How does car insurance work when traveling cross-country?
Your car insurance will follow you into another US state. If you’re taking a cross-country road trip and are worried about your insurance coverage reaching from Texas to California, rest assured — your policy will cover your interstate travel. Read on to learn more about additional considerations, including how shared driving responsibilities should be handled and some potential coverage limitations. Need coverage for an upcoming trip? Enter your ZIP code above to receive customized quotes in under 5 minutes and find the best car insurance for you.
Car insurance for road trips
There is no specific road trip car insurance policy. If you’re planning to share driving responsibilities with someone not covered by your insurance policy, you should check to confirm your policy includes permissive use.
The permissive use clause in car insurance extends coverage to someone unlisted on the policy who uses the vehicle infrequently — fewer than 12 times per year. Permissive use allows you to share driving responsibilities during a road trip.
Most popular car insurance companies offer a permissive use option. Some smaller insurance companies offer permissive use with certain restrictions. Check your policy information before your interstate journey!
Auto insurance for traveling to different states: state minimum coverage levels
Car insurance is regulated at the state level, so every state writes and administers its own insurance requirements. For example, below are the minimum required insurance levels in Ohio and Michigan.
| Coverage Requirement | Ohio | Michigan |
| Bodily Injury — Per Person | $25,000 | $20,000 |
| Bodily Injury — Per Event | $50,000 | $40,000 |
| Property Damage | $25,000 | $10,000 |
| Personal Injury Protection | None | Unlimited |
| Personal Protection Insurance | None | $1,000,000 |
Luckily, if you travel into a state with higher required insurance minimums than yours, your limits will automatically increase to meet the requirements. For example, your Michigan limits would increase to $25K/$50K/$25K if you were to travel to Ohio.
Your liability insurance will not decrease if you travel to another state with lower limits.
Additional considerations
There is not to consider when planning a cross-country road trip in terms of your car insurance. If you’re worried about your vehicle’s capabilities on the open road, consider adding roadside assistance coverage. If someone not listed on the policy will be driving, add permissive use to your policy. For additional insight, check out our pages on non-owner car insurance, temporary car insurance, and uninsured motorist coverage.
Want permissive use? Enter your ZIP code to see rates
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