Virginia · state requirements

Commercial auto insurance in Virginia

For Virginia contractors, delivery businesses, couriers and in-state haulers: the limits the Code of Virginia sets, what DMV checks and what coverage costs.

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What similar businesses pay

Commercial auto, Virginia: About $239 a month
Commercial auto, national: About $245 a month
Business auto, per vehicle: $207 a month

Published benchmarks, not quotes. Your price depends on underwriting.

Cost

What commercial auto insurance in Virginia costs

About $239 a month

Commercial auto, Virginia

Insureon figure for Virginia small-business customers, updated March 2026

About $245 a month

Commercial auto, national

Insureon figure for all small-business customers, updated March 2026

$207 a month

Business auto, per vehicle

Progressive Commercial national median, new 2025 policies, clean records

$926 a month

For-hire transport truck

Progressive Commercial national average, 2025

Insureon puts commercial auto for its Virginia customers at about $239 a month, just under its $245 national figure; most Insureon customers have fewer than five employees. Progressive’s 2025 national median for business autos such as cleaning, restaurant and shop vehicles is $207 a month per vehicle for liability and physical damage, and $203 for contractors, so a Virginia business with cars, pickups or vans should expect figures in that range per vehicle. A for-hire truck over 10,000 pounds, which needs $750,000 of liability for in-state work, prices closer to Progressive’s $734 to $926 averages for for-hire trucks.

What moves your price

Vehicle weight: Virginia’s for-hire floors jump at 7,500 and 10,000 pounds GVWR
Whether you haul for pay or only carry your own tools and goods
Where vehicles are garaged, from Northern Virginia traffic to rural routes
The uninsured and underinsured motorist limits you keep on the policy
Each driver’s record and any lapse that triggered an SR-22
The liability limits your customers write into contracts
Claims history and the value of vehicles that need physical damage cover

Virginia

What’s different in Virginia

Minimums rose to 50/100/25 in 2025

Under Va. Code 46.2-472, policies effective on or after January 1, 2025 must carry $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for injuries and $25,000 for property damage, up from 30/60/20. It is still a floor: $25,000 may not cover one new pickup, and anything above your limit falls on the business.

UM and UIM come at your liability limits

Va. Code 38.2-2206 requires uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on every policy for a vehicle garaged or used in Virginia, at limits equal to your liability limits unless a named insured rejects the extra amount. Underinsured cover pays without credit for the at-fault driver’s liability unless a named insured elects that reduction.

Vehicle weight sets your for-hire floor

Va. Code 46.2-2143.1 ties in-state carrier limits to GVWR: $750,000 over 10,000 pounds, $300,000 from 7,501 to 10,000 pounds, and for lighter vehicles the state minimum rising to $100,000/$300,000/$50,000 while a load is accepted and on board. Upsizing a delivery van can more than double the required limit.

Contributory negligence makes fault evidence decisive

Virginia still applies contributory negligence. In Karim v. Grover (1988), the Supreme Court of Virginia restated that a plaintiff whose own negligence was a proximate cause of the injury is barred from recovery. Claims for and against your drivers turn on who was at fault, so dash camera footage and prompt crash reports carry real weight.

A lapse suspends licenses and operating authority

Virginia DMV checks liability coverage electronically. An uninsured owner loses driving and registration privileges and must pay a $600 noncompliance fee and file an SR-22 for three years to reinstate. For carriers with operating authority, a canceled policy brings an order of suspension, then revocation and a fresh application.

Commercial vehicles crash thousands of times a year

Virginia DMV’s 2024 Traffic Crash Facts count 5,700 crashes involving commercial motor vehicles, 4.4% of all crashes, including 108 fatal crashes. Large trucks were in 3,078 of them, 48 fatal.

Coverage

Coverage Virginia businesses need

Auto liability

Pays for injuries and property damage your vehicles cause to others. Virginia requires at least 50/100/25; for-hire carriers need $300,000 or $750,000 depending on weight.

How commercial auto works →

Uninsured and underinsured motorist

Pays your drivers and passengers when the at-fault driver has no or too little insurance. Included on every Virginia policy at your liability limits unless a named insured rejects the extra amount.

How commercial auto works →

Medical expense and income loss

Optional in Virginia. Under Va. Code 38.2-2202, insurers must offer up to $2,000 per person for medical and funeral expenses and up to $100 a week of lost income for one year.

How commercial auto works →

Physical damage

Collision and comprehensive for your own vehicles. Not required by the state, though a lender or lessor may require it on a financed vehicle.

How commercial auto works →

Motor truck cargo

Pays for damage to goods you haul. Virginia requires $50,000 of cargo cover for household goods carriers, unless they move goods only in vehicles of 10,000 pounds GVWR or less.

Hired and non-owned auto

Covers liability when employees run business errands in their own cars or you rent a vehicle.

How commercial auto works →

Umbrella or excess

Adds limits above auto liability for large claims or contract demands. Va. Code 38.2-2206 does not require umbrella insurers to offer uninsured motorist cover, so check whether yours includes it.

