Minimum Car Insurance Requirements by State (2026)
See the minimum car insurance required in every state for 2026, recent limit increases, no-fault and PIP rules, uninsured motorist rules and SR-22 basics.
Updated November 5, 2026. Figures from our model and the sources linked in the text.
Every state except New Hampshire requires drivers to carry a minimum amount of liability insurance, or an approved alternative such as a bond or cash deposit. The most common minimum is 25/50/25, but limits run from 15/30/5 in Pennsylvania to 50/100/50 in North Carolina, and Florida requires personal injury protection and property damage coverage instead of bodily injury liability. Seven states raised their minimums in 2025 or 2026, and the District of Columbia follows in 2027.
What does minimum car insurance cover?
State-minimum coverage is mainly liability insurance. It pays for injuries and property damage you cause to other people, up to your policy limits. It generally won't pay to repair your own car, and it covers your own injuries only in states that also require personal injury protection, medical payments or uninsured motorist coverage (full coverage vs. liability).
How to read limits like 25/50/25
Split limits
Most states write the minimum as three numbers, in thousands of dollars:
- 25: up to $25,000 for injuries to any one person
- 50: up to $50,000 for all injuries in one accident
- 25: up to $25,000 for damage to other people's property, such as their car
So if you injure three people in one crash, a 25/50/25 policy pays no more than $25,000 for any one of them and no more than $50,000 for all three together.
Combined single limits
A few states also accept one combined limit per accident: Kentucky ($60,000), Tennessee ($65,000), Rhode Island ($75,000), Utah ($90,000) and Maine ($125,000). In Pennsylvania, some insurers sell a $35,000 combined limit that meets the minimum.
Minimum car insurance requirements by state
The table lists each state's minimum liability limits, its fault system, any PIP requirement and its uninsured motorist rule. Each state name links to a page with more detail and the official sources.
| State | Minimum liability | Fault | PIP | Uninsured motorist |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 25/50/25 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Alaska | 50/100/25 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Arizona | 25/50/15 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Arkansas | 25/50/25 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| California | 30/60/15 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Colorado | 25/50/15 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Connecticut | 25/50/25 | At-fault | Not required | Required |
| Delaware | 25/50/10 + $15k PIP | At-fault | $15,000 | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| District of Columbia | 25/50/10 | Choice | Not required | Required |
| Florida | $10k PIP + $10k PD | No-fault | $10,000 | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Georgia | 25/50/25 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Hawaii | 40/80/20 + $10k PIP | No-fault | $10,000 | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Idaho | 25/50/15 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Illinois | 25/50/20 | At-fault | Not required | Required |
| Indiana | 25/50/25 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Iowa | 20/40/15 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Kansas | 25/50/25 + $5k PIP | No-fault | $4,500 | Required |
| Kentucky | 25/50/25 + $10k PIP | Choice | $10,000 | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Louisiana | 15/30/25 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Maine | 50/100/25 | At-fault | Not required | Required |
| Maryland | 30/60/15 | At-fault | Not required | Required |
| Massachusetts | 25/50/30 + $8k PIP | No-fault | $8,000 | Required |
| Michigan | 50/100/10 | No-fault | Required | Optional |
| Minnesota | 30/60/10 + $40k PIP | No-fault | $40,000 | Required |
| Mississippi | 25/50/25 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Missouri | 25/50/25 | At-fault | Not required | Required |
| Montana | 25/50/20 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Nebraska | 25/50/25 | At-fault | Not required | Required |
| Nevada | 25/50/20 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| New Hampshire | 25/50/25 (not mandatory) | At-fault | Not required | Required |
| New Jersey | 35/70/25 + $15k PIP (Standard Policy) | Choice | $15,000 | Required |
| New Mexico | 25/50/10 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| New York | 25/50/10 + $50k PIP | No-fault | $50,000 | Required |
| North Carolina | 50/100/50 | At-fault | Not required | Required |
| North Dakota | 25/50/25 + $30k PIP | No-fault | $30,000 | Required |
| Ohio | 25/50/25 | At-fault | Not required | Optional |
| Oklahoma | 25/50/25 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Oregon | 25/50/20 + $15k PIP | At-fault | $15,000 | Required |
| Pennsylvania | 15/30/5 + $5k PIP | Choice | $5,000 | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Rhode Island | 25/50/25 | At-fault | Not required | Required |
| South Carolina | 25/50/25 | At-fault | Not required | Required |
| South Dakota | 25/50/25 | At-fault | Not required | Required |
| Tennessee | 25/50/25 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Texas | 30/60/25 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Utah | 30/65/25 + $3k PIP | No-fault | $3,000 | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| Vermont | 25/50/10 | At-fault | Not required | Required |
| Virginia | 50/100/25 | At-fault | Not required | Required |
| Washington | 25/50/10 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
| West Virginia | 25/50/25 | At-fault | Not required | Required |
| Wisconsin | 25/50/10 | At-fault | Not required | Required |
| Wyoming | 25/50/20 | At-fault | Not required | Must be offered; you can turn it down |
What the table can't show
- Michigan: 50/100/10 is the floor you can choose by signing a form. Without that form, policies default to 250/500 bodily injury limits. Michigan also requires property protection insurance that pays up to $1 million for damage your car does to buildings, fences and parked cars in the state.
