If you can't check the expiration date of your car insurance on your own, it's important to understand the policy period and payment due date. The policy period dictates when the payment is due, and if you don't make the payment, you may face serious consequences. According to §3425 (a) (McKinney 2000), non-payment of the premium is defined as the failure by the designated insured of any obligation related to the payment of premiums for an insurance policy or any payment of such premium. To ensure that you maintain the required car insurance coverage at all times, it's essential to stay up to date with all your car insurance payments.
The options available to you will depend on how long you haven't paid your car insurance bill, your insurance company's policies, and your state's laws. If you have insurance coverage, ask your insurance company (not your agent or broker) to file an electronic notice of insurance coverage with the DMV. If your previous insurer doesn't offer you any coverage, you may need to go with a non-standard insurer. If you don't make an auto insurance payment, you'll receive a mandatory cancellation notice from your insurer.
If your car insurance policy is canceled due to non-payment, you may have to pay a higher premium if you seek coverage from another car insurance company in the future. Drivers in almost every state require auto liability coverage, so it's important to get insurance back as soon as possible. No insurance contract will be terminated by cancellation by the insurer until at least twenty days after a notice of termination has been mailed to the named insured at the address on the policy except when the cancellation is due to non-payment of the premium, in which case a fifteen-day notice of cancellation from the insurer will suffice. If your auto insurance company doesn't offer a grace period and you don't meet the premium payment deadline, you won't have coverage if you file a claim. But unlike a lost phone bill, not paying an insurance payment can have far-reaching consequences.
It is essential that you contact your insurer as soon as you realize that you are behind on your payments. In some states, letting your insurance expire also voids your registration immediately or a few weeks after your insurance expires.
