Indiana car insurance: minimums, BMV insurance checks and what drivers pay

When the Indiana BMV checks your insurance

Indiana does not stop at the rule that every driver must be insured. The BMV actively asks for proof in these situations:

• it receives an accident report involving you;
• repeat violations: a pointable moving violation within 1 year of 2 other pointable moving violations;
• you are convicted of a serious traffic violation, such as a misdemeanor or felony;
• you commit any pointable violation after an earlier suspension for failing to prove insurance.

The BMV can also ask at any other time. One detail is easy to miss: the insurance card you show a police officer at the roadside is not sent to the BMV or noted on your record. The BMV's request comes later, by mail.

What to do when the Indiana BMV asks for proof of insurance

1. Read the BMV letter and note the date it was mailed. The clock starts then.
2. Call your insurer and ask it to file a Certificate of Compliance (COC) with the BMV electronically. The COC must cover the vehicle and the date of the crash or violation.
3. Make sure the BMV receives and processes the COC within 90 days of the mailing date, or your driving privileges are suspended.
4. If a suspension has already started, a COC covering the date of the incident can still remove it from your record.
5. Check your record through your myBMV account to confirm the filing was processed.

If you were not insured on that date, there is no COC to file, and the suspension stands. See car insurance after an accident for the claim side of the same crash.

SR22 after an insurance suspension

When a license is suspended for an insurance violation or certain court offenses, Indiana may require SR22 insurance to restore driving privileges. Your insurer files the SR22 with the BMV electronically. It proves you carry at least the state minimum, and the insurer cannot cancel it without telling the BMV.

For an insurance suspension, the SR22 requirement is met after 180 consecutive days of coverage. If the insurer reports a cancellation (an SR26) or there is any gap during that period, the BMV suspends your license again until a new SR22 is on file. Drivers who move out of Indiana can sometimes waive certain SR22 requirements with an Out of State Residency Affidavit; the BMV lists the exceptions.

An SR22 often comes with higher premiums, because insurers price the violation behind it as a risk. Our SR-22 guide and high risk driver glossary entry explain the options, including non-owner car insurance if you do not own a car.

UM and UIM coverage in Indiana

Indiana policies include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage unless you reject them in writing:

The Insurance Research Council estimates 14.0% of Indiana drivers were uninsured in 2023, a little below the national 15.4%. UIM matters too: a driver with only the minimum has $25,000 of injury coverage per person. The uninsured motorist guide explains what you give up by signing a rejection.

How much Indiana drivers spend on auto insurance

Both figures are below the national averages. The Indianapolis page is listed below. To compare quotes on equal terms, use the coverage checklist and see how the deductible changes the price.

Miles driven and crash deaths in Indiana

IIHS counted 832 traffic deaths in Indiana in 2024. The rate per person, 12.0 per 100,000 people, was above the national 11.5 per 100,000 people, while the rate per mile driven, 0.94 per 100 million miles, was below the US 1.19 per 100 million miles. That combination points to more miles driven per resident than the national average. 59% of deaths happened on rural roads (US: 41%).

Neighboring states handle insurance differently. Compare Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky.