Renting, Borrowing and Driving Out of State on an SR-22: The Checklist

The SR-22 is a certificate that tells California's DMV you carry insurance. It is not a travel document and not a coverage upgrade. So the questions before a trip are about your license and your policy, and a few of the answers surprise people.

Before renting: three questions

1. Is your license valid and unrestricted? If it is restricted, the restriction comes with you to the rental counter.
2. Does your policy cover you in a rental car? Whether a personal policy extends to rentals, and which coverages extend, varies by insurance company. Ask your carrier and get the answer in writing.
3. What will the counter ask for? A license and a payment method. The counter is not checking for an SR-22, which is exactly why the coverage question has to be answered before you get there.

Restricted licenses and other people's cars

Borrowing a car from a friend or relative

Insurance Code 11580.1 requires a California auto policy to cover people driving the insured car with the owner's permission, to the same extent as the named insured. So the owner's policy generally responds first. Two exceptions matter here:

• If you are excluded by name on the owner's policy, that policy gives you no coverage at all in that car.
• If the owner's limits run out, whether your own policy adds anything on top depends on your policy's terms, which vary by insurance company. A non-owner policy is often bought precisely for this situation; ask how yours responds.

Driving in another state

Your filing is a California document about your California driving privilege; visiting another state does not end it. How your policy behaves outside California, including whether it adjusts to another state's required limits, is set by the policy and varies by insurance company. Moving away is a different matter, with its own steps; see leaving California with an SR-22.

Driving into Mexico

The U.S. Embassy says U.S. auto insurance is not sufficient in Mexico, and that drivers need a separate Mexican auto policy; short-term policies exist. It also says a Temporary Vehicle Importation Permit is required beyond the border zone and certain areas such as the Baja California Peninsula. Your SR-22 has no role south of the border, and it does not satisfy Mexican requirements.

The pre-trip checklist

• License status checked, including any restriction.
• Written answer from your carrier on rentals and out-of-state driving.
• ID card on your phone and in paper form.
• Policy payment due during the trip already scheduled. A lapse while you are away is still a lapse.
• For Mexico: a Mexican policy bought before crossing.

If your current policy leaves you uncovered in the situations you actually face, compare SR-22 policies here and ask about rentals by name.