What happens if I drive my car with a suspended registration?

In the United States, driving is a privilege that comes with a lot of responsibility. Like it or not, one of these responsibilities is making sure your vehicles are properly registered and insured at all times.

If you’re caught driving driving on suspended registration, or no registration at all, you could be in for some serious trouble depending on your circumstances.

How severely you are penalized will depend on why your registration was suspended and what you were doing when you were pulled over.

Because vehicle registrations can be so vastly different from one state to the next, it’s nearly impossible to say exactly what will happen if you drive with a suspended registration.

What we can say is that states consider this more serious than most drivers do. There are fines in place, as well as other appropriate penalties where applicable.

Obviously, you must get caught first, but you should never drive with a suspended registration to begin with.

Before you even register your car, be sure to shop for car insurance rates online by entering your ZIP code in the box below.

#1 What if my registration was suspended due to lack of insurance?

In most states, driving with suspended registration is the most serious violation of motor vehicle traffic law where registration is concerned. Automobile insurance laws are very strict in order to protect other drivers on the road.

Therefore, if your registration has been suspended for lack of insurance, you are considered an extremely high risk to other drivers.

If you’re caught driving under this scenario, you will most likely face a minimum one-year suspension of your driver’s license, plus other penalties and fines.

Furthermore, you’ll need to procure insurance and provide proof to the DMV before it will remove the suspension from your registration.

You may be required to wait a specific amount of time from the date of insurance before your registration will be returned to normal status.

Furthermore, you may also have points added to your license as a penalty for driving with a suspended registration.

#2 – What if my registration was suspended for a bad check?

Bouncing a check is not generally considered a crime unless the offender does so knowingly.

Therefore, as long as a bad check written to the DMV was a legitimate accident, you should be able to lift the suspension of your registration simply by making good on the check.

You can do so by going down to your DMV with cash or a money order. With today’s computerized records system, you should once again be good to go before you even leave the DMV.

Be aware that many states will require you to pay future fees using cash or money orders because of a bad check. Sometimes this restriction can be as short as one year, while in other states it may last several years.

Regardless, as long as you make good on the money you owe, you should have no problem reestablishing your registration.

If you fail to do so, and you get caught driving with a suspended registration, you will most likely be fined and have points added to your license.

#3 – How does being caught with suspended registration affect my car insurance?

The good news is that being caught with a suspended registration is not considered a serious violation by insurance companies. The bad news lies in the fact that it is still a violation, nonetheless.

Depending on the reasons why your registration was suspended, your insurance company will adjust your rates accordingly.

For example, if your registration was suspended due to a DWI/DUI, your insurance rates will already be higher. Throw in a suspended registration and they will be raised again.

If your suspended registration is simply a matter of a bad check, the increase in your insurance rates will be minimal.

Fortunately, regardless of the reason for your suspended registration, your insurance rates will once again go down if you maintain a clean record from that point forward. Expect:

• One to two years for minor infractions
• Five to seven years for major ones

Read more: Will an expired vehicle inspection citation increase my car insurance rates?

#4 – Can I still drive with a suspended registration?

The simple answer to that question is yes. But the caveat is that you cannot drive the car for which the registration has been suspended. In other words, you can not drive your own car without a valid registration document. But there is nothing to stop you from driving your spouse’s car during the suspension term.

In most cases, you’ll probably be eligible to rent a car temporarily if your friends and family don’t have a car you can borrow.

Insurance companies make car insurance quotes available online; simply enter your ZIP code right now to see them.

Case Studies: Driving With a Suspended Registration

Case Study 1: Registration Suspended Due to Lack of Insurance

In most states, driving with a suspended registration due to lack of insurance is considered a severe violation of motor vehicle traffic law. Being uninsured makes you a high risk to other drivers. If caught driving under this scenario, you may face a minimum one-year suspension of your driver’s license, along with other penalties and fines. (For more information, read our “What if an uninsured friend wrecks my car? (Three Types of Borrowers)“).

To lift the suspension, you’ll need to obtain insurance and provide proof to the DMV. Additionally, you may have points added to your license as a penalty.

Case Study 2: Registration Suspended for a Bad Check

Bouncing a check written to the DMV is generally not considered a crime if it was an accident. To lift the suspension resulting from a bad check, you can rectify the situation by paying the owed amount in cash or with a money order at the DMV.

With today’s computerized records system, your registration should be reinstated immediately. However, some states may require future fees to be paid using cash or money orders for a certain period. Failure to resolve the issue may result in fines and points added to your license.

Case Study 3: Impact on Car Insurance

While having a suspended registration is not considered a serious violation by insurance companies, it can still affect your rates. The extent of the impact depends on the reasons for the suspension. For example, if your registration was suspended due to a DWI/DUI, your insurance rates will already be higher.

Adding a suspended registration on top of that can lead to further rate increases. If the suspension was due to a bad check, the impact on your insurance rates will likely be minimal. However, maintaining a clean record from that point forward can help lower your insurance rates again