Car Insurance My legal residence is in one state but I keep and drive a second car in a different state. In which state should I buy my second vehicle’s car insurance policy? By Penny Gusner Penny Gusner Penny is an expert on insurance procedures, rates, policies and claims. She has extensive knowledge of all major insurance lines -- auto, homeowners, life and health insurance. She has been answering consumers’ questions as an analyst for more than 15 years and has been featured in numerous major media outlets, including the Washington Post and Kiplinger’s. | Posted on February 17, 2015 Why you should trust Insure.com Quality Verified At Insure.com, we are committed to providing honest and reliable information so that you can make the best financial decisions for you and your family. All of our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. We maintain strict editorial independence from insurance companies to maintain editorial integrity, so our recommendations are unbiased and are based on a comprehensive list of criteria. You should register and insure your second car in the state where it is primarily driven. Your state of residence isn’t as important to car insurance companies as the address where your car is physically located. The location of your vehicle is a rating factor for car insurance companies. Your rates for your two cars will be different because their different locations have different risks. Your insurance requirements may be different, too. For example, if your primary car is located in Ohio, the state minimum requirements are 25/50/25 (meaning $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury liability and $25,000 for property damage liability). If your secondary car is located at a vacation home in Florida, the state only requires property damage liability coverage of $10,000 and, because it’s a no-fault state, personal injury protection of $10,000. To protect your assets it’s best to carry more liability coverage than the state requires, such as 100/300/50. And if you want your car to have coverage for damage it may receive, you need physical damage coverages of collision and comprehensive on each car in each state. Penny GusnerContributor   . .Penny is an expert on insurance procedures, rates, policies and claims. She has extensive knowledge of all major insurance lines -- auto, homeowners, life and health insurance. She has been answering consumers’ questions as an analyst for more than 15 years and has been featured in numerous major media outlets, including the Washington Post and Kiplinger’s. In case you missed it Best Car Insurance Companies of 2023 Car insurance rates by state: The most expensive and cheapest states for car ins... Full coverage auto insurance: What it costs to get covered A complete guide to car insurance for seniors A complete guide to adding a teenager to your car insurance policy What to do after a car accident that’s not your fault Total warfare: What to do when your auto insurer totals your car Car insurance claims: Who gets the claims check? Buying and insuring a used car: Most and least expensive models to insure in 202... The Best Car Insurance for Bad Credit of 2021 The best car insurance companies for speeding tickets Car insurance after a DUI Guide to Car Insurance Discounts Proper insurance coverage for college-bound children How to read (and actually understand!) your auto insurance policy Car Insurance Companies New driver insurance grace period: What you need to know How much do insurance agents make Autonomous cars: 5 delightful and 5 distressing things Busted! Part 1: How insurance companies spot bogus claims Insurance options for rideshare drivers 10 things that are illegal but shouldn’t be 1/1