Every car registered in Maryland has to carry three coverages: liability, uninsured motorist and personal injury protection, usually called PIP. The required amounts keep you legal, but they don't always keep you protected. Here's what the law requires, what each coverage actually pays, and what I'd check on your own policy.
The short version
- Liability: at least $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident for injuries you cause, and $15,000 for property damage.
- Uninsured motorist: at least the same amounts. It matches your liability limits unless you choose lower ones in writing.
- PIP: $2,500 for your own medical bills and lost income, unless you sign a waiver.
- Coverage has to stay in force as long as the car is registered. A lapse costs $200 for the first 30 days and $7 a day after that.
What Maryland requires
| Coverage | Maryland minimum | What it pays for |
|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability | $30,000 per person, $60,000 per accident | Injuries you cause to other people |
| Property damage liability | $15,000 per accident | Damage you cause to other people's cars and property |
| Uninsured motorist | $30,000 per person, $60,000 per accident, $15,000 property damage | Your injuries and damage to your car when the driver at fault has no insurance or not enough |
| Personal injury protection (PIP) | $2,500, unless you sign a waiver | Your medical bills and lost income, no matter who caused the accident |
The policy has to come from an insurance company licensed in Maryland. Collision and comprehensive, which pay to repair or replace your own car, aren't required by law, but a lender or leasing company will require them on a financed or leased car.
Uninsured motorist coverage, and the enhanced version
In Maryland, uninsured motorist coverage also protects you from underinsured drivers. It pays when the driver who hits you has no insurance, or has lower limits than you do. Your uninsured motorist limits automatically match your liability limits unless you sign a form choosing lower ones.
Standard coverage has a catch: it's reduced by whatever the other driver's insurance pays. Enhanced underinsured motorist coverage isn't. It pays on top of the other driver's insurance, up to your own limits.
An example
Say you carry $100,000 per person, the driver who hits you carries Maryland's $30,000 minimum, and your injury claim is worth $150,000.
- Standard coverage: the other driver's insurer pays $30,000, and your insurer pays up to $70,000 more, for up to $100,000 in total.
- Enhanced coverage: the other driver's insurer pays $30,000, and your insurer pays up to $100,000 more, for up to $130,000 in total.
Since July 1, 2024, enhanced coverage has been included automatically on new Maryland auto policies unless you opt out in writing. It wasn't added to policies that already existed, so if your policy started before then, you have it only if you asked for it. It costs more than standard coverage, and it's part of the coverage I usually recommend.
PIP, and what waiving it means
PIP pays medical bills and 85% of lost income after an accident, up to its limit, no matter who caused it. The minimum limit is $2,500. It covers you and family members who live with you, anyone driving your car with permission, passengers in your car, and pedestrians your car hits.
You can sign a waiver, which gives you what Maryland calls Limited PIP. It removes PIP for you, every listed driver and household members 16 and older, though passengers and pedestrians stay covered. Waiving lowers your premium, and some people with good health insurance choose it. I rarely recommend it: PIP pays quickly, without waiting for anyone to decide who was at fault, and it replaces part of your lost income, which health insurance doesn't.
Keep it in force the whole time the car is registered
Maryland requires insurance for as long as a car is registered, even if you never drive it. Insurers report coverage to the Motor Vehicle Administration electronically and notify it when a policy ends. If your coverage lapses:
- Your registration is suspended.
- The MVA can charge $200 per vehicle for the first 30 days, then $7 a day, up to $3,500. It won't renew or reinstate your registration until the penalty is paid, and unpaid penalties can be sent to the state's Central Collections Unit, which adds 17%.
- Insurers may charge you more afterward, and some won't insure you at all after a lapse.
Two habits prevent all of this. When you switch insurers, start the new policy the same day the old one ends. When you sell a car or take it off the road, return the plates to the MVA before you cancel the insurance.
You also need proof of insurance with you whenever you drive. A digital insurance card on your phone counts.
