Best Massachusetts SR-22 Insurance in 2024
What are SR-22 insurance requirements in Massachusetts?
While Massachusetts doesn’t require SR-22 insurance of drivers who’ve committed certain violations in the state, you may still be required to have SR22 insurance in Massachusetts if you’ve committed a traffic violation in a neighboring state that requires it.
For states that require an SR-22 form, it means the driver committed a driving violation and has been required by their state or court to file it. The SR-22 insurance form is proof of insurance and it guarantees to the state that you have the minimum liability insurance requirements and it allows you to drive in the state.
Often times, the SR22 requirement is referred to as SR-22 car insurance. While SR-22 car insurance is not actually a different type of insurance from typical car insurance, the term is often used to describe car insurance coverage for those who need an SR-22 endorsement because an SR22 affects your car insurance coverage and cost.
In Massachusetts, all drivers are required to have the minimum limits of car insurance coverage set by the state law. If you drive without insurance in Massachusetts, there are a number of penalties you could face including fines, fees, license and registration suspension, and jail time.
Use our comparison tool to compare insurance quotes from multiple companies.
What are the SR-22 insurance limits in Massachusetts?
While you may not be required to have SR-22 certificate in Massachusetts, you still need to have at least the minimum auto insurance coverage required in the state. Massachusetts drivers are required to have at least the following car insurance coverages and limits:
Liability:
- $20,000 bodily injury to others per person
- $40,000 bodily injury to others per accident
- $5,000 damage to property per accident
Personal injury protection:
- $8,000 per person
Bodily injury caused by an uninsured motorist:
- $20,000 per person
- $40,000 per accident
Who needs an SR22 in Massachusetts?
Typically, a SR22 certificate is not required in Massachusetts, because Massachusetts has mandatory liability insurance requirements. However, there are cases when you may be required to have it in Massachusetts if you’ve committed a driving violation out of state in a state that requires it. SR22 insurance is required in a few scenarios in order for you to get your license reinstated. SR-22s are required after you’ve committed certain violations with the law. You may even be required to have an SR-22 if you’ve had a series of small violations within a short span of time. You could need SR22 insurance for the following reasons:
- Conviction for driving under the influence (DUI or DWI)
- Driving without car insurance
- Driving with a revoked or suspended license
- Having repeated traffic violations in a certain amount of time, including speeding tickets
- Numerous at-fault accidents
- A fatal at-fault accident or one that results in injuries
- Reckless or dangerous driving
- Assignment from a court order
- Failure to pay fines from tickets
- Refused consent to breathalyzer or blood alcohol test
If you’re moving to a new state and need to get SR-22 insurance, you’ll need to get SR22 insurance from an insurance company that offers SR22 insurance in your new state. The form will need to be filed with your new state rather than with Massachusetts.
Because the SR-22 certificate is not required in Massachusetts, some insurance companies may be reluctant to issue SR-22 forms. However, an SR-22 issued from another state may impact your driving privileges in Massachusetts. To meet the SR-22 requirements, you need to ask the insurance provider to send the appropriate state's DMV. Massachusetts doesn't have any SR-22 alternatives, because the SR-22 form doesn't exist in the first place.
How are Massachusetts OUI insurance rates calculated?
A DUI is one of the most common reasons drivers need SR22 insurance. This offense is typically called an OUI (operating under the influence) in Massachusetts. If you’ve been convicted of an OUI in Massachusetts, while you won’t be required to get SR-22 insurance, your car insurance rates may still be affected because you will be considered a high-risk driver. On average, drivers in Massachusetts with one OUI pay $2,021, which is 83 percent higher than standard drivers with a clean record. In the table below, you can view average insurance rates for drivers in Massachusetts who’ve been convicted of an OUI.
| Company | Car insurance rate |
|---|---|
| State Farm | $1,289 |
| Commerce Insurance (MAPFRE) | $1,508 |
| Progressive | $1,511 |
| Geico | $1,570 |
| Arbella | $1,946 |
| Safety | $2,010 |
| Amica | $2,012 |
| Allstate | $2,069 |
| USAA* | $2,230 |
| Travelers | $3,700 |
*USAA is only available to active and former military members and their families.
These rates are based on a 35-year-old single adult with one driver and one vehicle on a policy. The car used was a 2015 Toyota Highlander LEs. Full coverage was used with 100/300/50 limits and a $500 collision and comprehensive deductible. The driver had 1 DUI on their record. The rates displayed should only be used for comparative purposes as individual rates for high-risk insurance in Massachusetts will differ. Rate data is provided by Quadrant Information Services.
How to get SR22 insurance in Massachusetts?
