Guides
Minimum car insurance requirements by state
Minimum liability limits for all 50 states and D.C. as of October 2026, including the 2025–2026 increases in California, New Jersey, Hawaii and others.
Every state except New Hampshire requires drivers to carry at least a minimum amount of liability insurance, and the minimums range from 15/30/5 in Pennsylvania to 50/100/50 in North Carolina. Several states raised their floors in 2025 and 2026, so a policy that was legal two years ago may not be today. The table below lists the current minimum for every state and the District of Columbia as of October 2026.
How to read the table
Limits are written as three numbers in thousands of dollars: bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident, and property damage per accident. So 25/50/25 means $25,000 for one injured person, $50,000 for everyone injured in one crash, and $25,000 for damage to other people's property. If the format is new to you, start with what 25/50/25 means: split liability limits explained or decode your own policy with the liability limits decoder.
We checked each liability minimum against the state's statute, insurance department or motor vehicle agency in October 2026. The "Notes" column flags recent changes and other coverage the state requires; those extra-coverage notes follow the Insurance Information Institute's state financial-responsibility table, updated where state sources show a later change. Click a state for its full guide, or use the state car insurance requirements lookup tool.
Minimum liability limits in all 50 states and D.C.
| State | Minimum liability | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 25/50/25 | |
| Alaska | 50/100/25 | |
| Arizona | 25/50/15 | Raised from 15/30/10 for policies issued or renewed from July 1, 2020 |
| Arkansas | 25/50/25 | PIP included unless you reject it in writing |
| California | 30/60/15 | Up from 15/30/5 on January 1, 2025; scheduled to rise to 50/100/25 on January 1, 2035 |
| Colorado | 25/50/15 | $5,000 MedPay included unless you reject it |
| Connecticut | 25/50/25 | UM/UIM required |
| Delaware | 25/50/10 | PIP of $15,000 per person / $30,000 per accident required |
| District of Columbia | 25/50/10 | UM required |
| Florida | $10,000 property damage only | Bodily injury liability not required for most drivers; $10,000 PIP required |
| Georgia | 25/50/25 | |
| Hawaii | 40/80/20 | Up from 20/40/10 for 2026 policies (Act 138 of 2024); $10,000 PIP required |
| Idaho | 25/50/15 | |
| Illinois | 25/50/20 | UM required; UIM added when UM exceeds 25/50 |
| Indiana | 25/50/25 | |
| Iowa | 20/40/15 | |
| Kansas | 25/50/25 | PIP and UM/UIM required |
| Kentucky | 25/50/25 | Or a $60,000 single limit; PIP (basic reparation benefits) required |
| Louisiana | 15/30/25 | |
| Maine | 50/100/25 | Or a $125,000 single limit; $2,000 MedPay and 50/100 UM/UIM required |
| Maryland | 30/60/15 | PIP unless waived; UM required |
| Massachusetts | 25/50/30 | Up from 20/40/5 for policies issued or renewed from July 1, 2025; PIP and UM required |
| Michigan | 50/100/10 | Default is 250/500 unless you choose lower limits in writing; PIP and property protection insurance required |
| Minnesota | 30/60/10 | PIP and UM/UIM required |
| Mississippi | 25/50/25 | |
| Missouri | 25/50/25 | UM required |
| Montana | 25/50/20 | |
| Nebraska | 25/50/25 | UM/UIM required |
| Nevada | 25/50/20 | |
| New Hampshire | 25/50/25 | Insurance not mandatory, but you must be able to pay these amounts after a crash |
| New Jersey | 35/70/25 | Standard policy minimum since January 1, 2026 (was 25/50/25); a Basic policy with lower limits remains available |
| New Mexico | 25/50/10 | |
| New York | 25/50/10 | Plus 50/100 for death; PIP and UM required |
| North Carolina | 50/100/50 | Up from 30/60/25 for policies issued or renewed from July 1, 2025; UM/UIM required |
| North Dakota | 25/50/25 | $30,000 PIP and 25/50 UM/UIM required |
| Ohio | 25/50/25 | |
| Oklahoma | 25/50/25 | |
| Oregon | 25/50/20 | PIP and UM required |
| Pennsylvania | 15/30/5 | $5,000 first-party medical benefits required |
| Rhode Island | 25/50/25 | Or a $75,000 single limit |
| South Carolina | 25/50/25 | UM required |
| South Dakota | 25/50/25 | UM/UIM required |
| Tennessee | 25/50/25 | |
| Texas | 30/60/25 | PIP and UM/UIM must be offered; you can reject them in writing |
| Utah | 30/65/25 | Or a $90,000 single limit; up from 25/65/15 for policies issued or renewed from January 1, 2025; PIP required |
| Vermont | 25/50/10 | UM/UIM required |
| Virginia | 50/100/25 | For policies effective on or after January 1, 2025 (was 30/60/20); UM/UIM required |
| Washington | 25/50/10 | |
| West Virginia | 25/50/25 | UM required |
| Wisconsin | 25/50/10 | UM required |
| Wyoming | 25/50/20 |
Recent and scheduled changes
At least seven states changed their minimums in 2025 or 2026. If your policy renewed before the effective date, your insurer should have raised your limits at the first renewal after it.
