, who brings a certified probate document (for example PC-160, PC-212B, PC-260, PC-264/264S or PC-450), Form H-13B, insurance card, the most recent registration and identification; no sales tax is due on such family transfers if the vehicle was registered to the deceased at least 60 days.

Once you establish residency in Connecticut, you have 90 days to transfer your out-of-state driver's license and 90 days to transfer your vehicle registration. Transferring a registration requires an emissions test and/or VIN verification, the required documents, and an appointment at a DMV hub office or the Enfield branch.

File a complaint with the Connecticut Insurance Department online (complaint form on its "Ask a Question or File a Complaint" page), by email to insurance@ct.gov, by mail to Connecticut Insurance Department, 280 Trumbull Street, 7th Floor, Hartford, CT 06103, or by phone at (800) 203-3447 or (860) 297-3900. Claimants who disagree with a total-loss valuation may contact the Department's Consumer Affairs Division.