Every state sets its own minimum car insurance, and the required amount is the least liability coverage the law lets you drive with. Across the eight states covered in this guide, the required limits run from Louisiana’s 15/30/25 up to Texas’s 30/60/25, while Florida takes a different path built on personal injury protection and property damage rather than bodily injury liability. This guide puts each state’s minimum into clear tables and explains what those numbers actually buy, so you can see where you stand among these states and how your state compares to its neighbors.
Below you will learn how to read a limit written as 25/50/20, what each of the three numbers stands for, and where the legal minimum stops short of full protection. Every figure is read from the state’s own insurance department or motor vehicle agency.
Key Takeaways
- Across the eight states in this guide, minimum liability limits range from Louisiana’s 15/30/25 to Texas’s 30/60/25.
- Georgia, Ohio, Alabama, and Tennessee each require 25/50/25, while Nevada requires 25/50/20.
- Florida uses a no-fault system that requires $10,000 in personal injury protection and $10,000 in property damage liability, with no bodily injury liability required.
- In a limit like 25/50/20, the numbers are dollar limits in thousands: $25,000 for one injured person, $50,000 per accident, and $20,000 for property damage.
- Costs above these caps become the at-fault driver’s own responsibility, since a state minimum is a legal floor rather than full protection.
- Minimum liability does not pay for your own car, your own injuries outside no-fault states, or losses caused by an uninsured driver.
What Minimum Car Insurance Means
Minimum car insurance is the smallest amount of liability coverage your state requires before you can register a vehicle and drive it legally. Liability coverage pays other people for the harm you cause in an at-fault crash. It splits into two parts: bodily injury liability, which pays for other people’s medical costs and related losses, and property damage liability, which pays to repair or replace what you damage, usually another vehicle but sometimes a fence, a wall, or a storefront.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners notes that most states require drivers to carry some form of coverage to drive legally, and each state writes its own rules for how much. That is why a driver in one state can meet the law with far lower limits than a driver a few hours away. The limits are set by statute, enforced when you register your car, and checked again if you are stopped or involved in a crash. You can read the general framework on the NAIC consumer auto insurance page. The figure is a legal floor, not a measure of what a serious crash costs, which is a distinction the rest of this guide returns to.
How to Read Limits Like 25/50/20
State minimums are usually written as three numbers with slashes between them, such as 25/50/20 or 30/60/25. Each number is a dollar limit in thousands, and they always appear in the same order.
- The first number is bodily injury liability per person. In 25/50/20 that is $25,000, the most the policy pays for any one injured person’s costs.
- The second number is bodily injury liability per accident. In 25/50/20 that is $50,000, the most the policy pays in total for everyone injured in a single crash.
- The third number is property damage liability. In 25/50/20 that is $20,000, the most the policy pays to repair or replace the property you damage.
So a policy at 25/50/20 caps out at $25,000 for one person’s injuries, $50,000 for all injuries in one crash combined, and $20,000 for property. If the costs run past those caps, you can be responsible for the rest out of your own pocket. Reading the notation this way makes it simple to compare two states at a glance and to see how much of a gap a minimum policy might leave in a costly accident.
A quick example shows why the caps matter. Suppose you are at fault in a crash that injures two people, with medical costs of $40,000 for one person and $20,000 for the other, plus $30,000 of damage to their vehicles. Under a 25/50/20 policy, the per-person cap of $25,000 covers only part of the larger injury and leaves $15,000 unpaid, the property damage cap of $20,000 leaves another $10,000 unpaid, and both of those gaps land on you. Higher limits close gaps like these, which is the reason the notation is worth reading closely before you buy.
Minimum Requirements Across the Eight States in This Guide
The first table lists the minimum liability limits in the seven states in this guide that build their requirement on bodily injury liability: Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Nevada, Ohio, Alabama, and Tennessee. Florida works differently and appears in its own table underneath, because its no-fault system is built on personal injury protection rather than bodily injury liability. All figures are taken from each state’s own insurance department or motor vehicle agency, listed in Sources.
| State | Bodily injury per person | Bodily injury per accident | Property damage | Notation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | $30,000 | $60,000 | $25,000 | 30/60/25 |
| Louisiana | $15,000 | $30,000 | $25,000 | 15/30/25 |
| Georgia | $25,000 | $50,000 | $25,000 | 25/50/25 |
| Nevada | $25,000 | $50,000 | $20,000 | 25/50/20 |
| Ohio | $25,000 | $50,000 | $25,000 | 25/50/25 |
| Alabama | $25,000 | $50,000 | $25,000 | 25/50/25 |
| Tennessee | $25,000 | $50,000 | $25,000 | 25/50/25 |
Florida Is a No-Fault State (Separate Requirement)
Florida does not use bodily injury liability limits, so it does not belong in the table above. Its requirement is built on two different coverages, shown here in its own table.
| State | Personal injury protection (PIP) | Property damage liability | System |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $10,000 | $10,000 | No-fault (no bodily injury liability required) |
Florida is the outlier. It requires $10,000 in personal injury protection, known as PIP, and $10,000 in property damage liability for standard passenger vehicles, and it does not require bodily injury liability at all. PIP pays a share of your own medical costs after a crash regardless of fault, which fits Florida’s no-fault system. The state’s rules are administered by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, and drivers there can read more about local coverage on the Florida car insurance page.
