State Minimum Car Insurance Limits List

You can agree that it’s imperative to insure a car that you have recently bought or leased. Insurance coverage can come in handy in the event of a collision, robberies, vandalism, bodily injury in an at-fault accident, property damage – and even natural disasters.

People opt for auto insurance since paying on the spot for the damage done is generally not an option. Instead, they pay premiums to their auto company; the insurance coverage then compensates for the damage caused.

It’s essentially a contract between you and the car insurance company. In some states, it’s mandatory, meaning that some states require drivers to have minimum coverage.

The contract lists several vital points, one of which is the state minimum car insurance.

The coverage details depend on the minimum coverage requirements in your state – and that’s what we’re going to look into today.

We’ll go over how insurance coverage varies from state to state, what these minimum requirements include – and how Insurance Geek can help!

Car Insurance Requirements: The Basics Of State Minimum Car Insurance

Before we touch on specific numbers of insurance coverage, a few points are inevitable when it comes to minimum car insurance coverage.

Here they are:

Liability Insurance

Liability insurance includes damage inflicted on another driver – including property damage and bodily injury in an at-fault accident. In many states, you must have liability insurance coverage if you want to drive your vehicle; it’s legally required. The good thing is that you can customize liability insurance to fit your needs.

Uninsured/Underinsured Coverage

Let’s say that you get in a car accident – and it’s not your fault. Apart from that, the other party is an uninsured motorist.

That poses a serious problem – how will you be compensated?

Uninsured/underinsured coverage can help with this. In many states, these two are melted into one insurance policy. But here’s the difference:

Uninsured coverage can help you get compensation if you find yourself in an accident caused by an uninsured motorist.

As for underinsured coverage, it’s described differently in different states. However, generally speaking, this can help you if you find yourself in an accident with an underinsured motorist – as in, drivers whose insurance policy is not enough to cover your expenses.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

Personal injury protection, or PIP, covers your medical bills after you and your passenger(s) have been injured in an accident. There’s a difference between personal injury protection and bodily injury liability, though.

The latter pays for other drivers’ and passengers’ expenses when you’re at fault.

PIP is designed explicitly for car-related accidents. It also covers some additional expenses that MedPay insurance doesn’t. This insurance varies from state to state, and it usually includes:

  • Hospitalization
  • Ongoing professional care
  • Funeral burial, cremation costs
  • Lost wages (when unable to work)

Medical Payments Coverage

Last but not least, medical payments coverage is an essential part of any auto insurance. This coverage helps you pay for medical bills when you or your passengers are injured, regardless of who caused the accident.

What’s important to mention here is that this coverage is entirely optional, and in some states, it’s referred to as “MedPay.”

MedPay can help pay the following bills:

  • Health insurance deductibles
  • Ambulance fees
  • Professional nursing services
  • Surgeries
  • X-rays
  • Doctor visits

What Do The Three Numbers In Car Insurance Stand For?

After you pick a personalized auto insurance card, you’ll see three numbers written on it. For example, it could say 20/25/15.

What does each of these three numbers stand for?

As you might’ve guessed, these three numbers are the limits of your liability insurance policy. They are the maximum payouts – or amount of coverage – that are available to you following an accident.

The first one stands for bodily injury (per person). The second number refers to bodily injury (per occurrence), and the third number represents property damage (per occurrence).

Add three zeros to the numbers, and you’ll get the actual amount of your coverage.

Minimum Car Insurance Coverage Per State

It’s time to talk numbers. For more information, check out the minimum car insurance requirements per state:

  • Alabama: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • Alaska: $50,000/$100,000/$25,000
  • Arizona: $25,000/$50,000/$15,000
  • Arkansas: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • California: $15,000/$30,000/$15,000
  • Connecticut: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • Delaware: $25,000/$50,000/$10,000
  • Florida: $10,000/$10,000
  • Georgia: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • Hawaii: $20,000/$40,000/$10,000
  • Idaho: $25,000/$50,000/$15,000
  • Illinois: $25,000/$50,000/$20,000
  • Indiana: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • Iowa: $20,000/$40,000/$15,000
  • Kansas: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • Kentucky: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • Louisiana: $15,000/$30,000/$25,000
  • Maine: $50,000/$100,000/$25,000
  • Maryland: $30,000/$60,000/$15,000
  • Massachusetts: $20,000/$40,000/$5,000
  • Michigan: $50,000/$100,000/$10,000
  • Minnesota: $30,000/$60,000/$10,000
  • Mississippi: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • Missouri: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • Montana: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • Nebraska: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • Nevada: $25,000/$50,000/$20,000
  • New Hampshire: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000 (if the driver purchases insurance, it’s optional)
  • New Jersey: $5,000/$15,000 (basic policy)
  • New Mexico: $25,000/$50,000/$10,000
  • New York: $25,000/$50,000/$50,000
  • North Carolina: $30,000/$60,000/$25,000
  • North Dakota: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • Ohio: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • Oklahoma: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • Oregon: $25,000/$50,000/$20,000
  • Pennsylvania: $15,000/$20,000/$5,000
  • Rhode Island: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • South California: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • South Dakota: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • South Carolina: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • Tennessee: $25,000/$50,000/$15,000
  • Texas: $30,000/$60,000/$25,000
  • Utah: $25,000/$65,000/$15,000
  • Vermont: $25,000/$50,000/$10,000
  • Virginia: $25,000/$50,000/$20,000 (minimum if a driver purchases, it’s optional)
  • Washington D.C.: $25,000/$50,000/$10,000
  • West Virginia: $25,000/$50,000/$25,000
  • Wisconsin: $25,000/$50,000/$10,000
  • Wyoming: $25,000/$50,000/$20,000

