New York is a no-fault state, and its minimum policy is really three requirements stacked together: 25/50/10 liability ($25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident, $10,000 property damage, rising to $50,000/$100,000 when an accident causes death), $50,000 per person of basic no-fault coverage (PIP), and uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage of $25,000/$50,000. All three are mandatory on every policy under the Vehicle & Traffic Law and Insurance Law Article 51.
That coverage stack, plus dense traffic and high medical and repair costs, makes New York one of the most expensive places in America to insure a car: average annual expenditure was $1,549 in 2022 per the NAIC, third highest nationally. When the baseline is that high, the dollar gap between the highest and lowest quote for the same driver is bigger too, which is the argument for comparing carriers here rather than renewing on autopilot.
The figures below explain the policy structure used in New York. They do not predict an individual premium. For a broader view of how state rules differ, use our national car insurance directory.
New York minimum car insurance requirements
Most quotes begin with liability coverage. Bodily injury liability addresses covered injury claims made by other people when you cause a crash. Property damage liability addresses covered damage to their vehicles or other property. The legal minimum keeps a policy compliant, but it does not say how much financial risk a household can comfortably retain.
- Coverage
- Bodily injury liability, one person
- Required amount or rule
- $25,000
- What it generally addresses
- Covered injuries to one other person
- Coverage
- Bodily injury liability, one accident
- Required amount or rule
- $50,000
- What it generally addresses
- Total covered injuries in one accident
- Coverage
- Property damage liability
- Required amount or rule
- $10,000
- What it generally addresses
- Covered damage you cause to other property
- Coverage
- PIP or medical coverage
- Required amount or rule
- $50,000 basic no-fault (PIP) per person
- What it generally addresses
- Initial covered injury benefits under the no-fault system
- Coverage
- Additional state rule
- Required amount or rule
- Liability rises to $50,000/$100,000 for accidents causing death; uninsured motorist bodily injury of $25,000/$50,000 required on every policy
- What it generally addresses
- Review the selection or rejection shown on the quote
- Coverage
- Accident framework
- Required amount or rule
- No-fault
- What it generally addresses
- Your own injury coverage may respond first
- Coverage
- SR-22 filing
- Required amount or rule
- This state does not use the SR-22
- What it generally addresses
- Applies only when ordered after qualifying events
| Coverage | Required amount or rule | What it generally addresses |
|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability, one person | $25,000 | Covered injuries to one other person |
| Bodily injury liability, one accident | $50,000 | Total covered injuries in one accident |
| Property damage liability | $10,000 | Covered damage you cause to other property |
| PIP or medical coverage | $50,000 basic no-fault (PIP) per person | Initial covered injury benefits under the no-fault system |
| Additional state rule | Liability rises to $50,000/$100,000 for accidents causing death; uninsured motorist bodily injury of $25,000/$50,000 required on every policy | Review the selection or rejection shown on the quote |
| Accident framework | No-fault | Your own injury coverage may respond first |
| SR-22 filing | This state does not use the SR-22 | Applies only when ordered after qualifying events |
What the state minimum covers, and what it leaves with you
A minimum policy is designed to satisfy state law. It is not designed around the value of your car, the size of a possible injury claim or the amount of savings you want to protect. Those are household decisions, so they need a separate review.
A financed or leased vehicle commonly needs collision and comprehensive coverage under the contract even when state law does not require them. For plain-language definitions and buying context, visit our insurance guides before selecting limits.
Rules and risks that matter in New York
State law is only the starting point. These New York-specific details show what to confirm before you compare coverage or buy a policy.
How New York's no-fault system works
After a crash, your own policy's no-fault coverage pays your medical bills, a portion of lost earnings, and certain other expenses, up to $50,000 per person, regardless of who caused the accident. It covers you, your passengers, and pedestrians your car injures. What no-fault doesn't pay for is pain and suffering or vehicle damage: lawsuits against the at-fault driver are reserved for cases that cross the Insurance Law's serious-injury threshold.
New York also ties insurance tightly to registration. Coverage for a New York-registered vehicle must come from an insurer licensed in the state, insurers report electronically to the DMV, and a lapse, even a short one, triggers penalties and can cost you the registration if you don't surrender the plates first.
