Minnesota, like most states, requires you to carry certain minimum levels of car insurance coverage on any vehicle registered in the state. Those amounts are shown in the table below.
|
Coverage Type |
Minnesota Requirements |
|
Bodily Injury Liability |
$30,000 per person/$60,000 total per accident |
|
Property Damage Liability |
$10,000 per accident |
|
Uninsured Motorist |
$30,000 per person/$60,000 total per accident |
|
Underinsured Motorist |
Not required |
|
Medical Payments |
Not required |
|
Collision |
Not required |
|
Comprehensive |
Not required |
|
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) |
$40,000 aggregate limit |
Remember that these are only the minimum coverage amounts required under Minnesota law. You may want (or need) to purchase additional coverage. For example, Minnesota does not require you to purchase comprehensive coverage, but you may need to add that kind of coverage to your policy under the terms of any vehicle financing or lease agreement you sign.
If you have questions about the best car insurance policy for your situation, hopefully your insurance agent has the answers. You might also want to check out our article What Car Insurance Coverage Is Right For You? and Auto Insurance in Minnesota - What You Need To Know, a consumer information publication from the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
It's important to note that Minnesota also falls into the category of a "no-fault" insurance state. No-fault insurance is a system in which anyone who has been injured in a car accident turns first (and usually exclusively) to their own insurance coverage to get compensation for medical bills and lost income (up to a certain amount). The downside to no-fault claims is that you can't get compensation for non-economic losses like pain and suffering. For more information: How Does No-Fault Car Insurance Work After A Car Accident?
For public safety and other policy reasons, Minnesota wants to minimize the number of people who are driving around without insurance. To this end, there are stiff penalties in place for drivers who are in violation of Minnesota's mandatory car insurance laws. For a first offense, you can be fined up to $1,000 and be jailed for up to 90 days. You will also lose your driver's license for at least 90 days. Subsequent offenses are treated as gross misdemeanors, and they will result in increasingly higher fines and longer jail sentences.