- California: 30/60/15 since January 1, 2025, replacing 15/30/5; the California DMV lists the new amounts. The same law, SB 1107, adds $20,000/$40,000/$10,000 on January 1, 2035, which works out to 50/100/25.
- Utah: 30/65/25, or a $90,000 combined single limit, for policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025, under Utah Code 31A-22-304.
- Virginia: 50/100/25 for policies effective on or after January 1, 2025, per the Virginia DMV. Virginia also ended the option to pay an uninsured motor vehicle fee instead of buying insurance on July 1, 2024.
- North Carolina: 50/100/50 for policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2025, according to the NCDMV.
- Massachusetts: 25/50/30 for policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2025. The property damage minimum jumped from $5,000 to $30,000 (M.G.L. c. 90, §34O).
- New Jersey: the second phase of a 2022 law took the standard-policy minimum to 35/70/25 for new and renewal policies on or after January 1, 2026, according to DOBI Bulletin 25-06. The optional Basic policy is not affected.
- Hawaii: 40/80/20 under Act 138 of 2024. The Hawaii Insurance Division's 2026 premium comparison guide uses these limits, plus $10,000 PIP, as the state minimum.
Coverage beyond liability
Liability pays other people when you cause a crash. Many states also require coverage that protects you:
- Personal injury protection (PIP) pays your own medical bills and some lost income regardless of fault. It is the core of no-fault states such as Florida, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania. See Personal injury protection (PIP) explained.
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) pays you when the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little. Some states require it; others require insurers to offer it and let you reject it in writing. See uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage explained.
- Medical payments (MedPay) is a smaller no-fault medical benefit, required in Maine and included by default in Colorado.
Why the minimum is rarely enough
The minimum only keeps you legal. It does not cap what you can owe. Say you live in a 25/50/25 state, you run a red light and hit a two-year-old SUV worth $38,000, and the driver's hospital and rehab bills come to $60,000. Your policy pays $25,000 toward the injuries and $25,000 toward the SUV. The other $35,000 of medical bills and $13,000 of vehicle damage can be pursued against you personally. Most drivers with savings, a home or steady wages buy far more; how much liability coverage do you need? walks through how to pick a number, and the How much car insurance do I need? can help.
Minimum limits also say nothing about your own car. Collision and comprehensive are optional under state law, though a lender or lessor will usually require them. For that trade-off, see state minimum vs full coverage: which do you need?.
How to check your own state
- Find your state above and open its state guide for penalties, SR-22 rules and the regulator's contact details.
- Compare the limits on your declarations page with the table. If they are below the current minimum, call your insurer.
- If you are moving, check the new state's rules before you register the car there; requirements follow the state where the car is registered and garaged.
- For anything the table cannot answer, such as whether a specific coverage can be waived, contact the state insurance department.
Key takeaways
- Minimums run from 15/30/5 (Pennsylvania) to 50/100/50 (North Carolina); Florida requires property damage liability and PIP but no bodily injury liability for most drivers.
- California, Utah, Virginia, North Carolina, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Hawaii all raised their minimums in 2025 or 2026, and California has another increase scheduled for 2035.
- More than half of the jurisdictions require extra coverage such as PIP or uninsured motorist coverage on top of liability.
- The state minimum is a legal floor, not a recommendation; anything above your limits can be collected from you.