- New Jersey: the figures are for the Standard Policy. The lower-cost Basic Policy also meets the law, with $5,000 of property damage, $15,000 of PIP and bodily injury liability only as an option.
- California: the state's Low Cost Auto program for income-eligible good drivers keeps lower limits of 10/20/3.
- Maine: drivers also need $2,000 of medical payments coverage and up to $500 of coverage for towing and storage when police order a tow.
Which states raised their minimums recently?
| State | Old minimum | New minimum | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 15/30/5 | 30/60/15 | January 1, 2025 |
| Utah | 25/65/15 | 30/65/25 | January 1, 2025 |
| Virginia | 30/60/20 | 50/100/25 | January 1, 2025 |
| Massachusetts | 20/40/5 | 25/50/30 | July 1, 2025 |
| North Carolina | 30/60/25 | 50/100/50 | July 1, 2025 |
| New Jersey | 25/50/25 | 35/70/25 | January 1, 2026 |
| Hawaii | 20/40/10 | 40/80/20 | January 1, 2026 |
| District of Columbia | 25/50/10 | 50/100/20 | October 1, 2027 |
Most of these increases apply as policies are issued or renewed on or after the date shown. A few related changes:
- Hawaii's Insurance Division estimated its increase could raise premiums about 25% on average for drivers moving up from the old minimums.
- North Carolina raised its required uninsured and underinsured motorist limits to match.
- California has a second increase scheduled for policies issued or renewed from January 1, 2035, to 50/100/25.
- Virginia and South Carolina both ended the option to pay an uninsured motor vehicle fee instead of buying insurance on July 1, 2024.
No-fault states and PIP requirements
In a no-fault state, your own personal injury protection (PIP) pays your medical bills up to its limit, and in most of these states some lost income too, no matter who caused the crash. Lawsuits for pain and suffering are allowed only when an injury passes a threshold set by state law. Nine states use no-fault: Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota and Utah.
Kentucky, New Jersey and Pennsylvania let drivers choose between limits on lawsuits and a full right to sue. The District of Columbia offers optional PIP, and an injured person decides after a crash whether to use it.
Fourteen states require PIP, including Delaware and Oregon, which are otherwise at-fault states. Required medical amounts run from $3,000 in Utah up to Michigan, where the smallest PIP medical level for drivers without Medicare or Medicaid is $250,000. Maryland and Texas include PIP unless you reject it in writing, and Washington insurers must offer it. Maine requires $2,000 of medical payments coverage, and any New Hampshire policy must include at least $1,000.
Which states require uninsured motorist coverage?
Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage pays for your injuries, and in some states damage to your car, when a driver with no insurance causes the crash. Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage helps when the at-fault driver's limits run out.
UM is required in 21 states and the District of Columbia: Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire (on any policy you buy), New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. In most other states, insurers must offer it and you can turn it down, often only in writing. Michigan and Ohio leave it optional.
