Auto & Driving
State Minimum Car Insurance Requirements
Sourced from CarInsurance.com, cross-confirmed against MoneyGeek, resolving one discrepancy (Hawaii) via a third source.
The legal minimum is not one national number, and in a few states it barely resembles what most drivers assume "minimum coverage" means.
Data sourced from CarInsurance.com, MoneyGeek
What the three numbers actually mean
A state minimum requirement is usually written as three numbers, like 25/50/25: bodily injury coverage per person, bodily injury coverage per accident, and property damage coverage, in that order.
Using that example, up to $25,000 is available for one injured person, up to $50,000 total per accident regardless of how many people are hurt, and up to $25,000 for property damage you cause to someone else's vehicle or property.
Two states that break the normal pattern entirely
Florida requires no bodily injury liability at all under normal circumstances, only PIP and property damage, a genuine outlier rather than simply a lower version of the standard three-number structure.
New Hampshire does not mandate insurance at all, though it does require drivers who choose to go without it to demonstrate financial responsibility some other way. Neither state fits the standard 3-number pattern most states use, worth knowing before assuming every state's minimum looks structurally the same.
To check your own exact state's minimum, the state minimum liability requirement checker looks up all 50 states plus DC directly.
Minimums change, recently and meaningfully
State minimum requirements are not fixed forever. California, North Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and New Jersey have all raised their minimums within roughly the last couple of years. If you have not checked your state's current requirement recently, particularly in one of these 5 states, it is worth reconfirming rather than assuming a figure you remember from a few years ago is still accurate.
Why the legal minimum is often not the right amount
The Insurance Information Institute recommends carrying at least $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident, and $100,000 in property damage coverage, well above what any state actually requires by law.
A single serious accident can generate costs that exceed a bare state-minimum policy easily, and once your policy's limit is exhausted, you become personally responsible for the remaining difference.
Raising coverage to 50/100/50 costs only about $122 a year on average, a small price relative to the added protection it provides.
Frequently asked questions
Does every state require the same minimum car insurance?
No, minimums vary meaningfully by state, and they are not static, several states, including California, North Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and New Jersey, raised their minimums within the last couple of years.
Florida is a genuine outlier, requiring no bodily injury liability at all, only PIP and property damage. New Hampshire does not mandate insurance at all, though it does require proof of financial responsibility if you choose to drive uninsured.
What do the three numbers in a minimum liability requirement actually mean?
They represent bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident, and property damage, in that order. For example, 25/50/25 means up to $25,000 for one injured person, up to $50,000 total per accident regardless of how many people are injured, and up to $25,000 for property damage you cause.
Is the state minimum actually enough coverage?
For many drivers, no. The Insurance Information Institute recommends carrying at least $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident, and $100,000 in property damage, well above every state's actual legal minimum. A serious accident can easily generate costs beyond a bare state-minimum policy, leaving you personally liable for the difference.
How much does it cost to raise my coverage above the state minimum?
Increasing to 50/100/50 costs about $122 a year on average, according to Insurance.com, a genuinely small increase relative to the added protection. Raising coverage further, to III's own recommended level, costs more still, though no single source publishes an exact figure for that additional increment.