New York car insurance: minimums, SR-22 rules and costs

Last updated: November 12, 2026

New York drivers must carry at least $25,000/$50,000 of bodily injury liability and $10,000 of property damage liability, plus personal injury protection (PIP) and uninsured motorist (UM) coverage. In 2023, insured drivers in New York spent an average of $1,752.55 on car insurance, 37% above the national average of $1,281.60, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). That makes New York the 2nd most expensive of the 50 states and D.C. by that measure.

Minimum car insurance required in New York

Coverage	Minimum
Bodily injury liability, per person	$25,000
Bodily injury liability, per accident	$50,000
Property damage liability, per accident	$10,000
Personal injury protection (PIP)	Required
Uninsured motorist (UM)	Required

You'll often see this written as 25/50/10. 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.

New York also requires coverage of 50/100 for the death of a person in an accident.

Is New York a no-fault state?

Yes. New York is one of 12 states with a no-fault auto insurance law, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Your own personal injury protection pays your medical bills after a crash, whoever caused it. You can only sue the other driver for pain and suffering once your injuries pass a verbal (descriptive) threshold.

SR-22 rules in New York

New York's DMV insurance page doesn't describe SR-22 filings. What it requires is New York State-issued liability insurance, from a company licensed by the Department of Financial Services, for as long as a vehicle is registered, even if you don't drive it. The DMV doesn't accept out-of-state insurance of any kind.

If you don't keep coverage in force, the DMV can suspend your registration and your driver license. It can also suspend both if the name on your insurance doesn't exactly match the name on your registration.

What drives car insurance costs in New York

Average spending in New York rose 21% from 2019 to 2023, compared with 19% nationwide. Here's average annual spending per insured vehicle, from the NAIC:

Year	New York average	U.S. average
2019	$1,446.14	$1,075.08
2020	$1,426.50	$1,047.76
2021	$1,495.29	$1,060.23
2022	$1,548.26	$1,124.45
2023	$1,752.55	$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 8.6% of drivers in New York were uninsured in 2023, lower than the national estimate of 15.4%. That's the 8th lowest 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. New York recorded 1,101 motor vehicle crash deaths in 2024, or 0.91 per 100 million miles driven, lower than the U.S. rate of 1.19 (the 9th lowest of the 50 states and D.C.). Severe crashes drive up bodily injury claim costs.
Where and how crashes happen. In 2024, 26% of New York's crash deaths happened in rural areas (U.S.: 41%), 33% involved speeding (U.S.: 29%), and 26% of those killed were pedestrians (U.S.: 18%).
No-fault rules. Mandatory PIP means every policy pays for its own driver's medical costs, which shapes what you pay for that part of the policy.

Ways to save on car insurance in New York

Compare at least three quotes. Insurers weigh the same facts differently, so prices for the same driver in New York can vary widely. More ways to lower your bill.
Check your uninsured motorist limits anyway. Even at 8.6%, uninsured and underinsured drivers are common, and UM coverage is usually inexpensive. How UM coverage works.
Shop at every renewal. Prices in New York rose faster than the national average from 2019 to 2023, so a renewal increase is a good reason to compare.
Review your PIP options. In a no-fault state, PIP is a big part of the bill. Ask how different PIP limits, deductibles or coordination with your health insurance change the price.
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

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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.