Almost every state requires drivers to carry auto liability insurance, but the minimum amounts differ widely, and several states have raised them recently. Below you will find how minimum limits work, how no-fault and uninsured motorist rules fit in, and a table of minimum liability limits for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
How to read 25/50/25
Minimum limits are written as three numbers in thousands of dollars. In 25/50/25:
- 25: up to $25,000 for bodily injury (BI) to any one person;
- 50: up to $50,000 for all bodily injuries in one accident;
- 25: up to $25,000 for property damage (PD) to others, such as their cars.
Liability insurance pays other people when you are at fault. It does not repair your own car; that requires collision and comprehensive coverage, which lenders and lessors usually demand. Some states let you meet the requirement with a combined single limit instead of split limits.
Recent changes
Several states have raised their minimums since 2025:
- California: 30/60/15 from January 1, 2025, replacing 15/30/5.
- Utah: 30/65/25 from January 1, 2025, under House Bill 113 (2023).
- Virginia: 50/100/25 for policies effective on or after January 1, 2025.
- Massachusetts: 25/50/30 for policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2025, up from 20/40/5.
- North Carolina: 50/100/50 from July 1, 2025, according to the NC Department of Insurance, which also says underinsured motorist coverage is now included in all new and renewed policies.
- Hawaii: 40/80/20 for new and renewal policies effective on or after January 1, 2026, according to the Hawaii Insurance Division.
- New Jersey: 35/70/25 for standard policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, according to Department of Banking and Insurance Bulletin 25-06. The law does not apply to New Jersey's basic auto policy.
No-fault states and PIP
According to the Insurance Information Institute (III), 12 states and Puerto Rico have no-fault auto insurance. In these states your own personal injury protection (PIP) pays your medical expenses and some lost income regardless of who caused the crash, and lawsuits against the other driver are restricted until an injury passes a verbal (severity) or monetary threshold. Verbal threshold states are Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania; monetary threshold states are Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Dakota and Utah. In New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Kentucky drivers can reject the lawsuit restriction. Some other states require or offer first-party benefits on top of the traditional fault system. More on how claims work in what to do after a car accident.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage
Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage pays for your injuries when the at-fault driver has no insurance or flees; underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage pays when the other driver's limits are too low. A number of states require UM or UIM, as the table shows; in others it is optional. A February 2025 Insurance Research Council study estimated that 15.4% of US drivers were uninsured in 2023 and that one in three were uninsured or underinsured, so this coverage is worth considering even where it is optional.
Minimum liability limits by state
Format: bodily injury per person / bodily injury per accident / property damage, in thousands of dollars. The table is based on the III table of financial responsibility limits (as of December 2023), updated for later changes using official state sources where we could reach them (Hawaii, Kansas, New Jersey, North Carolina) and 2026 state-by-state compilations by Experian (March 2026) and MoneyGeek (verified as of May 2026). Optional coverages, combined single limit options and special low-cost programs are not shown.
| State | Minimum liability (BI/BI/PD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 25/50/25 | — |
| Alaska | 50/100/25 | — |
| Arizona | 25/50/15 | — |
| Arkansas | 25/50/25 | — |
| California | 30/60/15 | Raised from 15/30/5 on January 1, 2025 |
| Colorado | 25/50/15 | — |
| Connecticut | 25/50/25 | UM/UIM required |
| Delaware | 25/50/10 | PIP required |
| District of Columbia | 25/50/10 | UM required |
| Florida | No BI / $10,000 PD | No-fault (verbal); PIP $10,000 required; BI liability not required for most drivers |
| Georgia | 25/50/25 | — |
| Hawaii | 40/80/20 | Raised from 20/40/10 on January 1, 2026; no-fault (monetary); PIP $10,000 |
| Idaho | 25/50/15 | — |
| Illinois | 25/50/20 | UM required |
| Indiana | 25/50/25 | — |
| Iowa | 20/40/15 | — |
| Kansas | 25/50/25 | No-fault (monetary); PIP required |
| Kentucky | 25/50/25 | Choice no-fault (monetary); PIP $10,000 |
| Louisiana | 15/30/25 | — |
| Maine | 50/100/25 | UM/UIM and medical payments required |
| Maryland | 30/60/15 | UM required |
| Massachusetts | 25/50/30 | Raised from 20/40/5 on July 1, 2025; no-fault (monetary); PIP $8,000 |
| Michigan | 50/100/10 | No-fault (verbal); 50/100 is the lowest option, the default is higher; PIP required |
| Minnesota | 30/60/10 | No-fault (monetary); PIP $40,000; 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 compulsory; financial responsibility limits apply |
| New Jersey | 35/70/25 | Standard policy, since January 1, 2026; separate basic policy exempt; choice no-fault (verbal); PIP required |
| New Mexico | 25/50/10 | — |
| New York | 25/50/10 | No-fault (verbal); PIP $50,000; UM required |
| North Carolina | 50/100/50 | Raised from 30/60/25 on July 1, 2025; UIM included in policies |
| North Dakota | 25/50/25 | No-fault (monetary); PIP $30,000; UM/UIM required |
| Ohio | 25/50/25 | — |
| Oklahoma | 25/50/25 | — |
| Oregon | 25/50/20 | PIP $15,000; UM/UIM required |
| Pennsylvania | 15/30/5 | Choice no-fault (verbal); $5,000 first-party medical benefits required |
| Rhode Island | 25/50/25 | — |
| South Carolina | 25/50/25 | UM required |
| South Dakota | 25/50/25 | UM/UIM required |
| Tennessee | 25/50/25 | — |
| Texas | 30/60/25 | — |
| Utah | 30/65/25 | Raised from 25/65/15 on January 1, 2025; no-fault (monetary); PIP $3,000 |
| Vermont | 25/50/10 | UM/UIM required |
| Virginia | 50/100/25 | Raised on January 1, 2025; UM/UIM required |
| Washington | 25/50/10 | — |
| West Virginia | 25/50/25 | UM required |
| Wisconsin | 25/50/10 | UM required |
| Wyoming | 25/50/20 | — |
Important: minimum limits and related requirements change, sometimes with only a few months' notice, and some details (such as UM/UIM or PIP options and waivers) depend on choices you make on the application. This table is general information as of October 2026. Before you buy or renew a policy, confirm the current requirements with your state insurance department or DMV.
Why the minimum is rarely enough
A minimum policy keeps you legal; it does not necessarily protect your savings. If you cause a crash in which damages exceed your limits, the injured people can pursue you personally for the difference. One serious injury or a collision with a new vehicle can exceed minimum limits quickly. Higher liability limits usually cost less than people expect, and an umbrella policy can add another layer once your auto limits meet the umbrella insurer's requirements.
Proof of insurance and penalties
States enforce their laws through proof-of-insurance checks at registration and traffic stops, electronic verification systems and reports from insurers when a policy lapses. Penalties for driving uninsured, set by each state, can include fines, license or registration suspension and, in some states, a requirement to file proof of future financial responsibility (often called an SR-22) for several years.
Shopping for auto coverage? Compare options in our auto insurance section or request a quote. Policies are issued by licensed insurers and placed through licensed producers in your state.