Arkansas car insurance: minimums, SR-22 rules and costs

Last updated: November 12, 2026

Arkansas drivers must carry at least $25,000/$50,000 of bodily injury liability and $25,000 of property damage liability, plus personal injury protection (PIP) coverage. In 2023, insured drivers in Arkansas spent an average of $1,050.78 on car insurance, 18% below the national average of $1,281.60, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). That makes Arkansas the 19th least expensive of the 50 states and D.C. by that measure.

Minimum car insurance required in Arkansas

Coverage	Minimum
Bodily injury liability, per person	$25,000
Bodily injury liability, per accident	$50,000
Property damage liability, per accident	$25,000
Personal injury protection (PIP)	Required

You'll often see this written as 25/50/25. The first two numbers are the bodily injury limits in thousands of dollars (per person and per accident), and the last is property damage. Those amounts are the most the policy pays for injuries and damage you cause to others. Anything above them can come back to you personally.

Is Arkansas a no-fault state?

No. Arkansas isn't one of the 12 no-fault states listed by the Insurance Information Institute, so the driver who causes a crash, and their insurer, is generally responsible for the other people's injuries and damage. That's why the liability limits above matter so much.

Arkansas does require personal injury protection, which pays your own medical costs whoever caused the crash. The Insurance Information Institute calls this an "add-on" system: you get first-party benefits like in a no-fault state, but there are no limits on your right to sue.

SR-22 rules in Arkansas

Arkansas handles post-accident proof of insurance through the Office of Driver Services' Safety Responsibility section. After a crash that causes more than $1,000 in damage or injures or kills someone, the state requires an accident report (Form SR-1), and showing proof of insurance is one way to meet its financial responsibility rules. The state's Safety Responsibility page doesn't spell out SR-22 filing periods. If you're told to file one, your insurer submits it, and the Office of Driver Services can confirm how long it applies to you.

What drives car insurance costs in Arkansas

Average spending in Arkansas rose 17% from 2019 to 2023, compared with 19% nationwide. Here's average annual spending per insured vehicle, from the NAIC:

Year	Arkansas average	U.S. average
2019	$900.36	$1,075.08
2020	$876.72	$1,047.76
2021	$887.50	$1,060.23
2022	$926.55	$1,124.45
2023	$1,050.78	$1,281.60

The NAIC's "average expenditure" is total written premium divided by insured vehicles. It isn't a quote, and your own price depends on your driver profile and the coverage you choose.

Uninsured drivers. An estimated 12.1% of drivers in Arkansas were uninsured in 2023, lower than the national estimate of 15.4%. That's the 26th highest rate among the 50 states and D.C. When more drivers are uninsured, insured drivers' own uninsured motorist coverage pays more claims, which pushes up its price.
Crash deaths. Arkansas recorded 603 motor vehicle crash deaths in 2024, or 1.53 per 100 million miles driven, higher than the U.S. rate of 1.19 (the 4th highest of the 50 states and D.C.). Severe crashes drive up bodily injury claim costs.
Where and how crashes happen. In 2024, 68% of Arkansas's crash deaths happened in rural areas (U.S.: 41%), 23% involved speeding (U.S.: 29%), and 11% of those killed were pedestrians (U.S.: 18%).

Ways to save on car insurance in Arkansas

Compare at least three quotes. Insurers weigh the same facts differently, so prices for the same driver in Arkansas can vary widely. More ways to lower your bill.
Check your uninsured motorist limits anyway. Even at 12.1%, uninsured and underinsured drivers are common, and UM coverage is usually inexpensive. How UM coverage works.
Shop at renewal. Even where prices rise more slowly, your own renewal can jump after a claim, a move or a new car. When to compare.
Keep comprehensive if your car is worth it. Most crash deaths in Arkansas happen on rural roads, where animal strikes and long distances are common. Comprehensive covers hitting an animal; collision covers crashes. Comprehensive vs. collision.
Ask about discounts. Common ones include safe driver, multi-car, bundling, paying in full, good student and usage-based programs. They're not always applied automatically.

See other states in our car insurance guides by state.

Sources

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