Minimum Car Insurance Requirements by State

Car insurance liability limits are expressed as three numbers — for example, 25/50/25. Here is what each number means:

• First number ($25,000): The maximum the policy will pay for bodily injury to a single person in one accident.
• Second number ($50,000): The maximum the policy will pay for total bodily injury to all people injured in one accident.
• Third number ($25,000): The maximum the policy will pay for property damage in one accident.

These are per-accident limits from the at-fault driver's liability policy — meaning this is the maximum available to compensate all injured parties combined, regardless of how many people were hurt or how serious the injuries are. If your damages exceed these limits, additional recovery may depend on your own uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage or other sources.

Some states express limits as a single combined single limit (CSL) — one number that applies to all damages, bodily injury and property combined.

The following are minimum bodily injury / property damage liability requirements as of 2025. Requirements can change — always verify with your state's DMV or insurance commissioner.

• Alabama: 25/50/25
• Alaska: 50/100/25
• Arizona: 25/50/15
• Arkansas: 25/50/25
• California: 15/30/5 (increasing to 30/60/15 in 2025)
• Colorado: 25/50/15
• Connecticut: 25/50/25
• Delaware: 25/50/10
• Florida: No bodily injury liability required (no-fault state; PIP and PDL required)
• Georgia: 25/50/25
• Hawaii: 20/40/10 (no-fault; PIP required)
• Idaho: 25/50/15
• Illinois: 25/50/20
• Indiana: 25/50/25
• Iowa: 20/40/15
• Kansas: 25/50/25 (no-fault; PIP required)
• Kentucky: 25/50/25 (choice no-fault)
• Louisiana: 15/30/25
• Maine: 50/100/25
• Maryland: 30/60/15
• Massachusetts: 20/40/5 (no-fault; PIP required)
• Michigan: 50/100/10 (no-fault; unlimited PIP required)
• Minnesota: 30/60/10 (no-fault; PIP required)
• Mississippi: 25/50/25
• Missouri: 25/50/25
• Montana: 25/50/20
• Nebraska: 25/50/25
• Nevada: 25/50/20
• New Hampshire: 25/50/25 (no mandatory insurance law, but must prove financial responsibility)
• New Jersey: 15/30/5 (no-fault; basic policy option available)
• New Mexico: 25/50/10
• New York: 25/50/10 (no-fault; PIP required)
• North Carolina: 30/60/25
• North Dakota: 25/50/25 (no-fault; PIP required)
• Ohio: 25/50/25
• Oklahoma: 25/50/25
• Oregon: 25/50/20
• Pennsylvania: 15/30/5 (choice no-fault)
• Rhode Island: 25/50/25
• South Carolina: 25/50/25
• South Dakota: 25/50/25
• Tennessee: 25/50/15
• Texas: 30/60/25
• Utah: 25/65/15 (no-fault; PIP required)
• Vermont: 25/50/10
• Virginia: 30/60/20
• Washington: 25/50/10
• West Virginia: 25/50/25
• Wisconsin: 25/50/10
• Wyoming: 25/50/20
• Washington D.C.: 25/50/10

Note: Insurance requirements change. The above reflects commonly cited 2024–2025 minimums. Verify current requirements with your state's Department of Motor Vehicles or Insurance Commissioner before relying on these figures for legal or coverage purposes.

State minimums are floors, not recommendations. A driver carrying only minimum limits may have just $25,000 available to cover your bodily injuries — which can be exhausted by a single emergency room visit for a serious injury, before accounting for surgery, follow-up care, lost wages, or pain and suffering.

When an at-fault driver's policy limits are not sufficient to cover your damages, your options typically include:

• Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage: If you carry UM/UIM coverage on your own policy, it may step in to cover the gap between what the at-fault driver's policy pays and your actual damages — up to your own UM/UIM limits. In many states, UM/UIM coverage is required or automatically included unless you opt out in writing.
• Personal injury protection (PIP): In no-fault states, your own PIP coverage pays your medical bills and lost wages regardless of fault, up to your PIP limit. If your PIP limits are exhausted and you meet the state's threshold for suing, you can pursue the at-fault driver for the remainder.
• Pursuing the at-fault driver personally: If a driver carries minimum insurance and a judgment is entered against them that exceeds their limits, the judgment can technically be pursued against their personal assets. In practice, drivers who carry only minimum limits often have limited assets, making personal collection difficult.
• Other liable parties: Depending on the facts, there may be other defendants — a vehicle owner separate from the driver, an employer if the driver was on the job, a third party whose negligence contributed to the accident. Your attorney will identify all potentially liable parties and insurance sources.

In no-fault states, the default rule is that each driver's own insurance pays their own medical expenses and lost wages — regardless of who caused the accident — through personal injury protection (PIP) coverage. No-fault states limit the right to sue the at-fault driver in tort unless the injury meets a certain threshold.

No-fault states (as of 2025): Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Utah. Kentucky and Pennsylvania are "choice" no-fault states, where drivers can elect to opt out of no-fault rules.

In no-fault states, if your injuries are severe enough to clear the lawsuit threshold (which varies by state — some use verbal thresholds like "permanent serious injury," others use dollar-amount thresholds), you can pursue the at-fault driver's liability policy for damages beyond what your PIP covers. This is where the at-fault driver's bodily injury liability limits become relevant.

For car accident plaintiffs in no-fault states, the litigation path is more restricted — which is one reason serious injury cases in those states can take longer and involve more legal complexity.

• Car Accident Settlement Funding — Pre-settlement funding for car accident plaintiffs.
• How Long Does a Personal Injury Lawsuit Take? — Timeline expectations for car accident and other personal injury cases.
• Don't Settle Your Personal Injury Case Too Early — Why insurers offer low settlements early and how to protect yourself.
• Plaintiff vs. Defendant: What's the Difference? — Legal basics for people new to the claims process.
• Pre-Settlement Funding Glossary — Definitions of UM/UIM, PIP, subrogation, lien, and other key terms.
• What Is Pre-Settlement Funding? — How a non-recourse cash advance works while your case is pending.