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What to Know
The 25/50/15 floor is Idaho's minimum coverage, as outlined by the Idaho Department of Insurance, and it applies to anyone driving a registered vehicle in the state. A lender or lease company can require more, usually collision and comprehensive. That's a term of your loan, not Idaho law.
The minimum doesn't repair your car, and it caps what your insurer pays for anyone else's. Once a limit runs out, you owe the rest of the bill.
What Idaho's 25/50/15 Minimum Pays For
Idaho's minimum pays up to $25,000 for each person you injure, up to $50,000 total for all injuries in one crash and up to $15,000 for property you damage. It pays other people.
Liability coverage pays for injuries and damage you cause to other people. The table below separates what Idaho requires from what that requirement protects.
| Coverage | Idaho minimum | What it pays for | What it doesn't pay for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability (per person) | $25,000 | One injured person's costs in a crash you cause | Anything above $25,000 for that person |
| Bodily injury liability (per accident) | $50,000 | All injured people combined, in one crash | Injury costs above $50,000 total |
| Property damage liability | $15,000 | Other vehicles, fences, buildings you damage | Damage above $15,000; your own car |
| Uninsured/underinsured motorist | Must be offered; can reject in writing | Your injuries when the at-fault driver can't pay | Nothing, if you signed the rejection |
| Your own car (collision/comprehensive) | Not required by state | Repairs or replacement of your car | Not included in a minimum policy |
Minimum coverage in Idaho doesn't fix your car. If you have a loan or lease, check your contract because the lender likely requires collision and comprehensive.
Let's say you rear-end a newer pickup and cause $28,000 in damage. Your policy pays $15,000. The other $13,000 left in repairs falls on you.
Injury limits work the same way, with a per-person cap inside the per-accident cap. Say three people in the other car have medical bills of $30,000, $20,000 and $15,000, or $65,000 total (also illustrative). The first person's payment stops at $25,000, which leaves $5,000 of their bills uncovered.
Your policy pays no more than $50,000 for the whole crash, so at least $15,000 ($65,000 − $50,000) is left that you could be responsible for. How the injured people pursue that balance depends on the case.
Why the Idaho Minimum Often Isn't Enough
The minimum keeps you legal. For a driver with a car worth protecting, or savings and home equity a lawsuit could reach, that's about all it does.
Idaho insurers must offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, and the starting limits generally match your liability limits. You can decline it only by signing a written rejection.
The Insurance Research Council's uninsured driver rates put Idaho at an estimated 6.4% in 2023, behind only Maine (5.7%) and Utah (6.2%). A low rate still leaves some drivers who can't pay.
The bigger gap is underinsured drivers. A driver carrying only the state minimum can leave you with serious hospital bills their insurer won't fully cover, since that policy caps out well below what a bad injury can cost. Underinsured motorist coverage is the part of your own policy that pays the difference. Declining it saves a little each month, and in exchange you accept the other driver's minimum as your ceiling.
The same coverage is priced differently from one insurer to the next, so comparing a stronger policy across several companies can lower the cost without dropping to the minimum.
It's worth considering comprehensive coverage, even if you don't have a lender that requires it. Comprehensive generally pays for animal strikes, along with theft, hail, and fire, none of which liability covers.
The table below compares the state minimum with one example of higher limits.
| Coverage | Idaho minimum | Higher limits | Who it matters most for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability | $25,000/$50,000 | $100,000/$300,000 | Drivers with savings, home equity or wages to protect |
| Property damage liability | $15,000 | $100,000 | Anyone who drives among newer trucks and SUVs |
| UM/UIM | Offered; can reject in writing | Kept, at limits matching liability | Drivers who couldn't absorb their own injury costs |
| Comprehensive | Not required | Included | Rural drivers, financed cars, areas with hail or theft |
| Collision | Not required | Included | Cars you couldn't replace from savings; all loans and leases |
You don't need every row. An older, paid-off car worth little may not justify collision, while a driver who owns a home has a strong reason to raise liability limits. Decide row by row against your own car and assets.
How Idaho Enforces Its Car Insurance Requirements
In 2025, Idaho recorded 22,191 driver's-license suspensions for failure to maintain insurance, 42.1% of all suspensions in the state, plus 9,965 insurance violations, 8.9% of traffic violations.
Police officers often catch missing proof of insurance during a traffic stop or after a crash, and the result can go beyond a ticket to a suspended license or worse.
If you switch insurers, start the new policy before you cancel the old one. Even one uninsured day counts as a lapse on your record.
How to Check Your Policy Against Idaho's Rules
- Find your declarations page, the summary sheet at the front of your policy. The liability line shows three numbers, and each should be at least 25/50/15.
- Look for uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on that page. If it's missing, ask your insurer whether you signed a written rejection.
- Check for collision and comprehensive. Ask yourself whether you could replace your car from savings, and whether your loan or lease requires them.
- Set your limits next to what you'd stand to lose. Your savings, your home equity and your car's replacement cost are a better guide than the legal floor.
- Compare quotes at the same limits before you renew.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Idaho require full coverage car insurance?
Idaho car insurance requirements call for 25/50/15 liability coverage only: $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for injuries, plus $15,000 for property damage. The state doesn't require full coverage, meaning collision and comprehensive on top of liability. A lender or lease agreement may require those.
Does Idaho's minimum car insurance cover my own car?
No. Liability coverage pays for injuries and property damage you cause to other people, not repairs to your own vehicle. If you want your car fixed or replaced after a crash you caused, you need collision coverage, and comprehensive for things like animal strikes or weather damage.
What happens if you drive without insurance in Idaho?
Driving without insurance in Idaho puts you at risk of losing your driver's license. Idaho recorded 22,191 license suspensions for failure to maintain insurance in 2025, accounting for 42.1% of all suspensions statewide.
