What is the minimum car insurance required in Florida?
Florida requires every vehicle with four or more wheels to carry $10,000 in Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and $10,000 in Property Damage Liability (PDL), bought from a Florida-licensed insurer and kept active for the entire registration period. Bodily injury liability is not required for most drivers; it becomes mandatory only through an SR-22 or FR-44 filing after certain violations. Meeting this minimum makes you legal, not protected, as our state auto insurance compliance guide explains.
- Required: $10,000 PIP plus $10,000 Property Damage Liability on every registered vehicle with four or more wheels.
- Not required for most drivers: bodily injury liability, collision, comprehensive, or uninsured motorist coverage.
- Coverage must stay continuous for the whole registration period, even if the car is parked.
- Nonresidents generally need Florida coverage once a vehicle has been kept in Florida for more than 90 days, consecutive or not, in the past 365 days.
- Drivers with certain violations must carry bodily injury liability through an SR-22 (10/20/10) or, after a DUI, an FR-44 (100/300/50).
The Two Coverages Florida Requires
Property Damage Liability ($10,000): Pays for damage you cause to someone else's car, fence, mailbox or building. It does not pay for your own car.
Many late-model cars cost well over $10,000 to repair after a serious crash. Anything above your limit is your personal debt, and the other driver's insurer can come after you for it; see can a car insurance company sue you.
What Florida Does NOT Require (and Why You May Want It Anyway)
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist: Insurers must offer it, and you have to reject it in writing. Given how many Florida drivers carry only the minimum, it is one of the most valuable optional coverages.
• Collision and comprehensive: Required by your lender if the car is financed or leased. See comprehensive vs collision.
Plenty of ads promise a special Florida rate for 'compliant' drivers. That isn't a state program; our Florida compliant drivers program guide explains where the real discounts come from. In addition, senior motorists can secure a guaranteed three-year rate reduction under Florida Statute 627.0652; see our guide on the Florida mature driver insurance discount.
Who Must Carry Florida Coverage
When the State Requires More: SR-22 and FR-44
How Florida Compares With California
Illustrative Case: The Minimum Policy Meets a New Pickup Truck
Scenario: An illustrative Florida driver with a minimum policy ($10,000 PIP, $10,000 PDL, no bodily injury liability) rear-ended a new pickup truck at a light. The repair estimate came to $16,500, and the truck's driver was treated for a neck injury.
Resolution & Judicial Outcome: The driver's PDL paid $10,000 toward the truck; the remaining $6,500 was billed to the driver by the other insurer through subrogation. The injured driver's own PIP paid first for medical bills. Because the at-fault driver carried no bodily injury liability, any claim above the other driver's PIP that met Florida's serious-injury threshold would have been a personal claim against the at-fault driver.
What You Should Do: Step-by-Step Action Plan
Critical Mistakes to Avoid
- Assuming 'full coverage' means anything legally; Florida only requires PIP and PDL.
- Cancelling insurance on a parked car without surrendering the plate first.
- Rejecting uninsured motorist coverage to save a few dollars without understanding what it pays.
- Assuming an out-of-state policy is enough after living in Florida for part of the year.