Auto & Driving
State Minimum Liability Requirement Checker
Estimates based on CarInsurance.com, Insurance.com, and III data, updated August 2026.
Look up your state's legal minimum car insurance liability limits, see how they compare to the recommended level, and what upgrading typically costs.
Data sourced from CarInsurance.com, Insurance.com, Insurance Information Institute
Your state's minimum liability limits
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How this is calculated
Source: CarInsurance.com (state minimums), Insurance.com (upgrade cost), III (recommended level) · Last updated 2026-08-20 · See how we calculate this →
What "state minimum" actually covers, and why it is usually not enough
Every state's minimum liability requirement is written as three numbers, like 25/50/25: bodily injury liability per person, bodily injury liability per accident, and property damage liability, all in thousands of dollars.
Those are caps on what your insurer pays for injuries or damage you cause to someone else, not a guarantee that you are fully protected.
Requirements vary widely by state. Alaska, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, and Virginia require the highest bodily injury limits in the country, $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident.
Most states cluster around $25,000/$50,000. Florida is a genuine outlier: it does not require bodily injury liability coverage at all under normal circumstances, only Personal Injury Protection and property damage liability.
New Hampshire is the only state that does not mandate auto insurance in the first place, though the same financial-responsibility figures apply if a New Hampshire driver chooses to carry a policy anyway.
The Insurance Information Institute recommends carrying at least 100/300/100, well above what any state actually requires. The gap matters: a serious at-fault accident, one hospital stay or a totaled luxury vehicle, can easily exceed a minimum policy's limits, and the difference becomes the driver's personal financial responsibility, not the insurer's.
The good news is that raising limits usually costs less than people assume. According to Insurance.com, increasing coverage from the state minimum to 50/100/50 costs about $122 a year on average, roughly $10 a month.
Going further, to the fully recommended 100/300/100, costs more still, though no single reliable national figure exists for that specific jump, actual pricing depends heavily on your insurer, state, and driving record.
Frequently asked questions
What do the three numbers in a coverage limit mean?
A limit like 25/50/25 means $25,000 in bodily injury liability per person, $50,000 total per accident, and $25,000 in property damage liability. It is the maximum your insurer pays out per category, not a guarantee of full coverage.
Is the state minimum enough coverage?
Usually not. The Insurance Information Institute recommends carrying at least 100/300/100, well above every state minimum, because a serious accident can easily exceed a minimum policy, leaving you personally responsible for the rest.
Why does Florida show no bodily injury requirement?
Florida is one of only two states that does not require bodily injury liability coverage under normal circumstances. It requires Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and property damage liability instead, use the No-Fault State tool for Florida's PIP figure.
Does New Hampshire really not require car insurance?
Correct, New Hampshire is the only state that does not mandate auto insurance. Drivers can instead show financial responsibility another way, though in practice most New Hampshire drivers carry a policy anyway, and the same liability figures apply if they do.