The District of Columbia writes its own insurance rulebook, and it reads like no state's. Every registered vehicle needs 25/50/10 liability coverage, $25,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $50,000 per accident, and $10,000 for property damage, plus mandatory uninsured motorist coverage of 25/50 for bodily injury and $5,000 for property damage (with a $200 deductible), per D.C. Code §31-2403. Requiring uninsured motorist property damage coverage is something almost no state does.
Personal injury protection, meanwhile, is optional, but with a twist found nowhere else: if you carry PIP and get into a crash, you have a 60-day window to decide whether to claim those no-fault benefits or pursue the at-fault driver instead. Between the federal-style mandates and city driving risk, D.C. premiums run high, which makes it especially useful to compare equivalent proposals carefully.
The figures below explain the policy structure used in Washington, D.C.. They do not predict an individual premium. For a broader view of how state rules differ, use our national car insurance directory.
Washington, D.C. 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
- PIP optional, insurers must offer it; if you carry it, you choose after a crash whether to use it
- What it generally addresses
- Medical coverage rules vary by policy
- Coverage
- Additional state rule
- Required amount or rule
- Mandatory uninsured motorist coverage: $25,000/$50,000 bodily injury plus $5,000 property damage (subject to a $200 deductible)
- What it generally addresses
- Review the selection or rejection shown on the quote
- Coverage
- Accident framework
- Required amount or rule
- At-fault
- What it generally addresses
- The responsible driver's liability coverage is central
- Coverage
- SR-22 filing
- Required amount or rule
- Used in this state
- 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 | PIP optional, insurers must offer it; if you carry it, you choose after a crash whether to use it | Medical coverage rules vary by policy |
| Additional state rule | Mandatory uninsured motorist coverage: $25,000/$50,000 bodily injury plus $5,000 property damage (subject to a $200 deductible) | Review the selection or rejection shown on the quote |
| Accident framework | At-fault | The responsible driver's liability coverage is central |
| SR-22 filing | Used in this state | Applies only when ordered after qualifying events |
Source: D.C. Law Library — Compulsory motor vehicle insurance
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 Washington, D.C.
State law is only the starting point. These Washington, D.C.-specific details show what to confirm before you compare coverage or buy a policy.
Mandatory uninsured motorist coverage, including property damage
Most states treat uninsured motorist coverage as optional; the District bakes it into every policy. Beyond 25/50 in UM bodily injury protection, D.C. uniquely requires $5,000 of uninsured motorist property damage coverage, subject to a $200 deductible, so even a minimum-coverage policy gives you some recourse if an uninsured or hit-and-run driver damages your car.
Insurers must also offer optional underinsured motorist coverage on top. Since every D.C. quote already includes the mandatory UM package, the meaningful differences between carriers are price and the cost of stepping limits up from the floor.
Optional PIP and the 60-day election
D.C. insurers are required to offer personal injury protection, but you are not required to buy it. If you do carry PIP, D.C. Code §31-2405 gives you 60 days after an accident to notify your insurer that you elect PIP benefits, medical costs and lost wages paid regardless of fault. Decline, or let the window pass, and the claim proceeds through the ordinary liability route against the at-fault driver.
This after-the-fact choice is unique to the District: elsewhere, no-fault is either the system or it isn't. For shoppers, it means a D.C. PIP quote is buying optionality, and carriers price that add-on differently enough that it's worth comparing with and without.
SR-22s and high premiums in the District
The District uses SR-22 filings: per the D.C. DMV, drivers reinstating a license must provide proof of SR-22 insurance if the underlying conviction occurred within the last three years. Your insurer files the certificate, and letting the policy lapse restarts the trouble.
D.C. is also simply an expensive place to insure a car, dense traffic, urban theft and vandalism exposure, and everything registered in a single city. Average annual expenditure here was $1,502 in 2022 per the NAIC, among the highest in the nation, so the spread between the lowest and highest quote for the same driver tends to be wide. That spread is the argument for comparing.
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Start a Washington, D.C. quote requestWhat affects car insurance rates in Washington, D.C.?
Average annual expenditure for auto insurance in the District of Columbia was $1,502 in 2022. This is a historical statewide expenditure benchmark from NAIC 2022 Auto Insurance Database Average Premium Supplement. 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 Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C.. 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 Washington, D.C. city
State law applies across Washington, D.C., 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 Washington, D.C. page
The minimum-coverage table is paired with a first-party state reference, and the legal authority named in the guide is D.C. Code §§31-2403, 31-2405, 31-2406; D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking. 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
D.C. Law Library — Compulsory motor vehicle insurance ↗Official District code chapter covering required liability, uninsured motorist and optional PIP coverage.
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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