Driving Without Insurance
HRS 431:10C-117 — a $500 fine the first time with no policy, and at least $2,000 inside five years
No one operates or uses a motor vehicle on a public street, road or highway in Hawaii unless the vehicle is insured at all times under a motor vehicle insurance policy, and every owner of a vehicle used there keeps a policy with the required coverage in force for the entire registration period.
Who handles this in Hawaii: Hawaii State Bar Association, Lawyer Referral and Information Service; and legal aid programs and the state offices, listed in the Hawaii directory.
Vehicles owned by or registered to a federal agency, and antique motor vehicles, are outside the article.
| Conviction for no policy in effect | Fine |
|---|---|
| Conviction for no policy in effectA first offense | Fine$500 |
| Conviction for no policy in effectEach later offense within five years of a prior one | FineAt least $2,000 |
- The court may suspend all or part of the fine if the defendant shows a current policy.
- On the defendant's request the court may order community service instead of the fine: 75 to 100 hours for a first offense, and 200 to 275 hours for a second.
- On top of the fine, the court either suspends the license of the driver or registered owner, for three months on a first conviction and one year for another inside five years, or requires a nonrefundable policy kept in force for six months.
A person cited may present a good faith defense, including lack of knowledge or proof of insurance. The general penalty does not reach a driver whose own insurance covers driving someone else's vehicle, an employee driving the employer's vehicle within the job, or a driver of a borrowed vehicle who reasonably believes it is insured.
Repeat convictions add more. For more than one conviction for driving without a policy inside five years, the court also imposes up to 30 days in jail, suspension or revocation of the vehicle's plates, and impoundment, or impoundment and sale, of the vehicle.
Sources for this section (2)
- HRS 431:10C-104 — Conditions of operation and registration of motor vehicles
- HRS 431:10C-117 — Penalties
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Hawaii attorney.