Where it's optional, our estimate for the example driver includes UM at limits matching the liability coverage. Leaving it off lowers the estimate by $132 a year, about 4.9%.
New Hampshire and Florida: two big exceptions
New Hampshire
New Hampshire doesn't require you to buy car insurance. You must prove financial responsibility after a reported accident, unless you were insured, or after convictions such as DUI or leaving the scene, and the required amounts are 25/50/25. If you do buy a policy, it must include uninsured motorist coverage matching your liability limits and at least $1,000 of medical payments coverage. Bills to make insurance mandatory failed in February 2026 (New Hampshire details).
Florida
Florida requires $10,000 of PIP and $10,000 of property damage liability to register most cars, but not bodily injury liability. Bodily injury becomes required in specific cases: after certain crashes, judgments or suspensions you need an SR-22 with 10/20/10 limits, and after a DUI conviction an FR-44 with 100/300/50 limits (Florida details).
How SR-22 and FR-44 filings fit in
An SR-22 is not a separate type of insurance. It's a certificate your insurer files with the state to prove you carry at least the required liability coverage, usually after a serious violation, an uninsured crash or a license suspension. How long you need it depends on the state and the reason:
- 1 year: Ohio (from the suspension) and Kansas (after certain convictions)
- 2 years: Texas (from the conviction or judgment) and Iowa (from the last suspension or revocation)
- 3 years: Utah (from the last request) and Nevada (after reinstatement)
Keep the policy active for the whole period. In Nevada, for example, your license and registrations are suspended if the covering policy ends early.
Florida and Virginia use a stricter filing, the FR-44, after DUI convictions (and, in Virginia, a few other serious offenses). It requires higher limits: 100/300/50 in Florida, for at least three years, and double the regular minimums in Virginia, now 100/200/50. Our SR-22 insurance guide covers how filings work.
Is minimum car insurance enough?
Often not. Insurance Information Institute figures based on ISO data put the average bodily injury liability claim at $28,278 in 2024, above the $25,000 per-person minimum most states use, and the average property damage claim at $6,770. If a crash costs more than your limits, you can be held responsible for the difference.
Higher limits raise the price far less than they raise the protection. For our example driver at typical U.S. prices, our model estimates liability-only coverage at a 25/50/25 minimum at $720 a year and at 100/300/100 with matching uninsured motorist coverage at $1,010, a difference of $290 a year, or about $24 a month. With comprehensive, collision and matching uninsured motorist coverage in every row, the limits compare like this:
| Liability limits (with comprehensive and collision) | Estimated cost per year | Compared with 100/300/100 |
|---|---|---|
| State minimum (25/50/25) | $2,518 | -$182 |
| 50/100/50 | $2,581 | -$119 |
| 100/300/100 | $2,700 | Baseline |
| 250/500/250 | $2,850 | +$150 |
Agents often suggest at least 100/300/100 for drivers with savings or a home to protect, and lenders usually require comprehensive and collision on financed or leased cars. Our guide to how much car insurance you need walks through choosing limits.
Pick your state below and compare the minimum with higher limits.
Common questions
What is the most common minimum car insurance requirement?
25/50/25. More than 30 states set bodily injury minimums at $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident, with property damage minimums from $10,000 to $30,000.
Which states require the most liability coverage?
North Carolina's 50/100/50 tops the list. Alaska, Maine and Virginia require 50/100/25, Michigan's floor is 50/100/10, and Hawaii now requires 40/80/20.
What happens if you drive without insurance?
Penalties vary by state. In Pennsylvania, a lapse can bring a three-month registration suspension, plus a $300 fine if you drive uninsured. In Ohio, reinstatement fees rise from $40 for a first violation to $600 for a third. In Virginia and Wyoming, getting caught without insurance also means filing an SR-22 for three years (insurance after an accident, ticket or DUI).
Does minimum coverage pay for my own car?
Usually not. Liability pays for damage you cause to others. In a few places, including Maryland, North Carolina and the District of Columbia, required uninsured motorist coverage also pays for damage to your car when an uninsured driver is at fault. Otherwise, repairs to your own car need collision for crashes and comprehensive for theft, weather and similar damage (comprehensive vs. collision).