Virginia’s Auto Insurance Limits Increasing in 2025

Virginia's new auto liability minimums

Virginia recently enacted new laws regarding auto liability minimums for drivers. The new law applies to auto insurance policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2025. 

Currently, Virginia requires all policies effective between January 1, 2022, and January 1, 2025, in the state to carry liability insurance with minimum limits of 30/60/20. Based on this new law, on January 1, 2025, the new minimums will now be 50/100/25. Here’s what that means:

• $50,000 for bodily injury or death per person
• $100,000 for bodily injury or death per accident
• $25,000 for property damage per accident^[2]

By increasing these minimums, Virginia drivers will be more likely to have the coverage they need to pay for an accident without going into debt, as inflation and other economic factors have increased the cost of accidents and repairs. 

What are minimum liability requirements?

Liability insurance coverage protects other drivers from bodily injury or property damage you might cause in an accident. Only New Hampshire doesn’t have minimum liability requirements.

You will usually see these minimums expressed as three numbers, for example, 50/100/50. Here’s what that means. The first number covers the amount of bodily injury per person. The second number is the total amount of bodily injury coverage per incident. And the last number is the amount of property damage liability coverage. These numbers only represent the minimum coverage you must carry to drive in that state legally. 

Let’s dig into a little more about these different coverage types. 

Bodily injury liability coverage

This covers injuries caused by the at-fault driver. This includes:

• Medical costs related to physical injuries
• Emotional and physical pain and suffering
• Loss of income or diminished earning capacity due to injuries from the accident

Property damage liability coverage

This covers physical damage to property caused by the at-fault driver. This includes:

• Cost to repair damage to other vehicles
• Cost to repair damaged structures
• Cost to remove debris as a result of the accident

Does liability coverage protect your car?

Unfortunately, liability insurance does not protect your car in the event of an at-fault accident. That’s why, in addition to the liability coverage required by the state, you may also want to get some additional coverage.

It’s not required, but a good idea, to add additional collision and/or comprehensive coverage to protect your own vehicle. Collision coverage protects your vehicle from damage caused by a collision, whether with another vehicle, a wall, or anything else you crash into. Meanwhile, comprehensive coverage protects against other things out of your control, such as weather, theft, vandalism, and animal damage.

Uninsured motorists in Virginia

Before July 2024, Virginia drivers could avoid paying for insurance if they opted instead to pay a $500 fee to the DMV. This fee did not provide any protection against damages from an accident. In the past, if you were hit by someone who had paid the uninsured fee, your insurance company would have to foot the bill.

However, Virginia law has changed. Going forward, it is mandatory for everyone in the state to carry the minimum levels of liability coverage, which, as mentioned above, are currently 30/60/20 and will rise to 50/100/25 in the new year.