New York requires that before you can register a vehicle and get license plates, you need to purchase auto insurance or show proof of financial responsibility covering the minimum coverages as required by law.

The state of New York requires, at the minimum, that you have coverages for No Fault (Personal Injury Protection), Uninsured Motorists and Liability.

No Fault (Personal Injury Protection). This is to pay for injury and lost wages for a driver, a passenger or a pedestrian hurt by your car: Up to $50,000.

Uninsured Motorists. Pays for injury to an occupant in your car who is injured by a hit-and-run motorist or uninsured motorist: Minimum of $10,000.

Liability. This protects you if your car injures or kills another person or damages property and a claim is made against you for being at fault. This also provides for legal defense coverage: Minimum $25,000 for bodily injury not resulting in death and $50,000 for injury resulting in death, sustained by any one person in any one accident. Also it's required to have $50,000 for bodily injury not resulting in death and $100,000 for injury resulting in death for two or more persons in any one accident.

Keep in mind that these are the minimums required by New York state law. You still could be financially liable for any costs above those minimum amounts, so you may want to consider raising the limits on these coverages.

When you shop for New York auto insurance quotes, it's good to have this information ready. Since auto insurance costs vary from company to company, you should always get at least three different quotes. By using the same information for each quote, you can get a more accurate comparison.