If you’ve been convicted of a driving violation in Massachusetts, you may be considered a high-risk or non-standard driver. This may result in your car insurance rates to increase. Most states require an SR-22 form to be filed by certain high risk drivers guilty of violations, requiring the drivers to get SR-22 insurance.
Even though Massachusetts doesn’t require an SR22 form in most cases, drivers with violations typically associated with SR22 insurance may have a harder time finding an insurance company that will sell them a policy. If you’re considered a high-risk driver, it may be a good idea to shop for a new car insurance company in Massachusetts.
Use the table at the top of this page to find all the car insurance companies that offer high-risk insurance in Massachusetts with a minimum of 25 reviews. If you want to see which companies customers say are the best car insurance companies for SR22 insurance in Massachusetts, sort the table by highest rated. You can sort through companies and find the ones you want to get quotes from. To get quotes, click on the orange “Click for quote” button next to the company, call the number available or visit the company’s website.
If you want to read customer reviews of the company, click the company name in the table and you will be directed to the company’s profile page containing information about the company and reviews.
Is there an SR-22 fee in Massachusetts?
Even though SR-22 insurance is not required in Massachusetts in most cases, there are still a number of fees and fines you’ll need to pay if you’ve violated driving laws. Car insurance is required in Massachusetts. If you violate car insurance laws, you can expect to pay fines ranging from $500 to $5,000 in addition to fees if you choose to request a hearing. There is also a fee of $500 to reinstate your license after it has been suspended. An OUI in Massachusetts is even more expensive than that.
How are car insurance rates calculated?
When searching and comparing car insurance quotes, it can be frustrating trying to understand how your insurance rates are calculated. While there is no exact formula that each car insurance company uses when providing you a quote, there are many factors that do contribute to the price you pay for your insurance. Among the factors that car insurers consider are:
- Your driving record
- How much you drive
- Location
- Age
- Marital status
- Gender
- Your car’s make, model and year
- Your credit history (in some states)
- Amount of car insurance coverage (required coverage and optional add-ons, such as collision and comprehensive)
One of the biggest misunderstandings when it comes to insurance rates is that the history of drivers in your area also contributes to how much you pay. For instance, even if you go two years without an accident, if there were a lot of accidents near you recently, your rates might still go up. Why is that the case?
Insurance companies disperse risk across all policyholders so that when it comes time to pay a claim, they have enough money to pay out. But imagine a scenario where they only raised rates for drivers with an accident. For drivers who had an expensive claim, the drivers simply wouldn't be able to afford the raised rates that are based off how much their insurer had to pay after an accident. So instead, insurance companies slightly increase rates across the board to offset the costs, though of course the at-fault driver may see a larger increase.
How much car insurance do I need?
You certainly don’t want to be underinsured or uninsured while staring at a claim after a car accident or other damage to your car. But at the same time, there’s no sense in paying for more coverage than you need, right? So it begs the question: How much car insurance coverage do you actually need?
The answer, as frustrating as it may be, is it depends. For example, someone insuring a brand-new, leased car is likely required to purchase collision and comprehensive coverage, but for someone driving an older car that doesn’t have much value, it may not make sense to purchase optional coverage. Plus, states have different car insurance requirements. There are 12 no-fault states that require its drivers to purchase personal injury protection (PIP).
So when it comes to determining what car insurance coverage and limits you should purchase, it’s important to do your research. Talk with an insurance agent or your insurance company to determine what makes the most sense for your situation.
How to save money on your car insurance?
At the end of the day, we’d all like to have the best coverage at a cheap, affordable price. While you never want to sacrifice quality to save a couple of dollars, there are some different ways you can lower your car insurance premium.
Here are six ways you may be able to lower your car insurance rates:
- Bundle your car insurance with other policies
- Consider raising your deductibles
- Pay your car insurance policy in full
- Try usage-based car insurance
- Monitor price changes to your policy
- Shop for better insurance rates
How do we rank car insurance companies?
Wondering how Clearsurance determines scores for insurance companies? Our algorithm analyzes a range of inputs from our community of unbiased insurance customers, including:
- Cost
- Customer Service
- Overall Experience
- Claim service
- Purchasing experience
- Likelihood to recommend
Car Insurance Guide
Whether you’re buying your insurance direct or going through an agent, understanding the different car insurance coverage options is a must. Do you know what is covered by comprehensive coverage? Are you familiar with uninsured motorist coverage/underinsured motorist coverage? Do you know how a deductible works?
We want to make sure you’re equipped with a proper knowledge of car insurance, so check out our practical guide to understanding car insurance. Looking for more educational information about car insurance? Check out our blog for more information and topics related to car insurance.