Alabama Car Insurance

Auto Insurance Coverage in AL—The Basics

Love the roar of stock car engines? Or the roar of the football fans at an Alabama-Auburn game? Maybe a quiet visit along the Gulf Coast is more your speed? Whether Alabama is your sweet home or your getaway, it's important to know the ins and outs of auto insurance in Alabama. GEICO can help and getting an Alabama auto insurance quote from GEICO is simple.

Additional Info for AL Drivers:

  • Alabama has a high rate of uninsured motorists. To combat this, the Alabama Mandatory Liability Insurance Act (MLI) requires that "no person shall operate, register, or maintain registration of a motor vehicle designed to be used on a public road or highway unless it is covered by a liability insurance policy." Penalties include fines, driver's license suspension, and vehicle registration suspension.
  • In June 2011, a provision was added to the MLI. It requires that motorists who have let their insurance lapse more than once undergo a mandatory registration suspension of four months before their vehicle registration can be reinstated.
  • In January 2013, law enforcement officers and other state officials began using the State of Alabama Online Insurance Verification System. This system allows users to instantly verify the insurance status of a vehicle.

Learn More About Required Alabama Auto Insurance Coverage

To register and operate a vehicle in Alabama, your auto insurance coverage must meet the following minimum requirements:

  • Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident
  • Property damage liability: $25,000 per person
  • Uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident*

*This coverage can be rejected.

Alabama Teen Driving Laws

In Alabama, there are three stages to the graduated driver's license program. To obtain a learner's permit, the teen must be at least 15 years old and pass a written exam. The learner's permit allows teens to drive with a parent, legal guardian, licensed driver over 21, or certified driving instructor seated in the front seat.

At 16, drivers can apply with parental permission for a restricted license. Sixteen-year-old applicants must certify that they have completed either a driver's education course approved by the State Department of Education, or a minimum of 30 hours of behind-the-wheel driving practice. The restricted license requires passing a road skills exam. It also prohibits driving between midnight and 6:00 AM unless accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or licensed driver over 21. Some situations related to school, employment, and emergencies are exempted from this rule. Restricted license holders must not have more than one passenger in the vehicle other than parents, legal guardians, or other family members.

To apply for an unrestricted or regular license, 17-year-olds must have a restricted license for at least six months. Applicants who are at least 18 years old may apply immediately for a full license and must pass a road skills exam.

Alabama Vehicle Registration

For any motor vehicle requiring a certificate of title, the vehicle owner must apply for an Alabama certificate of title. Title applications are completed through designated agents of the Alabama Department of Revenue. The title fee is $15 plus any other commissions due the designated agents.

Vehicles being titled for the first time in Alabama must be inspected by the designated agent before the title application can be completed. After the inspection, the license plate issuing official will collect the necessary fees and taxes and issue a license plate.

The vehicle owner has twenty calendar days from the date of vehicle purchase or acquisition to register the vehicle. If you are moving to Alabama your vehicles must be registered within 30 days.