can you plead no contest for letting your insurance lap
You can, but the better option would be to get insurance, show up for court to show the prosecutor your insurance proof and see if they will allow you to plea to no proof of insurance. You have a better chance of getting this accomplished if you have an attorney convince the prosecutor that this is the better way to go. Also, depending on where this is pending, handling this as a city ordinance violation could be beneficial as well.