Hi everyone,
I need to drive a car that isn’t registered or insured from California to Idaho to get it registered and insured there.
I plan to stop in Oregon for a few days, then continue from Oregon to Idaho, where the car will be registered and insured.
What’s the best way to do this legally and safely? How can I protect myself if I get pulled over or have an accident on the way?
Thanks for your help.
There aren’t any other options; just load it onto a flatbed and tow it to your destination. If something goes wrong or you get pulled over, you’ll end up losing the car regardless.
Unfortunately, that’s not a viable option and could be quite expensive. My best bet might be to register it in California, secure same-day insurance from Tesla Insurance in CA (one of the few providers offering same-day coverage, even for non-Tesla vehicles), then drive it to Idaho. Once there, I would need to register it in Idaho and obtain insurance for that state as well.
Before you go, make sure to get the VIN and any other necessary information and register your vehicle in Idaho if possible. Take the plates with you and also arrange for insurance. Driving without insurance is risky; at best, your car could be impounded, and at worst, you could face a major lawsuit if you’re involved in an accident.
If you already know your address in Idaho, I would recommend using that address for registration and then securing insurance there.
Is it possible to handle this without bringing the vehicle to the DMV in Idaho? In California, when I last registered a car, I had to bring it in for an inspection before they would process the registration. California is known for its strict regulations, so Idaho might have a different approach.
It seems like being present in person is necessary; my apologies for not considering that earlier.
You might have a few options: accept the loss on the non-refundable California registration, risk driving without insurance, or possibly explore an unconventional solution. For instance, you could have someone with good insurance drive the vehicle. While they wouldn’t typically be the primary driver, it could be a way to cover the vehicle if it’s uninsured.
You absolutely cannot drive a car that is both unregistered and uninsured. There’s no way to bypass this requirement.
You should definitely get insurance. While a registration ticket isn’t ideal, it might be dismissed if you register the vehicle right away once you get to Idaho.
I’ll make sure to get insurance before I go. Great idea.
Simple… Obtain a temporary registration and secure insurance.