What Is Bodily Injury Liability Insurance?

6 min readMar 14, 2025

Quick Answer

Bodily injury liability insurance pays for injury-related costs, like medical bills and lost wages, for the other driver and their passengers when you cause an accident. It can also pay for your own legal fees.

Bodily injury auto insurance helps cover injury-related costs for the other driver and their passengers when you cause a car accident. This type of insurance also pays for your legal expenses arising from claims against you.

Understanding how bodily injury car insurance works can help you determine how much coverage is appropriate for you.

What Is Bodily Injury Liability Insurance?

Bodily injury coverage is a type of liability insurance that helps financially protect you when you're responsible for a car accident. The bodily injury portion of your liability insurance pays for injury-related costs—like medical bills, funeral expenses and lost wages—for the other driver and their passengers. It can also pay for your related legal expenses if you're sued following the accident.

The other portion of your liability coverage, called property damage, pays to repair property you damage in the accident, like a car, a utility pole or a mailbox.

Liability coverage doesn't cover your or your passengers' injury-related costs after an at-fault accident. But you may have personal coverage if you've included another type of car insurance, like collision and comprehensive, in your policy.

Learn more: What Are the Types of Car Insurance?

What Does Bodily Injury Liability Cover?

When you cause a car accident, bodily injury coverage usually pays for your legal defense fees if the crash victims or their insurance company takes you to court, as well as the following expenses incurred by the victims:

Medical expenses, such as hospital care, follow-up doctor visits and medications
Lost income if the injured person needs time off from work or can't perform their normal work duties
Pain and suffering for long-lasting emotional or physical trauma following the accident
Funeral costs if the injuries from the accident are fatal

Bodily injury liability insurance helps pay these costs for the other driver and their passengers. It can also cover others involved in the accident, such as pedestrians or your passengers if they aren't related to you.

Tip: Liability coverage comes with all standard auto insurance policies—so you won't need to buy special coverage to get it.

Learn more: What Does Car Insurance Cover?

How Do Bodily Injury Liability Limits Work?

When you're responsible for a car accident, the other driver and their passengers may file a claim against your liability coverage to get compensation for their costs. Your liability coverage is a "split limit," written as three numbers separated by slashes—such as 25/50/25—which indicate three separate coverage amounts:

$25,000: The maximum amount your insurer will pay toward injury-related costs for each person in the accident
$50,000: The maximum your insurer will pay toward injury-related costs for all passengers combined in one accident
$25,000: The maximum your insurer will pay for property damage for the accident

Learn more: Factors That Impact Liability Car Insurance Rates

Is Bodily Injury Liability Coverage Required?

Yes, bodily injury liability coverage is required nearly everywhere. All states have "financial responsibility" laws, which require drivers to prove they can pay for costs arising from accidents they cause. Drivers in most states typically need auto insurance to comply with these laws.

But some states, like New Hampshire and California, provide other options for meeting the requirements. For example, you might demonstrate your ability to pay claims by providing a surety bond, a cash deposit or a certificate of self-insurance.

If you get car insurance to meet requirements, you'll need to buy at least the minimum amount of coverage required in your state. These limits vary across the U.S., but most states require $25,000 in bodily injury liability coverage per person and $50,000 per accident. Other minimum state requirements range from $10,000 to $50,000 per person and from $60,000 to $100,000 per accident.

The table below shows the bodily injury liability limits per person and per accident, along with property damage limits, for each state.

Bodily Injury Insurance Requirements by State

State	Liability Insurance Requirements
Alabama	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Alaska	$50,000 bodily injury liability per person $100,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Arizona	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $15,000 property damage liability per accident
Arkansas	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
California	$30,000 bodily injury liability per person $60,000 bodily injury liability per accident $15,000 property damage liability per accident
Colorado	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $15,000 property damage liability per accident
Connecticut	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Delaware	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $10,000 property damage liability per accident
District of Columbia	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $10,000 property damage liability per accident
Florida	$10,000 in property damage coverage $10,000 in personal injury protection
Georgia	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Hawaii	$20,000 bodily injury liability per person $40,000 bodily injury liability per accident $10,000 property damage liability per accident
Idaho	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $15,000 property damage liability per accident
Illinois	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $20,000 property damage liability per accident
Indiana	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Iowa	$20,000 bodily injury liability per person $40,000 bodily injury liability per accident $15,000 property damage liability per accident
Kansas	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Kentucky	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Louisiana	$15,000 bodily injury liability per person $30,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Maine	$50,000 bodily injury liability per person $100,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Maryland	$30,000 bodily injury liability per person $60,000 bodily injury liability per accident $15,000 property damage liability per accident
Massachusetts	$20,000 bodily injury liability per person $40,000 bodily injury liability per accident $5,000 property damage liability per accident
Michigan	$20,000 bodily injury liability per person $40,000 bodily injury liability per accident $10,000 property damage liability per accident
Minnesota	$30,000 bodily injury liability per person $60,000 bodily injury liability per accident $10,000 property damage liability per accident
Mississippi	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Missouri	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Montana	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $20,000 property damage liability per accident
Nebraska	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Nevada	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $20,000 property damage liability per accident
New Hampshire	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
New Jersey	Standard policy: $25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident Basic policy: $10,000 bodily injury liability per person $10,000 bodily injury liability per accident $5,000 property damage liability per accident
New Mexico	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $10,000 property damage liability per accident
New York	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $10,000 property damage liability per accident
North Carolina	$30,000 bodily injury liability per person $60,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
North Dakota	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Ohio	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Oklahoma	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Oregon	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $20,000 property damage liability per accident
Pennsylvania	$15,000 bodily injury liability per person $30,000 bodily injury liability per accident $5,000 property damage liability per accident
Rhode Island	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
South Carolina	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
South Dakota	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Tennessee	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Texas	$30,000 bodily injury liability per person $60,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Utah	$30,000 bodily injury liability per person $65,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Vermont	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $10,000 property damage liability per accident
Virginia	$50,000 bodily injury liability per person $100,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Washington	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $10,000 property damage liability per accident
West Virginia	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $25,000 property damage liability per accident
Wisconsin	$10,000 bodily injury liability per person $25,000 bodily injury liability per accident $50,000 property damage liability per accident
Wyoming	$25,000 bodily injury liability per person $50,000 bodily injury liability per accident $20,000 property damage liability per accident

The Bottom Line

Every state requires drivers to either buy bodily injury liability car insurance or otherwise comply with financial responsibility laws. Buying auto insurance is typically the easiest way to follow your state's laws and cover costs when you're responsible for an accident. If you need coverage, Experian's free auto insurance quote tool can help you compare rates from a number of top insurers at the same time to find the best deal for your needs.

About the author

Kim Porter

Kim Porter began her career as a writer and an editor focusing on personal finance in 2010 and has since been published everywhere from Yahoo! Finance to U.S. News & World Report, Credit Karma, USA Today, Fortune and more.

What Is Bodily Injury Liability Insurance?

Quick Answer

What Is Bodily Injury Liability Insurance?

What Does Bodily Injury Liability Cover?

How Do Bodily Injury Liability Limits Work?

Is Bodily Injury Liability Coverage Required?

Bodily Injury Insurance Requirements by State

The Bottom Line

About the author

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What Is Bodily Injury Liability Insurance?

Quick Answer

What Is Bodily Injury Liability Insurance?

What Does Bodily Injury Liability Cover?

How Do Bodily Injury Liability Limits Work?

Is Bodily Injury Liability Coverage Required?

Bodily Injury Insurance Requirements by State

The Bottom Line

Don’t overpay for auto insurance

About the author

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