Minimum Car Insurance Requirements by State

State minimum insurance requirements are the car insurance laws for each state. These laws can usually be found on the state insurance commissioner's website.

As you go down the list, you will notice that driving without insurance is against the law in almost every state. Make sure you have met the minimum requirements in your state before you drive.

What Is Minimum Car Insurance? 

If you own a car, you will need car insurance that meets the laws in your state. Each state is different, which is why it is vital to confirm the laws where you live. You can also contact your company if you have questions.

Four basic types of coverage may be in your state's laws. You may need bodily injury liability, defined per person as well as per accident. States might order you to have property damage liability (also per accident).

State laws might also call for personal injury protection (per person and per accident). One of the most common laws is uninsured or underinsured motorist protection that covers you and your car, per person, per accident.

Car insurance liability coverages may be given in a series of numbers, which state the amounts covered for injury per person, accident, and total damages. For example, you might see $20,000/$40,000/$15,000, or 20/40/15. This provides bodily injury liability of $20,000 per person and $40,000 per accident, and property damage liability would be $15,000 per accident.

Do All States Require Car Insurance?

Nearly all states require some level of car insurance. However, there are some special cases.

For instance, New Hampshire does not mandate that you buy car insurance to drive. It does require that you can pay anyone you injure as a result of your driving. You'll also need to pay for any property damage you cause. This means you'll need a large savings account if you don't have insurance. If you do buy a policy, New Hampshire law requires you to carry 25/50/25.

Virginia, too, offers a second approach. Virginia drivers must either maintain a minimum of 25/50/20 or pay an uninsured motor vehicle (UMV) fee of $500. If they fail to carry insurance and fail to pay the (UMV) fee, they'll lose their driving privileges.

Minimums by State

Here's each state's car insurance mandates.

Alabama 

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 maximum per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident

Alaska 

• Bodily injury liability: $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident

Arizona

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 two or more people
• Property damage liability: $15,000 per accident

Arkansas

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident

California

• Bodily injury liability: $15,000 per person
• Property damage liability: $5,000 per accident
• Bodily injury/death liability to more than one person: $30,000

Colorado

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $15,000 per accident

Connecticut

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident

Delaware

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $10,000 per accident
• Personal Injury Protection: A minimum of $15,000 for any one person and $30,000 for all persons injured in any one accident

Florida

• Property damage liability: $10,000
• Personal injury protection: $10,000

Georgia

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident

Hawaii

• Bodily injury liability: $20,000 per person/$40,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $10,000 per accident
• Personal injury protection: $10,000

Idaho

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $15,000 per accident

Illinois

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $20,000 per accident
• Uninsured motorist coverage: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident

Indiana

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident

Iowa

• Bodily injury liability: $20,000 per person/$40,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $15,000 per accident

Kansas

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Personal injury protection: $4,500 per person in medical expenses, up to $900 per month for disability or loss of income, $25 per day for in-home services; $4,500 for rehabilitation; $2,000 for funeral, burial, or cremation costs

Kentucky

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident
• Personal injury protection: $10,000

Louisiana

• Bodily injury liability: $15,000 per person/$30,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident

Maine

• Bodily injury liability: $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident
• Uninsured motorist coverage: $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident
• Medical payments coverage: $2,000

Maryland

• Bodily injury liability: $30,000 per person/$60,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $15,000 per accident

Massachusetts

• Bodily injury liability: $20,000 per person/$40,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $5,000 per accident
• Uninsured motorist coverage: $20,000 per person/$40,000 per accident
• Personal injury protection: $8,000

Michigan

• Bodily injury liability: $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident
• Property damage liability for accidents in another state: $10,000
• Personal injury protection: $250,000 (lower options or opt-out available for Medicare and Medicaid enrollees)

Minnesota

• Bodily injury liability: $30,000 per person/$60,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $10,000 per accident
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: $25,000 per person
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: $50,000 per accident
• Personal injury protection: $40,000

Mississippi

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident

Missouri

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $10,000 per accident
• Uninsured motorist coverage: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident

Montana

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $20,000 per accident

Nebraska

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident

Nevada

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $20,000 per accident

New Hampshire

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist property damage coverage: $25,000
• Medical payments coverage: $1,000

New Jersey

• Bodily injury liability: $15,000 per person/$30,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $5,000 per accident
• Uninsured motorist bodily injury: $15,000

New Mexico

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $10,000 per accident

New York

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 for a death per accident
• Property damage liability: $10,000 per accident
• Liability for death: $50,000 per person/$100,000 liability per accident for two or more people
• Personal injury protection: $50,000
• Uninsured motorist coverage: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident

North Carolina

• Bodily injury liability: $30,000 per person/$60,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident
• Uninsured motorist coverage per person: $30,000/$60,000 per accident
• Uninsured motorist property damage coverage: $25,000 per accident

North Dakota

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Personal injury protection: $30,000

Ohio

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident

Oklahoma

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident

Oregon

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $20,000 per accident
• Uninsured motorist coverage: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Personal injury protection: $15,000

Pennsylvania

• Bodily injury liability: $15,000 per person/$30,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $5,000 per accident
• Medical benefit: $5,000

Rhode Island

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident

South Carolina

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident
• Uninsured motorist coverage: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Uninsured motorist property damage coverage: $25,000

South Dakota

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident

Tennessee

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $15,000 per accident

Texas

• Bodily injury liability: $30,000 per person/$60,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident

Utah

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$65,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $15,000 per accident

Vermont

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $10,000 per accident
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: $50,000 per person/$100,000 per accident
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist property damage coverage: $10,000 per accident

Virginia

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $20,000 per accident

Washington

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $10,000 per accident

Washington, D.C.

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $10,000 per accident
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: $20,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist property damage coverage: $5,000 per accident

West Virginia

• Bodily injury liability: $20,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $25,000 per accident
• Uninsured motorist coverage: $25,000 per person

Wisconsin

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $10,000 per accident
• Uninsured motorist coverage: $25,000 per person
• Uninsured motorist coverage: $50,000 per accident

Wyoming

• Bodily injury liability: $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident
• Property damage liability: $20,000 per accident

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)