Driving Without Insurance in California: Fines, Impound and Suspension

The ticket itself is modest by California standards. The real risk is a collision: being uninsured in a reportable crash can cost you your license for up to four years.

The ticket

Failing to show proof of insurance is an infraction under California Vehicle Code § 16029:

• First conviction: a fine of $100 to $200, plus penalty assessments added on top of the base fine.
• Subsequent conviction within three years: $200 to $500, plus penalty assessments.

Those assessments are most of the bill. In the Judicial Council's 2026 Uniform Bail and Penalty Schedule, a $200 base fine for driving uninsured (§ 16028(a)) becomes $896 in total bail once state and county penalties, surcharges and court fees are added. The same ticket for a driver who was insured but had no proof on them totals $486. Counties can adjust these amounts.

The fine is mandatory. The court can reduce it to the minimum if you show evidence of financial responsibility for the vehicle, and it can also reduce or waive it based on your ability to pay. The court can also order you to keep insurance for at least a year, and, for good cause, order the vehicle impounded; it's released only on proof of insurance and payment of towing and storage fees. The impound comes from the court, not the officer at the roadside.

Your registration too

Insurers report policy information to the DMV electronically (§ 16058). The DMV suspends a vehicle's registration in three situations: no insurance on file within 30 days of a registration card being issued, a cancelled policy not replaced within 45 days, or false proof of insurance. A suspended vehicle can't be driven or parked on public roads until proof is submitted. Reinstating it takes proof of insurance and a $14 fee, and you can do it online, by email, at a kiosk, by mail or by phone.

If you're in a collision without insurance

You must report a collision to the DMV within 10 days if anyone was hurt or killed, or if property damage was over $1,000, no matter who was at fault. If you can't show you were insured, your driving privilege is suspended: at least one year under § 16070, and the California Driver Handbook says for up to four years. You can get your license back for the last three years of the suspension by filing a California Insurance Proof Certificate (SR 22) and keeping it in force. See our California SR-22 guide for how that works.

There's a middle option: § 16072 allows a restricted license for driving to and from work, during work, or to take a child to school, if you pay a $250 penalty fee and show proof of insurance.

If the other driver sues and wins, the judgment follows you too. A crash judgment left unpaid for 30 days suspends your license (§ 16370), and it stays suspended until the judgment is satisfied and you show proof of insurance (§ 16371). A court-approved installment plan that you keep current lets you drive again (§ 16379).

You also give up part of your own claim

California's Proposition 213, now Civil Code § 3333.4, cuts both ways. If you're hurt in a crash while driving your own uninsured car, you can't recover non-economic damages, like pain and suffering, even when the other driver caused it. You can still recover economic damages such as medical bills and lost wages. The one exception is when the other driver was under the influence.

Getting insured again, and what it costs

California is different from most states here: under Insurance Code § 1861.02(c), part of Proposition 103, insurers can't use the fact that you had no prior insurance, by itself, to set your rate or refuse you. Voters rejected an attempt to change that in 2012 (Proposition 33). National figures on how much a coverage gap raises premiums don't apply the same way in California.

If money is the reason you went uninsured, look at the state's California Low Cost Auto Insurance Program (CLCA), as described in the Department of Insurance's March 2026 report to the Legislature:

If you need an SR-22 instead, MoneyGeek's California figures (minimum 30/60/15 coverage, updated May 2026) put the cheapest options at about $108/month with GEICO, $124 with Progressive and $139 with State Farm. When you buy coverage again, remember the minimum rose to 30/60/15 in 2025, and it's scheduled to rise again to 50/100/25 on January 1, 2035.

Related: SR-22 in California · Car insurance after a DUI in California

More California guides

• Car insurance after a DUI in California
• SR-22 requirements in California
• DUI under 21 in California
• Driving with a suspended license in California
• Reckless driving penalties and insurance in California
• Car insurance for teen drivers in California
• Teen car insurance by age (16, 17 and 18) in California
• Car insurance for senior drivers in California