Florida Auto Insurance Requirements

The Florida State laws governing auto insurance require you to carry a minimum amount of liability insurance. You will need to provide proof that you possess the minimum liability auto insurance to pay for injuries to another person or damages to their property in case of an accident.

The Florida State Department of Revenue and the Florida State Department of Insurance are the government agencies you need to present your proof of insurance to. You may also need to contact the Motor Vehicle Division. In order to register your car in Florida, you must prove that you have the proper liability auto insurance coverage. All eligible drivers in a household must be covered under a liability auto insurance policy.

Mandatory liability auto insurance is also required on rental vehicles by the state of Florida. Your personal auto insurance policy generally covers rental cars but if it does not provide coverage for rental vehicles, you may want to check with the credit card that you used to rent the car. Credit card companies sometimes cover insurance on rental cars. If neither option applies to your situation, you must purchase the minimum liability insurance from the rental company. This may cost you from $7.00 to $14.00 per day. Keep the rental agreement in the vehicle through out the term of the agreement. This will be your proof of insurance in case of an accident or traffic stop.

Florida is a No Fault state. This means that individuals injured in an accident can sue for severe injuries, pain and suffering under given conditions. You may also be reimbursed by your insurance company regardless of who caused the accident. Florida requires you to carry coverage for yourself and your own vehicles in the amount of $10,000.00 for personal injury and property damage. This coverage applies to all vehicles you own with a valid registration tag. Not possessing this coverage could result in the loss of your driving privileges.

You must have proof of insurance with you at all times. Florida’s mandatory minimum liability auto insurance limits are $10,000.00 per individual injury or death, $20,000.00 for all injured persons, and $10,000.00 for damage to property. Auto insurance policies purchased in Florida will include the mandatory liability minimum insurance limits. In situations where the driver has a citation for DUI, at fault for an accident, a suspended license for too many traffic violation points, or the license was revoked for habitual traffic violations, you will also be required to provide financial responsibility minimum coverage.

However, the state of Florida does not require drivers to carry underinsured or uninsured auto insurance coverage but the insurance company must offer that protection to you when you apply for a policy with their company. Likewise, you do not have to carry collision and comprehensive insurance on your vehicle. The insurance company must be an approved vendor in the state of Florida. You cannot carry your insurance over from a previous state of residency and you must obtain valid insurance in 90 days. This is meant as 90 days total in one year; not 90 days in a row.



Florida requires motorists to be covered by the mandatory liability auto insurance policy at all times. You will not be allowed to register your vehicle without proof of insurance. Should you become involved in an accident or be stopped for a traffic violation and you do not have the required liability policy, you will be cited as an uninsured motorist. Even if the accident is not your fault, you can still be cited for lacking proof of insurance. This will result in fines and points being added to your driving record. The penalties will increase with repeat offenses. The exemptions to the mandatory liability insurance are off highway vehicles and non operational vehicles.

The first offense will result in the loss of your license, registration and tags. Repeated offenses can result in fines up to $500.00 and three years of a suspended license. Vehicle registrations will also be suspended if you are found guilty of driving without proper liability auto insurance or submit false proof of insurance. Failure to comply with the laws or to submit proof of insurance upon request by the authorities may also result in vehicle registration suspension and fines.



You must produce proof of insurance upon request by the authorities. This proof needs to include the name of the insurance company, the dates of coverage, and the amount of liability coverage. It also needs to include the policy number, VIN number of the vehicles covered, the make and model of the vehicles as well as the name of the policy holder. The auto insurance needs to be authorized by a qualified auto insurance company.

Remember that you may need your proof of minimum liability auto insurance at any time. You will definitely need it at the time of registering your car, in the case of involvement in an accident either as the cause of the accident or the victim of the accident, or if you should be stopped for a traffic violation.