Rhode Island Auto Insurance Requirements

The Rhode Island State laws governing auto insurance require you to carry a minimum amount of liability insurance. You will need to provide proof that you possess the minimum liability auto insurance to pay for injuries to another person or damages to their property in case of an accident.

The Rhode Island State Department of Revenue and the Rhode Island State Department of Insurance are the government agencies you need to present your proof of insurance to. You may also need to contact the Motor Vehicle Division. In order to register your car in Rhode Island, you must prove that you have the proper liability auto insurance coverage. You will also be required to sign a form stating that you promise to carry continuous coverage throughout the registration of the vehicle. All eligible drivers in a household must be covered under a liability auto insurance policy.

Mandatory liability auto insurance is also required on rental vehicles by the state of Rhode Island. Your personal auto insurance policy generally covers rental cars but if it does not provide coverage for rental vehicles, you may want to check with the credit card that you used to rent the car. Credit card companies sometimes cover insurance on rental cars. If neither option applies to your situation, you must purchase the minimum liability insurance from the rental company. The cost of rental car insurance through the rental company is $7.00 to $14.00 per day. Keep the rental agreement in the vehicle throughout the term of the agreement. This will be your proof of insurance in case of an accident or traffic stop.

Rhode Island is a Torte state. This means that the individual who is at fault in an accident may be sued by those injured in the accident, or families of those killed in the accident, for pain, suffering, and lost wages. That individual will also be held responsible for all medical expenses connected to the accident.

You must have proof of insurance with you at all times. Rhode Island’s mandatory minimum liability auto insurance limits are $25,000.00 per individual injury or death, $50,000.00 for all injured persons, and $25,000.00 for damage to property. Auto insurance policies purchased in Rhode Island will include the mandatory liability minimum insurance limits. However, the state of Rhode Island does not require drivers to carry underinsured or uninsured auto insurance coverage but the insurance company must offer that protection to you when you apply for a policy with their company. The amount of the uninsured and underinsured policies is usually the same as the liability minimum auto insurance levels. Likewise, you do not have to carry collision and comprehensive insurance on your vehicle but the company must offer you that option.



Rhode Island requires motorists to be covered by the mandatory liability auto insurance policy at all times. You will not be allowed to register your vehicle without proof of insurance and a signature on the form for continuous coverage promise. Should you become involved in an accident or be stopped for a traffic violation and you do not have the required liability policy, you will be cited as an uninsured motorist. Even if the accident is not your fault, you can still be cited for lacking proof of insurance. You will have 15 days to provide the proof that to the state of Rhode Island you had an active insurance policy at the time of the citation. Failure to produce the required proof will result in the loss of your license and registration for a maximum of three months. You will then be required to provide proof to the state that you have obtained the proper insurance coverage. You will be required to pay fines and penalties in the amount of $500.00 plus other fees. You will also have to purchase SR-22 coverage which will insure that you continue to carry the proper insurance coverage. Failure to maintain this insurance will result in the insurance company notifying the state and they will find you. The exemptions to the mandatory liability insurance are off highway vehicles and non operational vehicles. Individuals who are out of state seasonally or in the military may also receive an exemption.



You must produce proof of insurance upon request by the authorities. This proof needs to include the name of the insurance company, the dates of coverage, and the amount of liability coverage. It also needs to include the policy number, VIN number of the vehicles covered, the make and model of the vehicles as well as the name of the policy holder and all individuals covered by the policy. The usual form of proof is an insurance card issued by the insurance company. The auto insurance needs to be authorized by a qualified auto insurance company.

Remember that you may need your proof of minimum liability auto insurance at any time. You will definitely need it at the time of registering your car, in the case of involvement in an accident either as the cause of the accident or the victim of the accident, or if you should be stopped for a traffic violation.