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

Last updated: November 12, 2026

Mississippi drivers must carry at least $25,000/$50,000 of bodily injury liability and $25,000 of property damage liability. In 2023, insured drivers in Mississippi spent an average of $1,199.53 on car insurance, 6% below the national average of $1,281.60, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). That makes Mississippi the 19th most expensive of the 50 states and D.C. by that measure.

Minimum car insurance required in Mississippi

Coverage	Minimum
Bodily injury liability, per person	$25,000
Bodily injury liability, per accident	$50,000
Property damage liability, per accident	$25,000

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 Mississippi a no-fault state?

No. Mississippi 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 Mississippi

Mississippi's Department of Public Safety cites state law (Miss. Code §63-15-4(4)): driving without your insurance card, or a digital copy on your phone, is a misdemeanor punishable by a $100 fine and a one-year license suspension, or until the owner shows proof of liability insurance that meets the state minimums and pays the fines and fees.

If you had insurance at the time of a crash but couldn't show it, DPS says to send proof to its Driver Service Bureau Records Division within 60 days to avoid a suspension. The DPS pages don't describe SR-22 filing periods, so ask the Driver Service Bureau if you're told to file one.

What drives car insurance costs in Mississippi

Average spending in Mississippi rose 23% from 2019 to 2023, compared with 19% nationwide. Here's average annual spending per insured vehicle, from the NAIC:

Year	Mississippi average	U.S. average
2019	$977.79	$1,075.08
2020	$979.31	$1,047.76
2021	$1,003.89	$1,060.23
2022	$1,060.90	$1,124.45
2023	$1,199.53	$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 28.2% of drivers in Mississippi were uninsured in 2023, higher than the national estimate of 15.4%. That's the 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. Mississippi recorded 753 motor vehicle crash deaths in 2024, or 1.81 per 100 million miles driven, higher than the U.S. rate of 1.19 (the highest of the 50 states and D.C.). Severe crashes drive up bodily injury claim costs.
Where and how crashes happen. In 2024, 67% of Mississippi's crash deaths happened in rural areas (U.S.: 41%), 17% involved speeding (U.S.: 29%), and 14% of those killed were pedestrians (U.S.: 18%).

Ways to save on car insurance in Mississippi

Compare at least three quotes. Insurers weigh the same facts differently, so prices for the same driver in Mississippi can vary widely. More ways to lower your bill.
Don't drop uninsured motorist coverage to save money. With roughly 1 in 4 drivers in Mississippi uninsured, it's what pays your injury bills if one of them hits you. How UM coverage works.
Shop at every renewal. Prices in Mississippi rose faster than the national average from 2019 to 2023, so a renewal increase is a good reason to compare.
Keep comprehensive if your car is worth it. Most crash deaths in Mississippi 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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DriveCheaper may be paid by companies shown on this site. How we make money. This page is general information, not insurance or legal advice. Laws and prices change, so confirm details with your insurer or your state's insurance department or DMV.