Oregon car insurance: minimums, SR-22 rules and costs
Last updated: November 12, 2026
Oregon drivers must carry at least $25,000/$50,000 of bodily injury liability and $20,000 of property damage liability, plus personal injury protection (PIP) and uninsured motorist (UM) coverage. In 2023, insured drivers in Oregon spent an average of $1,170.31 on car insurance, 9% below the national average of $1,281.60, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). That makes Oregon the 20th most expensive of the 50 states and D.C. by that measure.
Minimum car insurance required in Oregon
| Coverage | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability, per person | $25,000 |
| Bodily injury liability, per accident | $50,000 |
| Property damage liability, per accident | $20,000 |
| Personal injury protection (PIP) | Required |
| Uninsured motorist (UM) | Required |
You'll often see this written as 25/50/20. 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 Oregon a no-fault state?
No. Oregon 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.
Oregon 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 Oregon
Oregon's DMV requires an SR-22 if you were in a crash while driving uninsured, owned an uninsured vehicle that crashed, were convicted of driving uninsured, DUII or certain other traffic crimes, or are applying for a hardship permit. You have to file it even if you don't own a car or live in another state, and the filing starts on the day the DMV receives it.
Rules changed on January 1, 2026. For a conviction for driving uninsured on or after that date, the SR-22 requirement is one year instead of three. The DMV also no longer imposes a mandatory one-year suspension for crashes while uninsured, but it still requires a three-year SR-22 in those cases.
Read more: what an SR-22 is and how it works.
What drives car insurance costs in Oregon
Average spending in Oregon rose 18% from 2019 to 2023, compared with 19% nationwide. Here's average annual spending per insured vehicle, from the NAIC:
| Year | Oregon average | U.S. average |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | $990.24 | $1,075.08 |
| 2020 | $951.77 | $1,047.76 |
| 2021 | $947.01 | $1,060.23 |
| 2022 | $1,005.65 | $1,124.45 |
| 2023 | $1,170.31 | $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 14.7% of drivers in Oregon were uninsured in 2023, lower than the national estimate of 15.4%. That's the 18th 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. Oregon recorded 538 motor vehicle crash deaths in 2024, or 1.44 per 100 million miles driven, higher than the U.S. rate of 1.19 (the 10th highest of the 50 states and D.C.). Severe crashes drive up bodily injury claim costs.
- Where and how crashes happen. In 2024, 54% of Oregon's crash deaths happened in rural areas (U.S.: 41%), 30% involved speeding (U.S.: 29%), and 18% of those killed were pedestrians (U.S.: 18%).
Ways to save on car insurance in Oregon
- Compare at least three quotes. Insurers weigh the same facts differently, so prices for the same driver in Oregon can vary widely. More ways to lower your bill.
- Check your uninsured motorist limits anyway. Even at 14.7%, 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 Oregon 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
- 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
- Oregon DMV, SR-22 information
- Oregon Division of Financial Regulation, SB 840 insurance provisions memo (Dec. 9, 2025)
- Insurance Information Institute / Insurance Research Council, Facts + Statistics: Uninsured motorists (2023 estimates)
- IIHS-HLDI, Fatality Facts 2024: State by state
Compare car insurance options in your area → It takes about 2 minutes, and we never ask for your name, phone number or email.
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.