Florida Car Insurance Requirements in 2026: What the Law Requires and What It Leaves Out

Florida’s car insurance law looks short on paper: two coverages, $10,000 each. In practice it’s one of the most misunderstood rules in the state. Florida is one of the few states that doesn’t require bodily injury liability to register a car, so many drivers on I-4 between Tampa and Orlando carry less coverage than they assume.

This guide covers exactly what Florida requires as of October 2026, what the required coverage actually pays, when the state makes you buy more, and how the 2023 tort reform law changed the stakes after a crash.

What car insurance does Florida require?

Florida requires $10,000 of personal injury protection (PIP) and $10,000 of property damage liability (PDL) for every vehicle with at least four wheels that must be registered in the state. Under section 627.733, Florida Statutes, the owner or registrant has to keep that security in place for the whole registration period, and FLHSMV says coverage must stay continuous even if the vehicle isn’t driven or doesn’t run.

You also have to show proof of Florida PIP and PDL before FLHSMV will register the vehicle. Here’s how the main coverages line up:

Coverage	Required by Florida law?	Minimum	What it pays for
Personal injury protection (PIP)	Yes	$10,000	Your own injuries and lost income, regardless of fault
Property damage liability (PDL)	Yes	$10,000	Damage you cause to other people’s cars and property
Bodily injury liability (BI)	Only after certain crashes or a DUI	10/20/10, or 100/300/50 after a DUI	Injuries you cause to other people
Uninsured motorist (UM)	No, but it’s included with BI unless you reject it in writing	Up to your BI limits	Your injuries caused by a driver with too little or no insurance
Collision and comprehensive	No, but lenders usually require them	Set by the policy	Damage to your own car
Medical payments (MedPay)	No	Set by the policy	Medical costs PIP leaves unpaid, depending on the policy

“10/20/10” means $10,000 per injured person, $20,000 per crash for all injured people, and $10,000 for property damage.

Is Florida still a no-fault state in 2026?

Yes. As of October 2026 Florida is still a no-fault state, and PIP is still mandatory. The 2026 repeal bills, SB 522 in the Senate and HB 769 in the House, would have moved Florida to a fault-based system starting in 2027, but both died in committee when the regular session adjourned on March 13, 2026.

You may have seen claims online that PIP “ended” in 2026. It didn’t. The only repeal bill to pass both chambers, SB 54 in 2021, was vetoed by the governor. If the law changes in a future session, we’ll update this page.

“No-fault” means your own PIP pays your injury costs first, whoever caused the crash. In exchange, section 627.737 limits lawsuits against an insured driver for pain and suffering to cases involving significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function, permanent injury, significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement, or death.

What does PIP actually pay in Florida?

PIP pays up to $10,000 per person for medical and disability benefits, plus a separate $5,000 death benefit. Under section 627.736, Florida Statutes, it pays:

• Medical benefits: 80% of reasonable expenses for medically necessary care.
• Disability benefits: 60% of lost gross income and lost earning capacity, plus reasonable costs of hiring help for household tasks you can’t do while injured.
• Death benefit: $5,000 per person.

Two rules catch people off guard:

1. The 14-day rule. PIP medical benefits apply only if you receive initial care within 14 days after the crash, from a provider the statute lists, such as a physician, a hospital or emergency medical services.
2. The emergency medical condition rule. You get access to the full $10,000 only if a physician, dentist, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse determines you had an emergency medical condition. If a qualifying provider determines you did not, medical benefits are capped at $2,500.

PIP covers you and relatives who live with you and don’t own a car of their own while riding in any vehicle in Florida, or as pedestrians struck by a car here. It also covers passengers in your car who don’t have PIP of their own. Insurers must offer PIP deductibles of $250, $500 and $1,000; a higher deductible lowers the premium but means you pay that first slice of every claim yourself.

When does Florida require bodily injury liability?

Florida requires bodily injury liability in two main situations, both under the financial responsibility law in Chapter 324, Florida Statutes.