No SR-22s in New York
New York does not use SR-22 filings. After a suspension or serious violation, there's no certificate for your insurer to file, reinstatement runs through the DMV directly, and the state's electronic verification system does the ongoing monitoring that an SR-22 handles elsewhere. What a violation does change is your price: carriers weight the same conviction very differently, so drivers with a recent incident often see the widest quote spreads of anyone.
Beyond the minimums
The mandatory limits are a floor from 1995-era math: $50,000 of PIP can disappear quickly against a hospital stay, and $10,000 of property damage rarely covers a totaled newer car. New York drivers commonly look at higher liability limits, optional collision and comprehensive, and supplementary uninsured/underinsured motorist (SUM) coverage, which extends protection when an at-fault driver's limits are lower than yours.
Because every carrier prices this same menu differently, the useful comparison isn't minimum-versus-minimum, it's several quotes at the limits you actually want, side by side.
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Start a New York quote requestWhat affects car insurance rates in New York?
Average annual expenditure for auto insurance in New York was $1,549 in 2022, per the NAIC, third highest in the nation, behind only Florida and Louisiana. This is a historical statewide expenditure benchmark from NAIC 2022 Auto Insurance Database Average Premium Supplement (June 2024). It combines many types of drivers and policies, so it should be used for market context rather than as a current quote estimate.
Insurers apply their filed rating plans to the household in front of them. Two neighbors can see different prices, and the same household can receive a wide range from different companies because each insurer weighs the inputs differently.
Garaging location
Claim frequency, traffic, repair costs, theft and weather exposure vary across New York ZIP codes.
Drivers and record
Age, driving experience, citations, accidents, claims and continuous insurance history can affect price and eligibility.
Vehicle and use
Repair technology, vehicle value, annual mileage, commute and business use change the potential cost of a claim.
Coverage choices
Liability limits, collision, comprehensive, optional benefits and deductibles determine what the policy is being asked to pay.
Household details
Other licensed drivers, additional vehicles and bundling opportunities can change the account-level price.
Company fit
Insurers target different customer profiles. No one company is consistently cheapest for every driver in every territory.
Before you switch
Read the declarations, not only the price.
The declarations page shows drivers, vehicles, limits, deductibles and selected benefits. Match those fields before deciding that one quote is better.
Learn how a quote becomes a policy →How to compare New York car insurance quotes
Keep the drivers, vehicles, limits, deductibles, dates and payment method the same. Then compare the full-term cost and change only one choice at a time.
Compare insurance companies on price, coverage and service
A familiar name is not automatically the best fit. Compare how each insurer sells and services policies, which optional programs it offers and whether it writes your profile in New York. Availability and underwriting can vary by state.
See how Progressive sells and services policies →
See how GEICO sells and services policies →
See how State Farm sells and services policies →
See how Allstate sells and services policies →Company marks link to independent editorial reviews. They do not identify quote partners or a personalized match.
Browse all company reviews →Compare car insurance by New York city
State law applies across New York, but the garaging address can add a more local rating layer. Use a city guide to review ZIP related factors, vehicle details and the quote worksheet, then return here for the state requirement source.
Check the facts
Rules and market data used on this New York page
The minimum-coverage table is paired with a first-party state reference, and the legal authority named in the guide is N.Y. Vehicle & Traffic Law §311; N.Y. Insurance Law Art. 51 (§5102); New York State Department of Financial Services. Historical premium context is labeled by year and linked to the underlying publication. These sources do not replace a policy contract or individualized legal advice; rules and forms can change, so confirm current requirements with the regulator, insurer or a licensed professional.
State requirement source
New York DFS — Auto insurance resource center ↗Official state consumer hub for New York liability, no-fault and uninsured motorist requirements.
Historical market data
NAIC — 2022 Auto Insurance Database Average Premium Supplement ↗Historical statewide average-expenditure data published by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners in June 2024.
Regulator directory
NAIC — State insurance department directory ↗Directory of state insurance regulators for current consumer guidance, licensing checks and complaints.
Checked by Show my rates · Last updated August 3, 2026
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