Reading down the seven-state table, a pattern stands out. Five of those states, Georgia, Nevada, Ohio, Alabama, and Tennessee, cluster at or near 25/50 for bodily injury, with property damage set at $20,000 or $25,000. Louisiana sits lower on bodily injury at 15/30, while Texas sits higher at 30/60, the highest bodily injury limits in this group at 30/60/25. Florida stays a category of its own, since its rules skip bodily injury liability in favor of PIP. The spread means a policy that satisfies the law in one state could fall below the required limits in another, which matters if you move or drive across state lines and want to stay compliant everywhere you go.
What Minimum Coverage Does Not Cover
Meeting your state minimum keeps you legal, and it protects other people when a crash is your fault. It leaves several gaps that surprise drivers at claim time, because liability is designed to pay others rather than you.
- Your own car. Liability pays for the other driver’s vehicle, while repairs to your own car come from collision coverage, and damage from theft, fire, hail, or a fallen branch comes from comprehensive coverage. The difference between these coverages is worth understanding, and you can review it in our guide to liability versus collision coverage.
- Your own injuries. Outside no-fault states like Florida, a basic liability policy does not pay your medical bills after an at-fault crash. Medical payments coverage or personal injury protection fills that gap where it is offered.
- Uninsured drivers. If a driver with no insurance hits you, your state minimum liability does nothing for your losses. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is built for that situation, and some states require insurers to offer it.
The limits themselves are another gap. A single hospital stay or a newer vehicle can run past a $25,000 cap quickly, and any amount above your limit becomes your responsibility. That is the practical reason many drivers look above the floor.
A minimum policy does exactly what the law asks of it, which is to protect other people from the harm you might cause in an at-fault crash. Knowing its edges is a practical matter. When you understand which costs sit outside the policy, a covered crash is less likely to become an out-of-pocket surprise, and you can decide in advance whether to add collision, medical payments, or uninsured motorist coverage to close the gaps that concern you most.
Should You Carry More Than the Minimum?
Carrying only the minimum keeps your required coverage as small as the law allows, which appeals to drivers on a tight budget. The trade-off is exposure: if a crash you cause runs past your limits, the gap is yours to pay, and injury claims in particular can climb well beyond a $25,000 or $50,000 cap. Higher liability limits move more of that risk to the policy.
How much coverage makes sense depends on your assets, the value of the vehicles around you, and how much financial risk you are comfortable holding. The Insurance Information Institute lists the factors that determine what you pay, and your chosen limits are one of them, alongside your driving record, your vehicle, and where you live. Raising limits adds coverage, so it adds cost, though the amount varies widely from driver to driver.
There is no single right answer, and the minimum is only a legal starting point for your own decision. Many drivers weigh a few practical questions: whether they own a home or savings that a large claim could reach, how much they drive and in what conditions, and how comfortable they feel carrying risk that higher limits would shift onto the policy instead. The right level of coverage for a driver with few assets and a short commute can look very different from the right level for a driver with a house and a long daily drive.
If you are working through where to set your limits, you can contact GoAuto to talk through the options for your state and your situation before you decide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the minimum car insurance required in my state?
It depends on where you live. Among the eight states in this guide, minimums range from Louisiana at 15/30/25 to Texas at 30/60/25, with Georgia, Ohio, Alabama, and Tennessee at 25/50/25 and Nevada at 25/50/20. Florida instead requires $10,000 in PIP and $10,000 in property damage. See the tables above for each state.
What does a limit like 25/50/20 mean?
The three numbers are dollar limits in thousands. The first is bodily injury liability per person ($25,000), the second is bodily injury liability per accident ($50,000), and the third is property damage liability ($20,000). Costs above those caps can fall to you.
Does minimum coverage pay to fix my own car?
No. Minimum liability pays for other people’s injuries and property when a crash is your fault. Repairs to your own vehicle come from collision and comprehensive coverage, which are separate from the state minimum.
Why is Florida’s minimum different from other states?
Florida uses a no-fault system, so it requires $10,000 in personal injury protection and $10,000 in property damage liability instead of bodily injury liability. PIP helps pay your own medical costs after a crash regardless of who was at fault.
About GoAuto
GoAuto Insurance writes auto coverage across its licensed states, with a focus on the state-minimum liability coverage that drivers are required to carry. Because what applies to you depends on your state, your record, and your individual situation, the reliable way to see your options and what they cost is to get a quote. You can start a policy or ask questions about your coverage directly with GoAuto.
Sources
- Insurance Information Institute, What Determines the Price of My Auto Insurance Policy?
- National Association of Insurance Commissioners, Auto Insurance (consumer)
- Texas Department of Insurance, Auto Insurance Guide (30/60/25)
- Louisiana Revised Statutes § 32:900, Motor Vehicle Liability Policy (15/30/25)
- Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Safety Fire, Auto Insurance (25/50/25)
- Nevada Division of Insurance, Higher Minimum Vehicle Liability Requirements (25/50/20)
- Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, Mandatory Insurance (25/50/25)
- Alabama Department of Insurance, Automobile Insurance FAQs (25/50/25)
- Tennessee financial responsibility law, T.C.A. Title 55 (25/50/25; property damage minimum raised from $15,000 to $25,000 for policies issued or renewed after December 31, 2022, under SB504)
- Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, Insurance Requirements (PIP $10,000 plus $10,000 property damage)