After an at-fault injury crash. FLHSMV says that when injuries or possible injuries are noted on the crash report and the at-fault driver is charged with a moving violation, the at-fault owner and driver must have had full liability coverage in effect. If they didn’t, they face suspension of their license and registrations. Among the requirements to get them back, they must buy and keep 10/20/10 liability coverage, plus PIP, with an SR-22 filing (an insurer’s certificate of coverage sent to the state) for three years from the suspension date.

After a DUI conviction. Under section 324.023, anyone convicted of DUI after October 1, 2007, must carry bodily injury liability of at least $100,000 per person and $300,000 per crash, plus $50,000 of property damage liability, for a minimum of three years. Insurers file this proof on a form called an FR-44.

In both cases you’re buying coverage after the expensive event has already happened. Buying BI before a crash is what protects your savings, your wages and your home.

How did Florida’s 2023 tort reform change things for drivers?

The 2023 tort reform law, CS/CS/HB 837 (Chapter 2023-15), took effect March 24, 2023, and changed two rules that matter to every driver.

Modified comparative negligence. Under section 768.81(6), Florida Statutes, a person found more than 50% at fault for their own harm can’t recover damages from anyone else. Before 2023, a driver who was 70% at fault could still collect 30% of their damages. Now that driver collects nothing from the other side. (The rule doesn’t apply to medical negligence cases.)

A shorter filing deadline. The general deadline to file a negligence lawsuit dropped from four years to two years for claims that arose after March 24, 2023.

Both changes push more of the cost of a crash back onto your own policy. If you’re found mostly at fault in a multi-car pileup on the Polk Parkway, your own PIP, MedPay and collision coverage may be the only money available to you. That’s a strong reason to look at those coverages, not just the legal minimum.

Why the Florida minimum often falls short

The minimum often falls short because each required coverage stops at a hard cap, and anything above the cap becomes your personal responsibility. Here’s how it plays out:

• PDL stops at $10,000 per crash. That limit covers every car, fence, light pole and building you damage in one crash combined. A rear-end chain reaction at an I-4 interchange, or a crash involving a newer vehicle full of sensors and cameras, can push repair bills past the limit. The other drivers’ insurers can come to you for the rest.
• No BI means no defense. Bodily injury liability doesn’t just pay injured people; it typically pays for your legal defense too. Without it, if someone you hurt brings a claim against you, you face it on your own.
• PIP pays a share, not the whole bill. PIP covers 80% of medical costs and 60% of lost income, inside a single $10,000 limit, or $2,500 if there’s no emergency medical condition. A hospital stay after a crash on US-98 can use that up quickly.
• Nothing covers your own car. The required coverages pay nothing toward repairing or replacing your vehicle. That takes collision (crashes) and comprehensive, which typically covers theft, hail, flood, falling trees and hitting an animal.
• Uninsured drivers aren’t your problem until they hit you. Uninsured motorist coverage is what pays for your injuries when the at-fault driver has no BI or too little. Our guide to uninsured motorist coverage in Florida explains how it works.

None of this means everyone needs the same policy. A paid-off older car and a new financed SUV call for different choices. A licensed agent can show you how the price changes as limits go up, so you can decide with real numbers in front of you.

What to have ready before you request a quote

Having these on hand makes a quote faster and more accurate:

1. Driver’s license numbers and dates of birth for every licensed driver in your household.
2. The year, make, model and VIN for each vehicle, and whether it’s financed or leased.
3. Your current declarations page, so limits can be compared side by side.
4. Any accidents, tickets or claims in the past five years, with approximate dates.
5. Whether anyone in the household needs an SR-22 or FR-44 filing.
6. Your garaging address and roughly how many miles each car is driven a year.
7. Any home, condo or renters policy you’d consider bundling.

You can start an auto quote online, or read more about the coverages we write on our auto insurance page. If you have teenagers getting behind the wheel, our teen driver guide covers Florida’s graduated licensing rules and how adding a teen works.