Florida Car Insurance Requirements: What the Law Requires

The minimum coverage Florida requires

To register a car in Florida you must carry two coverages, and you have to keep them for as long as the vehicle is registered, even if you aren't driving it:

• $10,000 of Personal Injury Protection (PIP), which pays for your own injuries no matter who caused the accident.
• $10,000 of Property Damage Liability (PDL), which pays for damage you cause to someone else's car or property.

What PIP covers, and what it doesn't

PIP generally pays 80% of reasonable medical expenses and 60% of lost income from an accident, up to your $10,000 limit, plus a $5,000 death benefit. To use it, you need to get initial medical care within 14 days of the accident. The full $10,000 for medical care is available only when a qualified provider determines you had an emergency medical condition; otherwise medical benefits are limited to $2,500.

PIP does not pay for injuries you cause to other people, and it does not repair your car. Those need other coverages.

Why the minimum usually isn't enough

$10,000 of property damage coverage doesn't go far when many cars on the road cost several times that. And because Bodily Injury Liability isn't required, a serious accident where you're at fault could leave you personally responsible for someone else's medical bills. Florida also has one of the highest rates of uninsured drivers in the country.

That's why most drivers we work with add some or all of the following:

• Bodily Injury Liability, to protect your savings if you injure someone.
• Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist coverage, for your injuries when the other driver has little or no insurance.
• Collision and Comprehensive, which lenders and leasing companies require. Comprehensive is also what covers flood and storm damage to your car.
• Rental reimbursement and roadside assistance, if you depend on your car to get to work.

What happens if your insurance lapses

Insurers report cancellations to the state. If your registered vehicle goes without the required coverage, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles can suspend your driver's license and registration, and getting them back means paying a reinstatement fee that increases with repeat suspensions. If you sell a car or stop driving it, turn in the license plate before you cancel the insurance.

SR-22 and FR-44 certificates

After certain violations, such as some license suspensions or an accident without insurance, the state can require an SR-22: a certificate your insurer files to prove you carry Bodily Injury Liability of at least $10,000 per person and $20,000 per accident, plus $10,000 of property damage.

After a DUI conviction, Florida requires an FR-44 instead, with much higher minimums: $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $50,000 for property damage. Both are generally required for three years, and if the policy lapses your insurer notifies the state. Not every insurer files these certificates; we work with carriers that do.

Frequently asked questions