Missouri law requires all drivers to have liability coverage
and uninsured motorist bodily injury (UMBI) coverage. Missouri’s state-mandated limits for liability coverage follow a 25/50/10 pattern, meaning you must have $25,000 in bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 in bodily injury coverage per accident, and $10,000 in property damage coverage per accident.
The car insurance comparison and broker app Jerry
has compiled everything you need to know about car insurance in the state—plus, Jerry can help you find affordable Missouri car insurance costs
quickly and easily. Here’s all you need to know about auto insurance laws and minimums in Missouri.
RECOMMENDEDNo spam or unwanted phone calls · No long forms
Missouri minimum insurance requirements
Missouri’s minimum liability coverage limits require bodily injury liability and property damage liability and follow a 25/50/10 pattern.
Missouri drivers are also required to have uninsured motorist bodily injury (UMBI) coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident (if 2 or more people are injured).
Minimum liability coverage: 25/50/10 | Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury (UMBI) Coverage |
|---|
$25,000 bodily injury per person | |
$50,000 bodily injury per accident | |
$10,000 for property damage per accident | |
Bodily injury liability coverage in Missouri
Bodily injury liability
covers medical expenses for other drivers or passengers in an accident where you are at fault. This includes expenses like hospital and ambulance bills. Your bodily injury liability coverage will even cover you if another driver decides to sue you—but only within the limits of your policy. Bodily injury liability limits
Missouri’s state-mandated limits for bodily injury liability are $25,000 coverage per person and $50,000 total coverage per accident (if 2 or more people are injured). A "limit" is the maximum amount your policy will cover for a particular type of insurance.
Once you hit your policy’s limits, you will be liable for any remaining expenses.
Let’s say you purchase the minimum required limits for bodily injury liability in Missouri. If you cause an accident that harms multiple people and results in $75,000 in medical expenses, your insurer will only cover $50,000 of that—and you will have to pay out-of-pocket to cover the remaining $25,000.
You can usually purchase higher limits with your insurer by paying a slightly higher monthly premium. If you can afford it, you’re best off raising your limits for liability coverage in Missouri.
Bodily injury liability does not cover your own medical expenses if you are at fault in an accident. Add personal injury protection (PIP)
to your car insurance to get your own injury protection coverage in accidents where you’re at fault. RECOMMENDEDNo spam or unwanted phone calls · No long forms
Property damage liability coverage in Missouri
Property damage liability
covers any expenses for damages to other drivers’ vehicles and/or property in an accident where you are at fault. Property damage liability limit
Missouri’s state-mandated limit for property damage liability is $10,000 per accident.
A $10,000 limit can easily be exhausted if you are at fault in a collision—for instance, if you cause a collision that totals two other vehicles, you could easily be looking at $30,000-$40,000 in property damage costs (if not more).
It’s definitely a good idea to purchase a higher property damage liability limit with your insurance provider. This will cause a small increase in your monthly premium but save you thousands in the event of an accident. Remember, after your limits are hit, you are on the hook for additional money owed.
Jerry can help you find a policy with higher liability limits that won’t break the bank.
Key Takeaway Missouri’s limits for liability insurance are $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 bodily injury per accident, and $10,000 property damage per accident. These limits can be quickly exhausted if you cause a serious collision, so you should consider purchasing higher limits with your insurance provider.
Uninsured motorist coverage in Missouri
Uninsured motorist bodily injury (UMBI)
coverage covers you in the unfortunate case that you are a victim of a car accident where the at-fault driver does not have insurance. UMBI coverage will cover medical expenses like ambulance and hospital bills. Uninsured motorist bodily injury (UMBI) limits
Missouri’s state-mandated limits for UMBI coverage are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident (if 2 or more people are injured).
You should note that you could easily hit these limits if you get into a bad collision—medical bills can often cost upwards of $40,000-$50,000 if your injuries are severe. Consider purchasing higher limits for your UMBI coverage—Jerry
has everything you need to find the best rates on your UMBI coverage. Missouri is an "at-fault" state
Missouri is an "at-fault" state (or tort state), which means that at-fault drivers (and their insurance providers) are financially responsible for all property damages and bodily injury costs stemming from an accident.
If you are the victim of a car collision in Missouri, you have a few options for what to do:
File a claim with your own insurance company. This is a good option if your costs are covered under your policy. If you are not at fault, your provider may make a subrogation claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance provider.
File a third-party claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance provider.
File a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault driver.
RECOMMENDEDNo spam or unwanted phone calls · No long forms
Optional car insurance coverage in Missouri
If you are wanting more coverage for driving in Missouri, you’re in luck! There are lots of optional types of insurance coverage you can buy:
Personal injury protection (PIP) can cover your medical expenses if you are injured in an accident—regardless of who is at fault.
Comprehensive coverage
can cover the costs of physical damages to your vehicle that are not the result of a collision (e.g. vandalism). Collision coverage
can help you cover the cost of repairs for your vehicle after a collision with another vehicle or fixed object. Medical payments coverage
covers the cost of medical bills or funeral expenses resulting from a collision. Roadside assistance helps with things like fixing flats, towing, or jump-starting a battery. The type of coverage will vary between policies and companies.
Rental car reimbursement
will cover the cost of a rental vehicle if you are unable to drive your car.
Key Takeaway Missouri is an "at-fault" state, which means at-fault drivers (and their insurers) are financially responsible for covering damages and injuries incurred from a collision. Along with purchasing higher limits, you can opt-in to buy additional types of car insurance coverage in Missouri.
Where to buy car insurance in Missouri
Looking to start driving in Missouri? Or, are you tired of your ridiculously high car insurance rates? You’re in luck!
Jerry is a licensed broker
and insurance shopping app that can help you find all the coverage you need for driving in Missouri. Jerry compiles the cheapest insurance quotes from the nation’s top insurance providers to give you the best policy options—all in one place. Jerry
gets your information from your past or current provider, so you can spend your time picking a policy—and not on phone calls or paperwork.The best part? The average Jerry customer saves nearly $900 a year on their car insurance—and it’s completely free!
"I’ve been putting off searching for new car insurance for a while now and then I found Jerry! The ease and efficiency that they provide made the process totally stress-free. I especially loved that they generated all of the proper forms to send my current provider for cancellation and provided online signatures abilities. Thank you!" —Satisfied Jerry user
RECOMMENDEDNo spam or unwanted phone calls · No long forms
Is Missouri a no-fault insurance state?
No. Missouri is an at-fault insurance state, which means that the at-fault driver in an accident is responsible for the costs of damages from that accident—this includes expenses like hospital bills and property damage.
If you are an at-fault driver, your insurance provider will assume financial responsibility for damages up to your policy limits. After your policy limits are exhausted, you will be on the hook for covering any remaining expenses.
Since Missouri is an at-fault state, make sure you purchase higher limits for your liability insurance —really, you should purchase the highest limits you can reasonably afford.
Does insurance follow the car or the driver in Missouri?
Insurance follows the car in Missouri. This means that if you lend your car to someone else, your policy will cover them as a driver of your vehicle.
This includes Missouri’s required bodily injury liability, property damage liability, and uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage, as well as additional coverages like collision and comprehensive coverage.
Saved $725 annually
4.7
