West Virginia law mandates all drivers to have liability insurance. The state-mandated limits for minimum liability coverage in West Virginia follow a 25/50/25 pattern: $25,000 in bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 in bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 in property damage coverage per accident.

Since West Virginia only requires liability coverage, you should look into additional forms of car insurance coverage to make sure you are amply insured for driving in West Virginia.

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And with that, here’s all you need to know about car insurance mandates in West Virginia.

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Car insurance requirements in West Virginia

This is a brief summary of the minimum car insurance limits for West Virginia:

Minimum Liability Coverage: 30/60/20
$30,000 bodily injury per person
$60,000 bodily injury per accident
$20,000 property damage per accident

Key Takeaway West Virginia drivers must hold liability coverage following a 25/50/25 pattern.

MORE:

What is property damage liability? Do I need it?

What is liability coverage?

Liability coverage

covers the medical expenses and property damage of others when you are at fault in an accident.

This might include expenses like another driver’s hospital bills or repairs for a dented car door. Liability coverage does not cover your own medical expenses or property damages.

State-mandated limits for liability coverage in West Virginia

The state-mandated limits for

bodily injury liability

in West Virginia are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident.

This means that if you cause a collision where a person is injured, that person may recover up to $25,000 from your provider for medical fees and the like. If you injure two or more persons, your provider will pay out up to $50,000 total.

The state-mandated limit for property damage in West Virginia is $25,000 per accident.

In sum, the limits for liability coverage in West Virginia are typically summed up in the pattern 25/50/25 for bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident, and property damage per accident, respectively.

These are the minimum limits in West Virginia, which means that you can purchase higher liability limits if you want. For instance, you could buy liability insurance adhering to a 50/100/50 pattern, which would mean you would have $50,000 bodily injury coverage per person, $100,000 bodily injury coverage per accident, and $50,000 property damage coverage per accident.

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Key Takeaway All West Virginia drivers must have liability coverage following a 25/50/25 pattern: $25,000 in bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 in bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 in property damage coverage per accident.

West Virginia is an at-fault state

West Virginia is an at-fault—or "tort"—state, which means that insurance providers assign fault for collisions to one or more drivers. The at-fault drivers are liable for the damages and medical costs related to the accident.

So, if you cause a collision in West Virginia, expect that you will be held completely liable for any expenses resulting from that accident—whether they be medical bills or property damage costs.

This is an important factor to consider when purchasing liability limits because you’ll probably want to buy the highest limits you can reasonably afford in order to protect yourself in the unfortunate case that you ever cause an accident.

Do West Virginia’s required insurance minimums provide enough coverage?

West Virginia only requires liability insurance, making its requirements on par with other states, but liability coverage alone might not cover your own medical expenses or property damage when you cause an accident.

To make sure you are fully covered, you’ll need

MedPay

Personal Injury Protection (PIP)

for medical costs. You might also consider

collision coverage

for your own property damage costs.

West Virginia’s mandated minimums for liability coverage are also not necessarily adequate—for instance, a $50,000 bodily injury liability limit can be very quickly exceeded if you cause a collision that injures more than two or three people.

You are best off purchasing higher limits for your liability insurance (for instance, you could purchase liability limits that follow a 50/100/50 pattern).

Penalties for driving without insurance in West Virginia

Driving without proof of insurance

is illegal in West Virginia and you could face penalties such as license suspensions and fees.

Here are the penalties for driving without proof of insurance in West Virginia:

License suspension (30 days for the first offense, 90 days for subsequent offenses)

Registration suspension

$50 license reinstatement fee

$100 registration reinstatement fee

$200 penalty

SR-22

filing

Key Takeaway Driving without proof of insurance is illegal in West Virginia, and penalties range from fines and fees to license and registration suspensions.

Optional auto insurance coverage in West Virginia

On top of purchasing higher limits for your liability coverage in West Virginia, it’s a good idea to look into additional forms of car insurance coverage:

Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage:

Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage

covers your own medical expenses if you are the victim of a collision with an at-fault driver who doesn’t have insurance.

Personal Injury Protection (PIP): Personal Injury Protection (PIP) provides coverage for you and your passengers if you are injured in a car accident.

Comprehensive coverage:

Comprehensive coverage

can cover the costs of physical damages to your vehicle that are not the result of a collision (such as vandalism).

Collision coverage: Collision coverage can help you cover the cost of repairs for your vehicle after a collision with another vehicle or fixed object.

Medical payments (MedPay) insurance: MedPay covers the cost of medical bills or funeral expenses that are the result of a collision.

Roadside assistance:

Roadside assistance

helps with things like fixing flats, towing, or jumping batteries. The type of coverage will vary among policies and companies.

Rental car reimbursement:

Rental car reimbursement

will cover the cost of a rental vehicle if you are unable to drive your car.

MORE:

Get cheap car insurance in West Virginia

Where to buy car insurance in West Virginia

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Does West Virginia require car insurance?

Yes. All West Virginia drivers must have liability coverage following a 25/50/25 pattern: $25,000 in bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 in bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 in property damage coverage per accident.

There are various penalties for driving without car insurance in West Virginia, including fines, fees, and license and registration suspension.

How long can you go without car insurance in West Virginia?

Driving without car insurance is illegal in West Virginia, and there are penalties even for a lapse in car insurance. The penalty for a car insurance lapse in West Virginia is a registration reinstatement fee of $100.

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