What the minimum leaves out
- Your own car. The required coverages pay for damage you cause to others. Repairing or replacing your own car takes collision and comprehensive.
- A serious accident. $15,000 of property damage coverage may not replace one newer car, and $30,000 rarely covers a serious injury. If a claim is larger than your limits, you can be held personally responsible for the rest.
- Your own injuries. $2,500 of PIP doesn't go far. And if you and the driver who hits you both carry the minimum, standard underinsured coverage pays you nothing extra, because your limits are no higher than theirs.
Maryland rules that make coverage matter more
- Contributory negligence. Maryland is one of the few states where being even slightly at fault can bar you from collecting from the other driver. Your uninsured motorist coverage won't pay either if you're found partly at fault. PIP and collision pay regardless of fault, which makes them worth more here than in most states.
- Credit at renewal. Insurers can consider your credit when you apply, but they can't raise your renewal premium because your credit got worse.
Where I usually start
| Coverage | Maryland minimum | Where I usually start |
|---|---|---|
| Liability | $30,000 / $60,000 / $15,000 | $100,000 / $300,000 / $100,000, or higher if you own a home or have savings to protect |
| Uninsured motorist | $30,000 / $60,000 / $15,000 | Equal to your liability limits, with enhanced underinsured motorist |
| PIP | $2,500 unless waived | Keep it |
| Collision and comprehensive | Not required | On any car you couldn't easily replace, with deductibles of $500 or more |
If you have more to protect than your auto limits cover, an umbrella policy adds $1 million or more of liability on top. See auto insurance for how I shop your coverage across carriers.
Check your own policy in five minutes
- Find your declarations page. It's usually in your insurer's app or online account.
- Read your liability limits. If they say 30/60/15, you have the state minimum.
- Compare uninsured motorist to liability. The limits should match. Look for the words "enhanced underinsured motorist."
- Check your PIP. If it says Limited PIP or shows a waiver, PIP was waived for your household.
- Check your deductibles, and whether collision still makes sense on an older car.
Or send it to me, and I'll go through it with you.
Frequently asked questions
How much car insurance is required in Maryland?
Every registered car needs liability coverage of at least $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident for injuries and $15,000 for property damage, uninsured motorist coverage of at least the same amounts, and $2,500 of personal injury protection (PIP) unless you sign a waiver.
Is Maryland a no-fault state?
No. Maryland requires personal injury protection, which pays your own medical bills and lost income no matter who caused the accident. But fault still decides who pays for everything else: the driver who causes an accident, and their liability insurance, are responsible for the injuries and damage they cause.
What happens if I drive without insurance in Maryland?
Knowingly driving an uninsured car is a criminal offense, with a fine of up to $1,000, up to a year in jail, or both for a first offense. Separately, when insurance on a registered car lapses, the registration is suspended and the MVA can charge $200 per vehicle for the first 30 days, then $7 a day, up to $3,500.
Do I need insurance on a car I don't drive?
Yes, as long as it's registered. Maryland requires insurance for the whole time a car is registered, even if it never leaves the driveway. To stop insuring a car, return its plates to the MVA before the policy ends.
Do I have to carry proof of insurance?
Yes. You need proof of insurance with you when you drive, and you have to show it if a police officer asks. A digital insurance card on your phone counts. The fine for not having it is $50.
Is enhanced underinsured motorist coverage worth it?
For most of my clients, yes. Standard coverage is reduced by whatever the at-fault driver's insurance pays, and enhanced coverage isn't, so it can pay much more after a serious accident. It does cost more. New Maryland policies have included it automatically since July 1, 2024 unless you opted out, but it wasn't added to older policies, so it's worth checking yours.
Sources: Maryland Transportation Article §§ 17-103, 17-104, 17-104.2, 17-106 and 17-107; Insurance Article §§ 19-505, 19-506, 19-509, 19-509.1 and 19-510; the Maryland Insurance Administration's consumer guide to auto insurance and enhanced underinsured motorist guidance; and the MVA's auto insurance requirements. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Your policy controls.