Colorado car insurance: minimums, SR-22 rules and costs
Last updated: November 12, 2026
Colorado drivers must carry at least $25,000/$50,000 of bodily injury liability and $15,000 of property damage liability. In 2023, insured drivers in Colorado spent an average of $1,452.82 on car insurance, 13% above the national average of $1,281.60, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). That makes Colorado the 11th most expensive of the 50 states and D.C. by that measure.
Minimum car insurance required in Colorado
| Coverage | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability, per person | $25,000 |
| Bodily injury liability, per accident | $50,000 |
| Property damage liability, per accident | $15,000 |
You'll often see this written as 25/50/15. 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 Colorado a no-fault state?
No. Colorado 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.
SR-22 rules in Colorado
Colorado's Division of Motor Vehicles says you may need to file an SR-22 when you reinstate after certain suspensions or revocations. Its SR-22 page doesn't give one filing period for everyone, so confirm with the DMV how long yours must stay on file before you cancel or switch policies.
Read more: what an SR-22 is and how it works.
What drives car insurance costs in Colorado
Average spending in Colorado rose 24% from 2019 to 2023, compared with 19% nationwide. Here's average annual spending per insured vehicle, from the NAIC:
| Year | Colorado average | U.S. average |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $1,175.48 | $1,075.08 |
| 2020 | $1,171.65 | $1,047.76 |
| 2021 | $1,188.74 | $1,060.23 |
| 2022 | $1,274.60 | $1,124.45 |
| 2023 | $1,452.82 | $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 19.7% of drivers in Colorado were uninsured in 2023, higher than the national estimate of 15.4%. That's the 9th 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. Colorado recorded 689 motor vehicle crash deaths in 2024, or 1.25 per 100 million miles driven, higher than the U.S. rate of 1.19 (the 21st highest of the 50 states and D.C.). Severe crashes drive up bodily injury claim costs.
- Where and how crashes happen. In 2024, 34% of Colorado's crash deaths happened in rural areas (U.S.: 41%), 34% involved speeding (U.S.: 29%), and 16% of those killed were pedestrians (U.S.: 18%).
Ways to save on car insurance in Colorado
- Compare at least three quotes. Insurers weigh the same facts differently, so prices for the same driver in Colorado can vary widely. More ways to lower your bill.
- Don't drop uninsured motorist coverage to save money. With roughly 1 in 5 drivers in Colorado uninsured, it's what pays your injury bills if one of them hits you. How UM coverage works.
- Shop at every renewal. Prices in Colorado rose faster than the national average from 2019 to 2023, so a renewal increase is a good reason to compare.
- Pick a deductible you can actually pay. Raising it lowers your premium, but only if you could cover it after a claim. How deductibles work.
- 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
- Insurance Information Institute, Automobile Financial Responsibility Limits and Enforcement by State (as of July 2024)
- NAIC, 2023 Auto Insurance Database Average Premium Supplement (June 2025), Table 4: average expenditure
- Insurance Information Institute, Background on: No-fault auto insurance
- Colorado DMV, SR-22 and insurance information
- Insurance Information Institute / Insurance Research Council, Facts + Statistics: Uninsured motorists (2023 estimates)
- IIHS-HLDI, Fatality Facts 2024: State by state
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