Minnesota auto insurance requirements set three mandatory coverages on every policy: personal injury protection (PIP) of at least $40,000 per person, liability coverage of 30/60/10, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage of 25/50 for bodily injury. The state runs a no-fault system, so your own insurer pays your medical bills and lost wages after a crash regardless of who caused it, while liability coverage pays for the harm you cause to others. Driving without coverage is a misdemeanor and can cost you your license and registration for up to 12 months.
The Three Coverages Every Policy Must Include
Personal Injury Protection
Every Minnesota policy must carry at least $40,000 in PIP benefits per injured person, split into two $20,000 pools.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 65B.44 – Basic Economic Loss Benefits The first $20,000 covers medical expenses: hospital stays, surgery, dental work, chiropractic care, rehabilitation, prescription drugs, prosthetic devices, and transportation to treatment.
The second $20,000 covers non-medical economic losses. Income loss benefits reimburse 85 percent of your gross wages when an injury keeps you from working, capped at $500 per week.1Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 65B.44 – Basic Economic Loss Benefits Replacement services benefits cover household tasks you cannot do yourself, such as cleaning, cooking, or yard work, up to $200 per week, with the first seven days excluded. The same pool pays funeral expenses and survivor benefits when an injury is fatal.
PIP pays regardless of fault, so you do not wait for a liability determination before bills get covered.
Liability Coverage: 30/60/10
Liability insurance pays for the injuries and property damage you cause to other people. Minnesota’s minimums are $30,000 for one person’s bodily injuries, $60,000 total bodily injuries when more than one person is hurt in a single accident, and $10,000 for property damage.2Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 65B.49 – Insurers
These are the legal floors. A serious crash with injuries to multiple people and a destroyed vehicle can blow past $60,000 quickly, and anything above your limits comes out of your own assets. Most drivers who have assets to protect carry well above the minimums.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage
Every policy must also include uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage as separate line items, with minimums of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury.3Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 65B.49 – Insurers – Section: Subd. 3a No property damage coverage is required under these provisions.
UM applies when the at-fault driver has no insurance. UIM applies when the at-fault driver has insurance but not enough to cover your injuries. Since the state’s own liability minimum is only $30,000 per person, a driver who complies with the law can easily still be underinsured for a serious injury. You collect from your own insurer in either case, as if it were the other driver’s policy.
When PIP Is All You Can Recover
No-fault limits your right to sue the at-fault driver for pain and suffering. You can bring that kind of claim only if your medical expenses exceed $4,000 or your injury results in permanent disfigurement, permanent injury, death, or disability lasting 60 days or more.4Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 65B.51 – Limitation on Tort Liability Disability here means the inability to perform substantially all of your usual daily activities.
If your injuries do not clear one of those thresholds, your recovery is limited to the PIP benefits on your own policy. That makes the $40,000 PIP figure less of a cushion and more of a ceiling for moderate injuries.
Proof of Insurance in the Vehicle
You must carry proof of insurance any time you are driving.5Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.791 – Criminal Penalty for Failure to Produce Proof of Insurance A physical card is fine, and so is an electronic version on your phone.
Your insurer must issue an identification card for each covered vehicle at the start of the policy and at each renewal. The card has to show your name, the policy number, the dates of coverage, the vehicle’s make, model, and year, the VIN (or at least its last three digits), and the name of the insurance company.6Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 65B.482 – Insurance Identification Cards
Failing to produce proof when an officer asks is a misdemeanor, separate from the offense of actually driving uninsured.5Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.791 – Criminal Penalty for Failure to Produce Proof of Insurance A third conviction within ten years becomes a gross misdemeanor. You can be charged under this statute even with a valid policy if you left the card at home.
If you do not provide proof to the Department of Public Safety by the deadline on your citation or within 10 days of a written notice, your license will be revoked.7Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.792 – Revocation of License for Failure to Produce Proof of Insurance The revocation takes effect 14 days after the court notifies the department. If you own the vehicle, its registration is revoked at the same time. To get both back, you must give the commissioner satisfactory proof of coverage, which can be required certified as noncancelable for up to 12 months.
Penalties for Driving Without Insurance
Operating a vehicle without any coverage is a misdemeanor on the first offense, with up to 90 days in jail and a mandatory fine of at least $200 up to the statutory maximum of $1,000.8Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.797 – Penalties for Failure to Provide Vehicle Insurance9Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 609.02 – Definitions A third conviction within ten years becomes a gross misdemeanor, with penalties up to 364 days in jail and a $3,000 fine.10Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 609.0341 – Fines and Sentences Causing a crash that results in death or substantial bodily harm while uninsured is automatically a gross misdemeanor, regardless of prior history.
A conviction also triggers revocation of your driver’s license for up to 12 months, and revocation of the vehicle’s registration for up to 12 months if you own it. Reinstating either one requires a written certificate from an authorized insurance carrier showing you now carry coverage that meets state requirements.
The Department of Public Safety can also move administratively. If department records show you have not kept the required insurance in force, the commissioner can revoke your registration and suspend your license without waiting for a court conviction.11Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.797 – Penalties for Failure to Provide Vehicle Insurance – Section: Subd. 4a Reinstatement requires current proof of insurance, and the commissioner can demand that your insurer certify the policy as noncancelable for up to a year.12Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 169.792 – Revocation of License for Failure to Produce Proof of Insurance – Section: Subd. 10 A reinstatement fee is also owed before the license comes back.
Rideshare Drivers Are a Separate Category
If you drive for Uber, Lyft, or another transportation network company (TNC), the standard personal policy minimums are not what applies while you are logged into the app. Minnesota sets separate, higher requirements that change by trip phase.13Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 65B.472 – Transportation Network Company Insurance
During Period 1, when the app is on but you have not yet accepted a request, required liability limits are $50,000 per person for bodily injury, $100,000 per accident, and $30,000 for property damage, plus PIP and UM/UIM. Once you accept a ride (Period 2) or carry a passenger (Period 3), the requirement rises to $1,500,000 in combined coverage for death, injury, and property damage.13Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 65B.472 – Transportation Network Company Insurance The coverage can come from the driver, the TNC, or a combination. In practice the company typically covers Periods 2 and 3, and a Period 1 gap is common; a rideshare endorsement on your personal policy fills it.