To drive legally in Utah, you must carry liability insurance at minimum limits of 30/65/25, personal injury protection (PIP), and uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage unless you formally opt out in writing. Utah car insurance requirements changed on January 1, 2025, raising the old 25/65/15 liability floor. Driving without the required coverage starts at a $400 fine and can escalate to license suspension and vehicle seizure.
Liability Coverage Minimums
For any policy issued or renewed in 2025 or later, Utah law sets these floors:
- $30,000 for bodily injury or death of one person in a single accident
- $65,000 for bodily injury or death of two or more people in a single accident
- $25,000 for damage to another person’s property in a single accident1Utah Legislature. Utah Code 31A-22-304 – Motor Vehicle Liability Policy Minimum Limits
Utah also lets you satisfy the requirement with a combined single limit of $90,000 per accident covering both bodily injury and property damage together.1Utah Legislature. Utah Code 31A-22-304 – Motor Vehicle Liability Policy Minimum Limits Either structure works.
If your declarations page still shows 25/65/15, those were the pre-2025 numbers. Your insurer should have adjusted your limits at renewal; if it did not, call and confirm.
These are legal minimums, not adequacy benchmarks. A single serious crash can generate medical bills that easily exceed $30,000 per person, and a judgment above your policy limit can reach your personal assets.
Personal Injury Protection
Utah is a no-fault state, so your own policy pays your initial medical and wage-loss expenses regardless of who caused the crash. PIP is mandatory on every Utah auto policy, with a minimum benefit of $3,000 per person for medical, surgical, rehabilitative, dental, ambulance, and hospital care.2Utah Legislature. Utah Code 31A-22-307 – Personal Injury Protection Coverages and Benefits
PIP also includes:
- Lost income at 85% of gross wages, up to $250 per week, for up to 52 consecutive weeks. The first three days are not covered unless the disability lasts longer than two consecutive weeks.2Utah Legislature. Utah Code 31A-22-307 – Personal Injury Protection Coverages and Benefits
- Household services at $20 per day for up to 365 days if your injuries prevent you from performing normal tasks. The same three-day waiting period applies.2Utah Legislature. Utah Code 31A-22-307 – Personal Injury Protection Coverages and Benefits
- Up to $1,500 per person for funeral, burial, or cremation expenses if the accident is fatal.3Utah Legislature. Utah Code 31A-22-307 – Personal Injury Protection Coverages and Benefits
When You Can Sue Beyond PIP
The no-fault system restricts lawsuits against the at-fault driver for pain and suffering. You can step outside no-fault only if your injuries include death, dismemberment, permanent disability or impairment based on objective medical findings, permanent disfigurement, a bone fracture, or medical expenses exceeding $3,000.4Utah Legislature. Utah Code 31A-22-309 – Limitations, Exclusions, and Conditions to Personal Injury Protection Uninsured motorist claims are not subject to this restriction.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage
Your insurer must offer you uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage at limits equal to your bodily injury liability limits.5Utah Legislature. Utah Code 31A-22-305 – Uninsured Motorist Coverage UM pays when the at-fault driver has no insurance, including hit-and-run situations. UIM pays when the at-fault driver has insurance but not enough to cover your losses.6Utah Legislature. Utah Code 31A-22-305.3 – Underinsured Motorist Coverage
You can decline either coverage, but only through a formal opt-out. You have to sign a written acknowledgment provided by your insurer that explains the coverage and discloses the additional premium.5Utah Legislature. Utah Code 31A-22-305 – Uninsured Motorist Coverage Without a signed rejection, your policy includes UM and UIM by default.
How Utah Verifies Coverage
Utah runs an electronic verification system, the Insure-Rite database, which matches every registered vehicle against insurance company records.7Utah Division of Motor Vehicles. Vehicle Insurance Requirements Insurers transmit policy data directly to the state, and the DMV checks it at registration and renewal. If the database flags your vehicle as uninsured, the Motor Vehicle Division can revoke your registration and mail you a notice explaining reinstatement.8Utah Legislature. Utah Code 41-12a-804 – Motor Vehicle Division Registration Revocation
Carry a physical or digital insurance card anyway. Law enforcement will ask for it at traffic stops and after accidents, and the electronic system is not infallible.
Penalties for Driving Without Insurance
Consequences escalate quickly:
- First offense: a fine of at least $400.9Utah Legislature. Utah Code 41-12a-302 – Operating Motor Vehicle Without Owner’s or Operator’s Security – Penalty
- A subsequent offense within three years: a class C misdemeanor with a fine of at least $1,000 and driver’s license suspension.10Utah Legislature. Utah Code 41-12a-303.2 – Evidence of Owner’s or Operator’s Security to Be Carried When Operating Motor Vehicle – Defense – Penalties
- Vehicle seizure: if you are in an accident while uninsured, a peace officer must seize the vehicle. Even without a crash, an officer may impound the vehicle after confirming through Insure-Rite that no coverage is in effect.11Utah Legislature. Utah Code 41-1a-1101 – Seizure of Vehicles
After a suspension, reinstatement requires a $40 fee and an SR-22 certificate filed by a licensed Utah insurer.12Utah Driver License Division. Reinstatement An SR-22 is not a separate policy; it is a form your insurer files with the state confirming you carry at least the minimum required coverage. It must stay in effect without any lapse. If your coverage drops, your insurer notifies the state and your license is suspended again.13Utah Legislature. Utah Code 41-12a-402 – Certificate of Insurance as Proof
If You Drive for Uber or Lyft
Your personal auto policy almost certainly does not cover you while you are logged into a ride-share app. Utah imposes separate insurance requirements on transportation network company drivers, and those minimums are higher than the standard 30/65/25.
While you are logged in but waiting for a ride request, either you or the TNC must carry liability coverage of at least $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident, and $30,000 for property damage, plus PIP and UM/UIM.14Utah Legislature. Utah Code 13-51-108 – Insurance Requirements From the moment you accept a ride through drop-off, the minimum is $1,000,000 in liability coverage per occurrence, plus PIP and UM/UIM.15Utah Legislature. Utah Code 13-51-108 – Insurance Requirements If your coverage lapses while you are driving, the TNC must step in and cover claims from the first dollar.