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How Much Car Insurance Does a Florida Driver Need to Carry?

There is a big difference between how much car insurance Florida drivers are required to carry, and how much they really need to have to truly protect themselves and their families.

Let us first consider how much a Florida driver is legally required to carry. The answer is “very little.”

To own and maintain a Florida license plate and registration, a Florida motorist is required to purchase a minimum of

  • $10,000 personal injury protection (PIP) aka “Florida No Fault Insurance.”
  • $10,000 property damage liability (PDL).

PIP pays 80% of your medical bills, and up to 60% of lost wages, up to the limit of your policy. Since the minimum requirement is $10,000, that is the amount most drivers carry.

Obviously, $10,000 of PIP is woefully insufficient to cover you, your family and others in most types of serious accidents. And, unless a driver has committed a DUI offense in the recent past, liability insurance is not a requirement in Florida.

For this reason, optional coverage is available for Florida drivers to purchase.

Speak with an experienced Florida attorney at our firm today.
Call 855-Kramer-Now (855-572-6376)
.

How much and what kind of optional car insurance should you have?

The question of how much car insurance to buy is difficult to answer because it becomes a personal decision, often based on each individual’s or family’s finances. Plus, Florida’s car insurance laws and requirements are confusing at best.

The following explanation is provided to demystify your insurance options, and to help you understand why certain types of insurance create the best way to protect yourself and others.

Types of car insurance Florida drivers may voluntarily purchase – in addition to the required minimum.

Bodily Injury Liability Insurance

Bodily injury (BI) liability insurance pays money damages if you cause an accident and injure someone else. You purchase BI to help to protect your assets. Without BI coverage, your personal assets may be at risk.

If you are partially or totally responsible for a car accident in which someone sustains serious injury, the injured person(s) can sue you for damages. By owning BI liability coverage, your policy would serve to reimburse the injured party up to the policy limits. BI coverage also pays towards the cost of your defense in these cases.

Minimum bodily injury coverage can be $10,000 per person/$20,000 per accident. Recommended coverage is generally higher, and can range from $15,000/$30,000 to $250,000/$500,000 or more.

As explained below, you must have bodily injury coverage in order to be eligible to purchase Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage.

Uninsured Motorist / Underinsured Motorist (UM) Insurance

UM insurance coverage pays for your damages if you are in an accident and the negligent driver either has no bodily injury liability insurance (Uninsured Motorist) or does not have enough BI to reimburse your losses (Underinsured Motorist).

Once your PIP coverage is used up and it is determined the at-fault driver has little or no liability insurance to pursue, your UM coverage kicks in. UM pays for medical bills, lost wages, and (very importantly) pain and suffering.

Florida law requires insurance companies who sell bodily injury (BI) liability policies to offer an equal amount of uninsured motorist (UM) coverage on each policy.

Like BI, UM is not mandatory. But you must specifically reject (in writing) that offer of UM coverage. You can also specifically choose to buy lesser coverage. You are entitled to UM up to the limit of the bodily injury liability coverage you elect in your policy.

Stacked UM

When you own more than one car, you can purchase stacked UM insurance—you get to add one UM policy on top of another, and the policy limits are added together.

If you have two cars and a truck, with $100,000 of UM coverage on each vehicle, the stacked coverage for you and your family amounts to $300,000.

Stacked coverage generally applies to “Class I” insureds: the named insured, spouse, and resident relatives. Stacked UM coverage follows the insured, so whether you or a family member are injured as a pedestrian, a passenger in another car, or you are driving someone else’s car, your UM policy covers you.

Unless you reject the UM coverage in writing, stacking of UM coverage is presumed.

Non-stacked UM

If you have non-stacked UM, you may only recover damages if you are in a wreck while in the insured automobile.

See more about stacking vs. non-stacking Florida UM.

Extended PIP

In the case of serious injuries, standard PIP coverage does not go far. It is worth considering increasing PIP coverage to $50,000 or $100,000 in the event your medical bills and lost wages are in excess of $10,000.

Medical Payment Insurance

Florida drivers may also elect to buy Medical Payments Coverage (Med Pay) to supplement PIP coverage. This can be especially beneficial for people who do not have health insurance. PIP covers 80% of your medical bills, and Med Pay can cover the remaining 20%.

Most insurance policies offer Med Pay in the amount of $5000. Med Pay does not cover lost wages.

Speak with an experienced Florida attorney at our firm today.
Call 855-Kramer-Now (855-572-6376)
.

Are you adequately insured?

As attorneys who represent car accident injury victims, we often see families suffer because they carried only the minimum coverage. Because they met Florida’s minimum requirements, they believed they were adequately protected.

Do you know how much car insurance you have? If you are unsure of your automobile coverage, now is the perfect time to examine and understand what insurance policies you have. Go through them with your insurance agent. Do you feel comfortable that you are fully covered? Is it time to make a change?

A good rule of thumb is, play it safe and carry as much insurance as you reasonably can. It is beneficial to opt for stackable UM coverage if you are financially able to.

Getting a fair sum in an Orlando auto accident claim.

As Florida personal injury attorneys, we have helped hundreds of accident victims recover full and fair compensation for injuries sustained in car crashes through negotiations with insurance companies, litigation or trial.

If you or a loved one has been the victim of an accident and would like TK Law to review your case, please contact us.

HOW TO GET STARTED

Make Your Best Decision Today

STEP 1

Schedule your case review so we can help you.

STEP 2

Consultation

During your consultation we’ll review your options and see if we’re a right fit for you.

STEP 3

Representation

If we take on your case, you’ll be represented by the best.

Get Your Free Case Evaluation Today

The Orlando divorce lawyers at TK Law are deeply committed to the individuals and families they serve. We are here to help you resolve each legal concern so you can regain control and move forward with your life. You will also have a steadfast, accomplished advocate in your corner to fight for what matters most if a dispute goes to trial.

We know how overwhelming conflict can be and how painful it is to see a marriage end. We will guide you through this difficult process before, during and after your divorce.

Contact our offices today to schedule a confidential consultation with one or our family law attorneys, or call us at 855-572-6376.

407-834-4847

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Mar. 2024
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Gastell and Kayla were awesome! They helped me make it through a very challenging time in my life with kindness and compassion. They were always available to answer my questions and kept me up to date. Their counsel was extremely helpful in aiding a resolution that I am very satisfied with.
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Mar. 2024
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I give this law firm a 5 star. Ray and Janelise helped us with our probate issue and made the process a lot easier for us to finalized all of it. We're very thankful to this law office and recommend them for any legal issues.Thank you Janelisse and Ray and the entire office .
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I am thankful to Janelise and Kayla at TK Law for a fantastic job. Kayla guided me through every step of my divorce process. She is patient, professional, and honest. I highly recommend them!
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Dec. 2023
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This was first experience hiring a law firm and I am very happy that I hired TK Law. My attorney Janelise and Paralegal Kayla were kind, knowledgeable and made the process easy. They were quick to respond when I needed revisions to my document and the final outcome was perfect. If I ever need legal help in the future, I will not hesitate to contact TK Law again.

*Top-rating from clients and award publications such as Orlando Weekly, US News & more.​

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We offer payment plans, accept credit cards, are available for evening appointments and our main office is conveniently located right off of I-4, between 436 and 434. For immediate help call: 407-834-4847.

Disclaimer

The information found here is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice for any situation or individual case. This information is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

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Phone: 407-834-4847
999 Douglas Ave #3333, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714

Service Areas

Orange & Seminole County, Florida.

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