Bodily injury liability is a type of car insurance that helps cover other peoples’ medical bills, lost income and other expenses, up to your policy limits, after a car accident you cause. It’s part of liability car insurance, and it’s mandatory in almost all states.
What does bodily injury liability insurance cover?
Bodily injury liability insurance helps cover others’ medical costs in an at-fault accident. Expenses typically covered include:
- Medical expenses and other medical bills.
- Lost income.
- Pain and suffering.
- Funeral costs.
- Your legal fees (if you’re sued after an accident).
Bodily injury liability car insurance coverage does not pay for your or your passengers’ medical expenses. It also does not cover medical bills in excess of your policy limits. To ensure you’re fully protected, experts often recommend a full coverage car insurance policy that includes liability limits that are higher than your state minimum plus collision insurance and comprehensive insurance.
How bodily injury liability insurance works
If you’re found to be at fault for an accident, your insurance company will pay medical bills and related expenses for those that you injure, up to your policy’s limit. Plus, your insurer will cover the cost of your legal defense if the injured parties sue you.
Bodily injury liability insurance coverage generally has two types of coverage limits:
- Per-person limits: This represents the maximum amount your car insurance provider will pay for each injured person involved in the accident.
- Per-accident limits: This represents the maximum amount your insurance provider will pay to cover all injuries from a single accident.
For example: Let’s say you have a bodily injury liability policy that pays $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident. If you cause an accident that injures three people and results in medical expenses of $10,000 per person, or $30,000 total, these costs would be covered. Because bodily injury liability coverage has no deductible, you won’t have out-of-pocket costs for a claim.
However, if the same accident results in more than $15,000 of medical expenses for any one person, or more than $30,000 of medical expenses total, you’ll be responsible for the amount that exceeds your policy limit.
How much bodily injury liability insurance do you need?
Almost every state requires you to purchase an auto insurance policy that meets or exceeds your state’s insurance requirements for bodily injury liability coverage.
Liability insurance coverage limits are typically written as a series of three numbers, such as 25/50/10. The first two numbers represent the amount of bodily injury coverage that a policy provides per person and per accident, while the final number represents your property damage liability coverage limits. In this example that would translate to $25,000 (per person) / $50,000 (per accident) / $10,000 (property damage).
Some states allow a combined single limit for bodily injury liability and property damage liability. This means there’s no stated limit per person; the dollar figure is the maximum amount that will be paid out for all injuries and property damage.
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Here’s how much bodily injury liability coverage is required in each state and the District of Columbia:
While you’re not legally required to buy more than the state minimum bodily injury liability coverage limits, the average cost of a liability claim for bodily injury is nearly $25,000, according to the Insurance Information Institute.
If multiple people are injured or killed in an accident, that number could be even higher. With the minimum amount of coverage, you likely won’t have adequate insurance to pay for these costs, and you could be sued for the remaining balance.
Often times drivers buy at least 100/300/100 in liability coverage. That means:
- $100,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person.
- $300,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident.
- $100,000 of property damage liability coverage.
If you have a high net worth or future earnings potential, you may also benefit from umbrella insurance.
How much does bodily injury liability coverage cost?
Because bodily injury liability coverage isn’t usually sold on its own, it’s difficult to say what it costs in isolation. However, according to our data, the average legal minimum liability policy — including bodily injury, property damage and any other state-mandated coverage — costs $928 per year. Your costs will vary based on location and other factors.
Increasing bodily injury liability limits per accident to 100/300 will increase your rate, but it’s much more affordable than the potential expense or lawsuit you’ll face if you have inadequate coverage.
Here are the average annual rate for $100,000/$300,000 bodily injury liability car insurance according to Jerry quotes, compare this to the average state-minimum ($928):
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Liability Limits
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Avg Annual Quote
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|---|---|
| 100/300 | $2,965 |
Other factors that affect bodily injury liability insurance costs
Insurance providers use more than just your address to calculate your premiums. Additional factors involved in determining insurance costs can include:
- Driving experience: Less experience means a higher risk of accidents, which can mean higher rates for coverage.
- Driving record: A history of tickets, at-fault accidents and other violations can indicate you’re a high-risk driver, which could mean increased premiums.
- Insurance history: A short automobile insurance history or lapses in coverage could lead to higher insurance costs.
Depending on your state, auto insurance companies may also use your credit score or gender to calculate your insurance rates.
FAQ
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Will bodily injury liability cover you or your passengers?
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Does bodily injury insurance coverage have a deductible?
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Can health insurance replace your auto policy for medical bills?
Liz Jenson is an insurance writer who specializes in general automotive and insurance topics. Liz’s mission is to produce informative and useful content to help car owners make smart choices when buying cars and car insurance. Since joining Jerry in 2021, Liz has written nearly 4,000 long- and short-form articles on topics including state-specific insurance recommendations, common car insurance questions, and deep dives into vehicle model details. Before they came to Jerry, Liz was a full-time student at Indiana University, Bloomington working on a double major in English and French.
Phil Metzger is a personal finance editor and writer with more than 30 years of experience editing and writing content across a variety of industries. In writing and editing for Jerry, Phil’s mission is to help car owners better understand their vehicles and the costs associated with car ownership. Before joining Jerry, Phil worked as a writer and editor for newspapers, magazines, television radio and online news. His work has appeared in many major publications and websites over the years, including a series he edited that was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize.
Alice Holbrook is an editor with more than a decade of experience covering personal finance, including car insurance. She\\\’s passionate about creating easy-to-understand content that demystifies intimidating topics for readers. Previously, she worked for NerdWallet, and her work has been featured by Newsweek, The Washington Post and the Associated Press, among others.