Exclusions That Your Car Insurance Company Won’t Cover

Exclusions can be tricky when you’re buying an insurance policy. Here’s the thing:

There are situations that your property damage liability will not cover.

Before you buy insurance, it would be a good idea to stop by the DMV office and have a chat with your Insurance Agent.

You’ll have a chance to pick up some additional information on vehicle registration, minimum car insurance required, financial responsibility, and what states require most drivers to fill out before they go ahead and buy insurance.

Basically, an auto insurance exclusion is an incident or damage that’s not covered by your original insurance policy.

Let’s list the most common ones:

Damage To Electrical Equipment and Tires

The insurance company will not compensate motor vehicles that have damaged tires and/or electrical equipment. Tires could be damaged due to fast driving, and electrical equipment can stop working due to short circuits or severe weather conditions.

Driving Under The Influence

Insurance companies are certainly not going to pay for damages caused by driving under the influence of alcohol – or any other illegal substance, for that matter.

Bear in mind that most of these unfortunate accidents lead to serious bodily injury or death.

Injury Or Property Damage Caused Intentionally

If a person causes an accident intentionally, injures another individual, or damages their property, the costs for the damage will not be covered for either party.

Wear And Tear

A vehicle’s insurance will not be eligible for a claim if the damage occurs due to regular vehicle wear and tear.

Even more so, any form of chemical breakdown, breakage, or rusting is not within the minimum coverage limits – and will not be covered.

Damage Caused By Racing

Damage due to racing does not fall under the category of minimum requirements; you can’t even count on comprehensive coverage to kick in here. Such damages are mainly the result of a collision.

Similarly, cars that are used in sharing programs will be paid a minimum amount.

Umbrella Insurance Policy – Should I Buy It?

What is umbrella insurance? What does it cover? Should I buy it?

Many drivers believe that an umbrella insurance policy is a wise investment. Why?

Well, because of what we mentioned a moment ago.

This type of insurance offers extra liability coverage for instances that your regular policy limits do not include or cover.

Let’s see what is included in the cost of an umbrella policy. It provides liability coverage for:

  • Injuries
  • Damage to property
  • Lawsuits
  • Personal liability

For example, property damage liability covers damage to the other person’s tangible property. Examples of this include the cost of serious car accidents, harm caused by your pet, etc.

On the other hand, bodily injury liability covers the damages to another person per accident.

An umbrella policy can come in handy if you’re sued for some of the following crimes:

  • An injurious spoken/written statement
  • False arrest, detention, imprisonment
  • Shock, mental anguish

Do I need umbrella insurance?

It depends. If you have a lot of valuable assets in your possession that you would like to protect, you can take this as a recommendation. Also, owners of rental units often opt for this insurance policy to protect their tenants from possible accidents.

In short, if you want more protection, umbrella insurance might be the way to go.

Here’s some additional advice:

Buy it at the same place (department) where you bought your original car insurance. It will probably be less expensive.

Get The Best Quotes For Car Insurance

State minimum car insurance is an important factor when determining which carrier/package to choose.

Here at Insurance Geek, we’re doing our best to connect our clients with the best insurance policies.

We offer free quotes – and additional services – and all you need to do is fill in your info in our insurance rate calculator. It’ll take you less than a minute – and we guarantee the best results.

Our handy tool will give you a chance to start planning your insurance policy objectively – in a way that fits your budget and conditions.

Talking to multiple agents and insurance companies can be time-consuming. Our tool offers you personalized quotes and instantly!

If you have any questions – or doubts – about your insurance policies, don’t hesitate to contact our agents at Insurance Geek. We’re looking forward to answering your questions!