Maine’s car insurance laws require every registered vehicle to carry liability coverage of at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $25,000 for property damage. On top of that, every policy issued in the state must include at least $2,000 per person in medical payments coverage and uninsured/underinsured motorist protection that matches your liability limits unless you reject the higher amount in writing. Driving without the required coverage is a traffic infraction at minimum and a Class D crime in some circumstances.
The 50/100/25 Liability Minimums
Maine’s minimum liability limits follow a 50/100/25 formula: $50,000 for injury or death of one person, $100,000 total when more than one person is hurt or killed in a single crash, and $25,000 for property damage.1Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 29-A 1605 – Proof of Financial Responsibility You cannot register a vehicle in Maine without showing the Secretary of State that your policy meets these amounts.2Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 29-A 402 – Insurance Required Prior to Registration
These are floors, not recommendations. If you cause a crash and the other driver’s bills exceed your policy limits, you owe the difference personally. Drivers with real assets to protect often carry well above the minimum for that reason.
Required Medical Payments Coverage
Every Maine auto policy must also include at least $2,000 per person in medical payments coverage. This pays medical costs for the driver and passengers of the insured vehicle after a crash, regardless of who caused it.3Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 29-A 1605-A – Medical Payments
The $2,000 floor is thin. A single ambulance ride can consume it. Higher med-pay limits usually cost little more, and unlike liability claims, med-pay pays without any fault determination.
Required Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage
Maine also requires every auto policy to include uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, commonly called UM/UIM. No policy can be issued in the state without it.4Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 24-A 2902 – Uninsured Vehicle Coverage; Insolvency of Insurer It pays when the driver who hits you has no insurance, has too little insurance, or leaves the scene.
For personal auto policies, your UM/UIM bodily injury limits must equal your liability limits unless you reject the higher amount in writing on a form provided by the insurer, using the acknowledgment language spelled out in the statute.4Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 24-A 2902 – Uninsured Vehicle Coverage; Insolvency of Insurer Even with a valid rejection, your UM/UIM can never fall below the 50/100 minimum. Think carefully before signing that rejection. UM/UIM is often the coverage that actually pays when you’re seriously hurt, because uninsured and underinsured drivers are common.
What Maine Does Not Require
Collision and comprehensive coverage are not required by state law. Collision pays for damage to your own vehicle in a crash; comprehensive covers fire, weather, vandalism, floods, and theft.5Bureau of Insurance State of Maine. Personal Auto Insurance Consumer Guide A lender or lease company will almost always require both while you’re financing the car, but the state doesn’t.
Dropping these on an older car you own outright can save money. You’re also accepting the full cost of replacing the vehicle if it’s totaled or stolen.
Proof of Insurance and SR-22 Filings
You must keep an insurance identification card in the vehicle or accessible on a mobile device. The card must show the insurer’s name, the insured’s name, the policy number, effective and expiration dates, and the year, make, model, and VIN of the covered vehicle.6Legal Information Institute. 02-031 C.M.R. ch. 391, Section 3 – Insurance Identification Card
Some drivers must also file an SR-22 certificate of financial responsibility. An SR-22 is not a type of insurance. It’s a form your insurer sends to the Secretary of State confirming you carry the required coverage. OUI convictions, driving without insurance, and at-fault crashes while uninsured are the common triggers, and Maine generally requires the filing for three years.7Maine Secretary of State. Financial Responsibility If the policy lapses during that window, the insurer notifies the state and your license is suspended again.
Penalties for Driving Without Insurance
Two separate statutes govern insurance violations, and the consequences depend on which one applies. Failing to maintain the required coverage is a traffic infraction with a fine of $100 to $500.8Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 29-A 1601 – Required Maintenance of Financial Responsibility Failing to produce evidence of insurance at a stop creates a legal presumption that you’re uninsured.
If you were specifically required to maintain proof of financial responsibility — say, after a prior suspension — and you drive without it, that’s a Class D crime, not a ticket.1Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 29-A 1605 – Proof of Financial Responsibility A Class D crime in Maine is a misdemeanor that can carry up to 364 days in jail.
The Secretary of State will also suspend your license and registration until you file proof of coverage. Reinstatement costs $50.9Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 29-A 2486 – Reinstatement Fee If the suspension came out of an uninsured accident, add three years of SR-22 filings and the higher premiums that come with them.
When You Must Report a Crash
Any crash that causes bodily injury, death, or apparent property damage of $2,000 or more has to be reported immediately, by the quickest available means, to state police, the county sheriff, or the local police department where it happened.10Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 29-A 2251 – Accident Reports The $2,000 figure is market-value repair cost, not the current value of the vehicle.
Knowingly failing to report a qualifying crash is a Class E crime, as is giving a false name or address at the scene when an officer asks.10Maine State Legislature. Maine Code Title 29-A 2251 – Accident Reports Get a repair estimate before assuming a minor-looking dent falls below the threshold. Modern body work reaches $2,000 fast.
Fault, Recovery, and the Deadline to Sue
Maine is an at-fault state. The driver who caused the crash is financially responsible for the other party’s injuries and property damage. Where both drivers share blame, a modified comparative negligence rule applies: you can recover as long as you were less than equally at fault, and your award is reduced by your share. At 50% or more, you recover nothing.11Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 14 156 – Comparative Negligence Adjusters apply the same math when negotiating, long before anything reaches a courtroom.
You have six years from the date of the accident to file a civil lawsuit for either personal injury or property damage.12Maine Legislature. Maine Code Title 14 752 – Six Years That’s longer than most states allow, but the practical clock runs faster. Witnesses forget, evidence disappears, and insurers grow less willing to settle the longer a claim sits.