Is Car Insurance Required in Florida?
Last Updated on November 5, 2022
Like most states, Florida requires drivers to have car insurance. However, Florida’s car insurance laws are much different from most other states. Florida has no-fault car insurance laws, which not only can result in higher rates but can also cause some difficulties in an accident. There are specific car insurance requirements for all Florida drivers and additional coverage options that you might consider.
What Does No-Fault Insurance Mean?
No-fault car insurance means that when you are in an accident, you file a claim on your own car insurance policy regardless of who was at fault in the accident. In these instances, filing a claim does not necessarily raise your car insurance rates. Because the accident may not have been your fault, Florida insurers do not automatically penalize you for having a claim filed.
When you have an accident, your medical claims must go through your own car insurance first. Once your coverage maximums have been met or exceeded, additional medical expenses can be covered by the at-fault party to the accident. However, with the high coverage limits that Florida requires, most accidents will not result in injuries that exceed the coverage amounts.
Florida’s no-fault car insurance laws get a lot of flack for not placing the blame where it belongs. By having no-fault car insurance laws, at-fault parties to car accidents often do not face financial consequences. The no-fault insurance laws have significantly cut down on lawsuits resulting from car accidents. However, it has also resulted in more dangerous drivers on the road, increased drinking and driving in the state, and more claims being filed.
What Coverage Is Required in Florida?
There are two types of coverage required by Florida no-fault car insurance laws. The first type of coverage is Property Damage Liability Coverage or PDL. Your PDL policy must cover up to $10,000 of property damage to another vehicle. This coverage only applies to a vehicle that you or a driver on your policy damages in an accident. It is liability-only coverage. This coverage does not help you recover losses for damages to your own vehicle. For that type of coverage, you will need to go above and beyond Florida’s state-required insurance.
The second type of coverage that you need to have in Florida is Personal Injury Protection. PIP insurance covers the medical expenses of yourself and any passengers in your vehicle up to $10,000. Remember that with Florida’s no-fault insurance laws, you are required to file a claim for personal injury on your own policy first. In a major accident with multiple passengers, the $10,000 minimum coverage amount may not be enough to cover all expenses. You may want to increase this coverage.
Bodily injury liability coverage and uninsured motorist coverage, while highly recommended, and required by law in most states, can be waived in Florida if the driver does not have a history of DUIs. Florida is one of the few states in America without a bodily injury liability coverage requirement.
Current Auto Insurance Requirements in Florida
| Coverage Type | Amount Required |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability coverage* | $10,000 per person $20,000 per accident |
| Property damage liability coverage | $10,000 per accident |
| Uninsured motorist coverage* | $10,000 per person $20,000 per accident |
| Personal injury protection | $10,000 |
| *Note - Bodily injury liability coverage and uninsured motorist coverage can be waived for drivers without DUI's. | |
What Coverage Is Recommended in Florida?
It is recommended that you get car insurance coverage to cover property damages to your own vehicle. If the at-fault driver in the car accident doesn’t have insurance or adequate coverage, you want to be sure that you can get your car repaired or replaced. You’ll also want coverage for your personal property damages if you are at-fault in an accident. You may also want to protect your car against vandalism, theft, and natural disasters.
Full Coverage Auto Insurance
This type of car insurance coverage is called Full Coverage Insurance. It usually includes comprehensive coverage as well as collision coverage. When you get full coverage insurance in the right coverage amounts, you and your car are fully protected from damages that may occur.
You may also need to consider full coverage insurance if you have a lien on your vehicle. If you got your vehicle through a loan program, the lender likely has a lien on your car. If this is the case, the lien holder will likely require that you have full coverage car insurance to protect their investment. In this case, make sure your car insurance is enough to pay off the loan on the car if it is totaled. You may need to purchase additional coverage, such as gap insurance, to make this possible.
Bodily Injury Liability Coverage
Briefly mentioned above, another type of car insurance that is recommended in Florida is Bodily Injury Liability Insurance. BIL insurance covers medical and funeral expenses for anyone injured in a car accident by you or a covered driver. This type of coverage is not required by the state, and it comes with higher premiums. However, it can be very helpful to have this coverage if you are at-fault in a major car accident. Once both parties to the accident have filed claims with their own insurance companies, any leftover expenses must be covered by the at-fault party. With BIL coverage, you will be certain to have enough coverage to pay for all of the medical or funeral expenses of the other party.
Uninsured Motorist Coverage
Did you know that 1 in 7 drivers in the United States does not have auto insurance? In Florida, this number is even higher. Recent estimates show that 25%, or 1 in 4 drivers in the Sunshine State, hit the road without auto insurance coverage. If you get into an accident with one of these drivers, it will be very difficult to recoup your losses as most people without auto insurance do not have significant assets.
To financially protect yourself from an accident with an uninsured or underinsured motorist, we recommend all drivers in Florida carry Uninsured Motorist Coverage. Again, this coverage is not protected by the state, but due to the sheer amount of uninsured drivers on Florida’s roadways, it is highly recommended, if not needed.
How to Find Affordable Auto Insurance Coverage in Florida
Florida’s no-fault laws, high amount of uninsured drivers, and crowded roadways all combine to make Florida one of the most expensive states to insure your vehicle. In fact, only in Michigan and Louisiana will you see higher average auto insurance rates than in the Sunshine State. Because of this, you need to be prudent in your hunt for auto insurance if you do not want to be paying through the roof for coverage. The best way to find cheap rates is to compare quotes from different providers in Florida. Use the quote tool at the top of our page to be connected to the top auto insurance companies in your locale. To begin, simply enter your Florida zip code in the box above.
