61% of Americans ages 45 to 60 have gone without coverage at some point — far more than any other age group, and many say they'd risk it again.
September 28, 2026
Letting car insurance lapse sounds like a young driver's mistake. A new BestMoney survey says otherwise.
Americans ages 45 to 60 are the most likely age group to have gone without coverage, and they're far more willing than older drivers to do it again if money gets tight. It's middle-aged drivers, not twenty-somethings, taking the biggest risks with their car insurance.
BestMoney surveyed 1,019 US adults about car insurance coverage gaps: why they happen, how long they last, and what they cost. Here's what stood out.
Across all respondents, 37% said they've owned or regularly driven a car without active insurance at some point, whether by choice, because of a missed payment, or during a gap while switching insurers. Another 56% said they've never had a gap, and the remaining 7% couldn't recall or have never owned or driven a car.
Age tells the real story. The share of drivers who've had a gap rises with each age group up to 60, then drops sharply:
Some 61% of drivers ages 45 to 60 have had a coverage gap. Compared with just 10% of drivers 60 and older, the lowest rate of any age group.
Age Group | % Who Have Had a Coverage Gap |
18–29 | 41% |
30–44 | 55% |
45–60 | 61% |
60+ | 10% |
The pattern holds going forward, too. Asked how likely they'd be to let coverage lapse again under serious financial strain, 39% of 45- to 60-year-olds said "very likely," compared with just 4% of drivers 60 and older. Drivers in their late 40s and 50s aren't just the ones who've gone without coverage before. They're also among the most willing to do it again.
This finding shouldn't be too surprising, since middle-aged drivers usually have a greater financial burden than older drivers. Based on my personal experience in the legal field, drivers over 60 tend to be more cautious and risk-averse about life in general, so they're not only more likely to have insurance, but higher coverage levels. They also tend to have a cleaner driving record and statistically cause fewer crashes, so their rates are lower.
Among the 376 respondents who've had a coverage gap, the reasons split roughly in half. About 49% cited money (going without coverage to save money, or not being able to afford it at all), while about 48% cited administrative slip-ups (a missed payment or a gap while switching insurers):
Reason for the Gap | % of Respondents Who've Had a Gap |
Intentionally went without coverage to save money | 34% |
Missed a payment and didn't realize the policy had lapsed | 32% |
Gap while switching insurance companies | 16% |
Couldn't afford coverage at all during that time | 15% |
That split matters for how the problem gets solved. The roughly 1 in 3 gaps caused by a missed payment might never happen with a simple payment reminder or autopay, and switching-related gaps are avoidable by starting a new policy before canceling the old one. The other half reflect a choice drivers made knowingly.
Just over half of gaps (54%) lasted a month or less, which points to cash-flow timing more than a permanent decision to drive uninsured. The 10% of gaps that stretched past three months are where the real exposure sits, since that's plenty of time for a traffic stop or an accident to catch up with a driver.
Length of Gap | % of Respondents Who've Had a Gap |
Less than 1 week | 12% |
1–4 weeks | 42% |
1–3 months | 33% |
More than 3 months | 10% |
Among drivers who've had a gap, 66% said something happened during that time that made the lack of coverage a real problem: being pulled over, getting a ticket specifically for having no insurance, or being in an accident. Only 29% said nothing came of it.
84% of 45- to 60-year-olds paid more after a lapse
Compared with 72% of all drivers who've had a gap, and 34% of drivers 60 and older
Once these drivers got new coverage, 72% ended up paying more than before the gap (41% noticeably more, 31% slightly more). The penalty hit hardest among 45- to 60-year-olds, 84% of whom paid more afterward, compared with just 34% of drivers 60 and older. A few practical ways to lower your car insurance premium can help offset that increase.
This isn't a knowledge problem. 90% of respondents already knew that driving without insurance is illegal in most US states and can lead to fines or license suspension. Awareness hasn't kept drivers insured nationally, either: the Insurance Research Council estimates that 15.4% of US motorists, or about 1 in 7, were uninsured in 2023.
