Glossary

Bodily injury liability

The part of auto liability insurance that pays for injuries or deaths you cause to other people in a crash, plus your legal defense.

Also called: BI, BIL, BI liability, bodily injury coverage

Bodily injury liability coverage pays when you are legally responsible for a crash that injures or kills someone else: other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and, often, your own passengers. It covers their medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering, and it pays for a lawyer to defend you if you are sued. It does not pay for your own injuries; that is the job of personal injury protection, medical payments coverage or health insurance.

It is usually written as two numbers, a per-person and a per-accident limit, at the start of a split-limit series like 50/100/25. With 50/100, the policy pays up to $50,000 for any one injured person and $100,000 in total for everyone hurt in one crash. If you injure three people whose claims are $40,000, $45,000 and $45,000, the policy pays $100,000 and you can be sued for the remaining $30,000. Some policies use a combined single limit instead.

Nearly every state requires a minimum amount; New Hampshire does not make insurance mandatory, and Florida does not require bodily injury liability for most drivers. State minimums are low compared with modern medical costs and verdicts, so many drivers carry 100/300 or more, sometimes with an umbrella policy on top. See liability limits and the How much car insurance do I need?.

Last reviewed October 4, 2026

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Related terms

Liability coverage The part of a car insurance policy that pays for injuries and property damage you cause to others, plus your legal defense, up to your limits. Liability limits The most a liability policy will pay for injuries and property damage you cause, usually written as three numbers such as 100/300/100. Property damage liability The part of liability coverage that pays for damage you cause to other people's cars and property, such as fences, buildings and poles. Combined single limit One liability limit covering all bodily injury and property damage from a crash, instead of separate per-person, per-accident and property caps. Umbrella policy Extra liability insurance, usually sold in amounts of $1 million or more, that pays after your auto or home liability limits run out. Minimum coverage The least car insurance a state lets you carry to drive legally, usually liability coverage at set limits and sometimes PIP or uninsured motorist coverage.

Related guides

Combined single limit vs split limits How a combined single limit differs from split liability limits like 100/300/100, with side-by-side examples and the states that accept a single limit. Why Florida car insurance is so expensive Florida had the highest average car insurance spending in the U.S. in 2023. Why, what the 2023 tort reform changed, and why rates are now falling. FR-44 insurance in Florida and Virginia FR-44 filings prove higher liability limits after a DUI in Florida (100/300/50 for three years) and Virginia (double the minimums), unlike an SR-22. How much liability coverage do you need? A practical method for choosing car insurance liability limits based on what you own, what you earn and what extra coverage actually costs you. Insurance Research Council studies on uninsured drivers and claims What the Insurance Research Council is, what its uninsured-motorist, injury-claim and litigation studies found, and how to read them as a driver. Liability car insurance explained What auto liability insurance pays for, what it never covers, how a liability claim works, and why your limits matter more than the price.

Related tools

Liability limits decoder Type limits like 50/100/25 to see what each number means and test them against a crash you cause — including how much would be left for you to pay.