How umbrella / excess works →

Rules

Virginia requirements

Every vehicle registered in Virginia must carry the liability limits in Va. Code 46.2-472. Businesses that haul property or passengers for pay inside Virginia face higher floors set by Va. Code 46.2-2143.1 and enforced by DMV Motor Carrier Services.

Requirement	Applies to	What it means
Minimum liability	Every Virginia-registered vehicle, policies effective on or after January 1, 2025	$50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for bodily injury, $25,000 for property damage, under Va. Code 46.2-472.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist	Every policy on a vehicle principally garaged or used in Virginia	At least the 46.2-472 minimums and equal to liability limits unless a named insured rejects the extra amount, under Va. Code 38.2-2206.
Insurance at registration	Owners buying plates or decals	You must certify minimum coverage from an insurer authorized in Virginia; DMV verifies coverage electronically.
For-hire property, over 10,000 lb	Intrastate property carriers, including household goods movers	$750,000 liability with proof filed with DMV and intrastate operating authority, under Va. Code 46.2-2143.1; movers add $50,000 cargo.
For-hire property, 7,501 to 10,000 lb	Intrastate carriers using only vehicles in this range	A commercial policy with at least $300,000 liability at all times; no DMV filing required.
For-hire property, 7,500 lb or less	Couriers and delivery drivers in cars, pickups and light vans	The 46.2-472 minimum while available for work, rising to $100,000/$300,000/$50,000 from accepting a load until it is delivered.
Passenger carriers	Contract, sightseeing, employee hauler and non-emergency medical carriers	$350,000 for 1 to 6 seats, $1,500,000 for 7 to 15 and $5,000,000 for 16 or more, counting the driver, per DMV; taxicabs need $125,000.
USDOT number	Interstate vehicles of 10,001 lb or more and placarded hazmat	Virginia does not require a USDOT number for intrastate-only carriers other than placarded hazmat, per DMV form 247 (November 2025).
Penalty for going uninsured	Owners of uninsured vehicles	Suspended driving and registration privileges, a $600 noncompliance fee and an SR-22 filed for three years, per Virginia DMV.

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Pay less

How to lower the cost

Match vehicle size to the work: keeping for-hire vehicles at 10,000 pounds GVWR or less holds the state floor at $300,000 instead of $750,000.
Keep coverage continuous; a lapse means suspended privileges, a $600 fee and three years of SR-22 filings.
Ask for quotes at different uninsured motorist limits and understand what a rejection gives up before any named insured signs it.
Fit dash cameras: under contributory negligence, clear fault evidence can defeat or support a claim.
Run motor vehicle records on every driver before hiring and each year after; Progressive’s published medians are for clean records.
Compare quotes at renewal; Florin is an independent broker that compares options from several insurers.

Before you start

What underwriters ask for

Vehicle list with VINs, GVWR, values, lienholders and Virginia garaging addresses
Driver list with license numbers, dates of birth and any SR-22 filings
Each vehicle’s use: your own work, for-hire hauling, passengers or household goods
Virginia operating authority or USDOT number, if you have one
Current declarations page, including uninsured motorist limits and any rejection forms
Loss runs from current and prior insurers
Limits and certificate terms your customers require
Whether any vehicle leaves Virginia

Common questions

Commercial auto insurance in Virginia: questions

Does Virginia require a commercial auto policy for a business vehicle?

Virginia requires liability insurance on every registered vehicle at 50/100/25. For-hire carriers with vehicles over 7,500 pounds need a commercial policy at $300,000 or $750,000, and personal policies often limit business use.

Can I reject uninsured motorist coverage in Virginia?

Not entirely. Under Va. Code 38.2-2206 you can reject the amount above the state minimum, and a rejection by any one named insured binds everyone on the policy.

How much insurance does a Virginia courier need?

In a vehicle of 7,500 pounds GVWR or less, the state minimum while available for work, rising to $100,000 per person, $300,000 per incident and $50,000 property damage once a delivery is accepted. DMV does not require proof to be filed for these vehicles.

Do I need a USDOT number to haul only inside Virginia?

Generally not. Virginia DMV says it does not require a USDOT number for carriers operating only intrastate, except those hauling placarded hazardous materials. Interstate vehicles of 10,001 pounds or more need one.

What happens if my business vehicle’s insurance lapses?

DMV suspends driving and registration privileges until you pay a $600 noncompliance fee and file an SR-22 for three years. Carriers with operating authority also get an order of suspension, then revocation.

Does a Virginia umbrella policy include uninsured motorist coverage?

Not necessarily. Va. Code 38.2-2206 lets umbrella and excess insurers leave it out, so the uninsured motorist limit on your auto policy may be all you have.

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Sources (13)

Figures are published third-party estimates, not quotes. Coverage depends on policy terms and underwriting, and rules vary by state. Updated November 2026.