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Kailey Hagen has been writing about small businesses and finance for almost 10 years, with her work appearing on USA Today, CNN Money, Fox Business, and MSN Money. She specializes in personal and business bank accounts and software for small to medium-size businesses. She lives on what's almost a farm in northern Wisconsin with her husband and three dogs.
Car insurance can be expensive, but nearly all states require its drivers to carry at least some liability coverage. Skipping it could result in costly fines, license suspension, and more. Here's what you need to know about mandatory car insurance coverage in each state.
The federal government doesn't require drivers to carry car insurance but all states have laws in place outlining what coverage its drivers must have to legally operate a motor vehicle. Insurers aren't allowed to sell policies with liability coverage options below the state minimum.
Understanding the required protections is the first step in getting car insurance. The most commonly mandated types of insurance are:
Mandatory car insurance is there to protect other drivers on the road. If a driver causes an accident that injures another person or damages property, their liability coverage can help pay for the damages.
It's also a legal requirement, and skipping car insurance can lead to unwanted consequences if drivers are caught.
The punishment for driving without insurance varies by state. But in most states, drivers face a combination of the following:
Drivers looking to keep their costs down would do better to compare car insurance rates than to skip coverage altogether.
Car insurance requirements vary by state. The minimum coverage needed to drive legally in each state is listed in the table below.
| State | Minimum Coverage Requirements |
|---|---|
| Alabama |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Alaska |
$50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $100,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Arizona |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $15,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Arkansas |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| California |
$15,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $30,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $5,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Colorado |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $15,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Connecticut |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage $25,000 of uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage per person $50,000 of uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage per accident |
| Delaware |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $10,000 of property damage liability coverage $15,000 of personal injury protection per person $30,000 of personal injury protection per accident |
| Florida |
$10,000 of property damage liability coverage $10,000 of personal injury protection |
| Georgia |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Hawaii |
$20,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $40,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $10,000 of property damage liability coverage $10,000 of personal injury protection |
| Idaho |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $15,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Illinois |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $20,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Indiana |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Iowa |
$20,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $40,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $15,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Kansas |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage $25,000 of uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage per person $50,000 of uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage per accident $4,500 of personal injury protection |
| Kentucky |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Louisiana |
$15,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $30,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Maine |
$50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $100,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage $2,000 of medical payments coverage |
| Maryland |
$30,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $60,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $15,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Massachusetts |
$20,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $40,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $5,000 of property damage liability coverage $20,000 of uninsured motorist coverage per person $40,000 of uninsured motorist coverage per accident $8,000 of personal injury protection |
| Michigan |
$50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $100,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $10,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Minnesota |
$30,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $60,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $10,000 of property damage liability coverage $25,000 of uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage per person $50,000 of uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage per accident $40,000 of personal injury protection |
| Mississippi |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Missouri |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage $25,000 of uninsured motorist coverage per person $50,000 of uninsured motorist coverage per accident |
| Montana |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $20,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Nebraska |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Nevada |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $20,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| New Hampshire |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage $25,000 of uninsured motorist coverage per person $50,000 of uninsured motorist coverage per accident |
| New Jersey |
$15,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person (Standard Policy option) $30,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident (Standard Policy option) $5,000 of property damage liability coverage (Standard and Basic Policy options) $15,000 of personal injury protection (Standard and Basic Policy options) |
| New Mexico |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $10,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| New York |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $10,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| North Carolina |
$30,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $60,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| North Dakota |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Ohio |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Oklahoma |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Oregon |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $20,000 of property damage liability coverage $25,000 of uninsured motorist coverage per person $50,000 of uninsured motorist coverage per accident $15,000 of personal injury protection |
| Pennsylvania |
$15,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $30,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $5,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Rhode Island |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| South Carolina |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage $25,000 of uninsured motorist coverage per person $50,000 of uninsured motorist coverage per accident |
| South Dakota |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage $25,000 of uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage per person $50,000 of uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage per accident |
| Tennessee |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $15,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Texas |
$30,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $60,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Utah |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $65,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $15,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Vermont |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $10,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Virginia |
$30,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $60,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $20,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Washington |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $10,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Washington D.C. |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $10,000 of property damage liability coverage $25,000 of uninsured motorist coverage per person $50,000 of uninsured motorist coverage per accident $5,000 of uninsured motorist property damage coverage |
| West Virginia |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $25,000 of property damage liability coverage $25,000 of uninsured motorist coverage per person $50,000 of uninsured motorist coverage per accident $25,000 of uninsured motorist property damage coverage |
| Wisconsin |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $10,000 of property damage liability coverage |
| Wyoming |
$25,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident $20,000 of property damage liability coverage |
All drivers need at least state minimum car insurance coverage to hit the road, but it's usually best to go beyond this cheap car insurance whenever possible. State minimum coverage may not be enough to pay for all the damages in a severe accident. If the damages exceed the policy limits, the driver will have to pay for the remaining damages out of their own pocket.
In addition, state minimum coverage doesn't offer any protection to the driver's vehicle. Motorists will need to add collision and comprehensive coverage if they don't want to pay for their vehicle repairs on their own. Those with a lease or loan on their car may have to purchase this coverage as part of their agreement with their lender, though no state law requires it.
RELATED: Can you get car insurance without a license? See your options in this guide by The Ascent.
It is illegal to drive without state minimum insurance, though requirements vary by state. Check with the state's department of transportation to learn about its mandatory car insurance.
Insurance companies don't go after uninsured drivers, but police may cite drivers found to not have adequate insurance coverage. Insurers may also charge these drivers a higher rate when they apply for a new policy.
It's possible to get car insurance on the same day. All a driver needs is their license number, personal information, vehicle information, and the details of any recent accidents or traffic violations.
It often makes sense for a driver to change car insurance when they move out of state, and they may have to if their current insurer isn't licensed in their new state. Check with the new state's department of transportation to learn what its rules are.
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