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What to Know
Florida's minimum car insurance coverage doesn't pay for anyone else's medical care if you're found at fault in an accident. The requirement applies to every vehicle registered in Florida, for the entire registration period, even if the car is rarely driven.
It covers your side's medical bills and the other side's property, but not the other driver's injuries.
What Are Florida's Minimum Car Insurance Requirements?
Florida requires vehicles registered in the state to carry $10,000 in personal injury protection (PIP) and $10,000 in property damage liability. The coverage has to stay active for the entire registration period. Bodily injury liability, which pays for injuries you cause to others, is not part of the standard minimum.
Florida's minimum auto insurance requirements cover two things: your side's medical bills and the other side's property. This table shows what each covers and what it leaves out.
| Coverage | Minimum required | What it pays for | What it doesn't pay for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal injury protection (PIP) | A state-set minimum amount | A majority of reasonable medical costs for you and certain others on your policy, regardless of fault | The other driver's injuries, or any vehicle damage |
| Property damage liability (PDL) | A state-set minimum amount | Damage you cause to someone else's car or property | Your own car, or anyone's injuries |
The minimum leaves out the person you hit. If you cause a crash and anyone else is hurt, a minimum-coverage policy in Florida does not cover their injuries.
How Florida PIP Works, and Where It Stops
Personal injury protection (PIP) pays most necessary and reasonable medical expenses, up to a set state limit, no matter who caused the crash. It covers you and certain other people tied to your policy, such as household members. Your declarations page and policy spell out who qualifies.
Florida is called a "no-fault" state because your own PIP pays first, before it's determined who caused the crash.
The first limit is that PIP only reimburses a portion of your bills, not the full amount. The second is an overall dollar limit on total benefits. The third is easy to miss: under Florida Statutes § 627.736, if a qualifying medical provider doesn't determine that you had an emergency medical condition, PIP medical benefits drop sharply. An emergency medical condition means symptoms serious enough that going without prompt care could seriously threaten your health or damage a body function or organ.
Here's how those rules play out:
- You have $8,000 in medical bills after a crash, and an emergency medical condition is determined. PIP pays 80%, or $6,400. You owe the remaining $1,600.
- Your bills reach $20,000. Eighty percent would be $16,000, but the cap applies, so PIP pays $10,000.
- Your bills are $8,000, but no emergency medical condition is determined. PIP medical benefits stop at $2,500, which leaves $5,500 not covered by PIP.
How Property Damage Liability Works
Property damage liability (PDL) pays for damage you cause to someone else's property. That's usually their car. It also covers things like a fence, a mailbox or a building.
PDL doesn't fix your car, and it doesn't pay for anyone's injuries. Once the damage passes your coverage limit, the rest can fall to you personally.
For example, say you rear-end a newer SUV and cause $18,000 in damage. PDL on a minimum policy in Florida pays $10,000. The owner, or their insurer, can come to you for the remaining $8,000.
Why the Minimum Often Isn't Enough in Florida
If you cause a crash and hurt someone, their medical bills and lost wages can become your bill, and a minimum policy pays nothing toward them.
The risk runs the other way too. An Insurance Research Council study estimated that 20.6% of Florida drivers were uninsured in 2023, and that 38.3% were underinsured. This means that a driver who hits you may not have enough coverage to pay for your injuries.
Optional Car Insurance Coverages for Florida Drivers
Florida drivers can add coverage for injuries they cause to others, injuries caused by uninsured drivers, extra medical costs and damage to their own car. Each one fills a specific gap in the minimum, as the table shows.
| Coverage | What it pays for | Gap it fills |
|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability | Injuries you cause to other people, up to your limit | The minimum pays nothing for the other driver's injuries |
| Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) | Your injuries when the at-fault driver has no coverage or too little | An at-fault driver who can't pay |
| Collision | Repairs to your car after a crash, regardless of fault | PDL never pays for your own car |
| Comprehensive | Damage to your car from theft, storms, flooding, fire or hitting an animal | Non-crash damage to your car |
| Medical payments (MedPay) | Medical costs beyond what PIP pays, up to your limit | PIP's partial share and overall dollar ceiling |
Which ones matter depends on your situation. If you lease or finance, your lender will likely require collision and comprehensive. If you have savings, a home or wages worth protecting, bodily injury liability is the coverage standing between a lawsuit and those assets.
What to Do Before You Renew or Register
The question that should inform your decision is what you'd pay if you injured someone, or if an uninsured driver injured you.
- Pull up your declarations page and check which coverages you have now, with their limits and deductibles. Note whether bodily injury liability and UM appear at all.
- Get quotes two ways: at the minimum, and with bodily injury liability and UM added. Matching limits across insurers shows the real price difference, so a cheaper quote can't hide a coverage cut.
Compare matching coverage first, then decide which tradeoff fits your budget.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need car insurance in Florida if you don't drive the car often?
Yes. If the car is registered, Florida requires PIP and PDL regardless of how often it's on the road.
Is car insurance required in Florida for new residents?
Yes. Once you register a vehicle in Florida, it needs Florida-compliant PIP and PDL coverage. Have proof of insurance ready before you head to register the car, since the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles won't process the registration without it.
Is bodily injury liability required in Florida?
No. Bodily injury liability, which pays for injuries you cause to others, is not part of Florida's standard minimum. It is an optional coverage drivers can add, and without it a minimum policy pays nothing toward the injuries of someone you hurt in a crash you cause.
Why is Florida called a no-fault state?
Florida is called a "no-fault" state because your own PIP pays first, before it's determined who caused the crash. PIP pays most necessary and reasonable medical expenses for you and certain others on your policy, up to a set state limit.
How much does PIP pay in Florida?
PIP pays 80% of necessary and reasonable medical bills, up to a $10,000 limit. If a qualifying medical provider doesn't determine that you had an emergency medical condition, PIP medical benefits stop at $2,500. You owe whatever PIP doesn't cover, and MedPay can help fill that gap.