Among those who'd personally had a gap, 59% said they were fully aware of the risks at the time, and another 29% were at least somewhat aware. Fewer than 1 in 10 said they didn't really understand what they were risking.
A gap in insurance coverage, even a short one, isn't low risk. If you cause a crash while uninsured, everything you own is exposed. On top of that, nearly every state fines you for driving uninsured, and a repeat offense in most states means a suspended license and an SR-22 filing. Dropping insurance for a few weeks of 'savings' can actually end up costing you for years.
You might expect the lowest-income households to be the most likely to skip insurance. The survey found the opposite.
Respondents with household incomes of $125,000 to $199,999 reported some of the highest gap rates in the survey (60% to 64%) and were also the most likely to say they'd be "very likely" to let coverage lapse again under financial strain (37% to 39%).
Comfortable, established earners, not the most financially strained households, showed the strongest willingness to go without coverage.
An insurance lapse often costs more than keeping a basic policy in place. In my business, we see people consider going without insurance to save money, especially after a big rate increase. But a lapse isn't really a savings plan. It's more like borrowing trouble at a very high interest rate.
Women and men had identical gap rates (38% each) and were equally likely to say they'd risk letting coverage lapse again under financial strain (18% each).
A coverage gap rarely saves money in the long run. Before letting your policy lapse, work through these alternatives:
Call your insurer before you miss a payment: Many carriers offer short payment extensions or hardship plans that avoid a lapse entirely.
Shop around instead of dropping coverage: BestMoney's car insurance comparison tool can surface cheaper options in minutes, which beats absorbing a post-lapse rate increase later.
Trim coverage instead of eliminating it: Raising your deductible or dropping optional add-ons, like roadside assistance or rental reimbursement, can meaningfully lower your premium without leaving you uninsured.
Look into state assistance if you're priced out: Some states offer low-income auto insurance programs worth checking before going without coverage entirely.
The stereotype of the reckless, uninsured young driver doesn't hold up. Drivers ages 45 to 60 are the most likely to have let their car insurance lapse (61%, versus just 10% of those 60 and older), and they're far more willing than older drivers to do it again if money gets tight.
For a driver in this age group weighing whether to skip a payment, the survey suggests the short-term savings rarely outlast the long-term cost.
In nearly every state, yes. According to the NAIC, 49 states and Washington, DC, require drivers to carry auto liability insurance. New Hampshire is the exception, though drivers there still have to meet financial responsibility requirements. Penalties vary by state and can include fines, license suspension, and an SR-22 filing requirement.
It's likely. In BestMoney's survey, 72% of drivers who'd had a gap paid more once they got new coverage, and 41% said their new premium was noticeably higher. Insurers often treat a recent lapse as a sign of higher risk.
Call your insurer before the due date to ask about payment extensions, a payment plan, or discounts. You can also lower your premium by raising your deductible or removing optional add-ons, or compare quotes from other insurers. Any of these options is usually cheaper than a lapse.
BestMoney surveyed 1,019 US adults in August 2026 about their experiences with and attitudes toward car insurance coverage gaps. Questions asked of all respondents were answered by 1,000 to 1,019 people. Follow-up questions about the gap itself (its cause, its length, what happened during it, the cost of new coverage, and awareness of the risks at the time) were asked only of the 376 respondents who said they'd had a coverage gap.
Respondents spanned a range of ages, household incomes, genders, and US regions, with the largest age groups being drivers 60 and older and drivers 30 to 44. Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding or because some answer options aren't shown.
Elizabeth Rivelli is a business finance and insurance expert at BestMoney.com with over five years of experience covering car, home, life, and health insurance. She has contributed to major outlets such as Investopedia, Forbes, CNN Underscored, U.S. News & World Report, and Bankrate. Elizabeth also partners with insurance companies to provide readers with practical insights into industry trends.
