Car Insurance in Maine

What is different about car insurance in Maine?

Maine’s biggest difference is who holds the power when an insurer wants to drop you. In most states, a nonrenewal letter is the end of the story. In Maine, the insurer has to put its reason in writing, and you can ask the state to review it.

The price picture is also unusual. Maine drivers pay some of the lowest premiums in the country, and a very small share of them go uninsured. The state’s own rules help explain why, because the legal minimum is higher than in many states.

Maine is an at-fault state. The driver who causes a crash pays for the other person’s injuries and car, up to the limits of their policy. The sections below cover the limits, the extra coverages that come with every policy, what the law lets your insurer do, and what to expect on price.

How much car insurance do I have to carry in Maine?

You need 50/100/25 liability coverage. That means up to $50,000 for each injured person, $100,000 for all injuries in one crash, and $25,000 for damage to other people’s property. One combined limit of $125,000 also satisfies the rule.

Three other coverages come built in:

• Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage pays you when the other driver has no insurance, or too little. It must be at least 50/100. If your liability limits are higher, this coverage matches them unless you reject the higher amount on a signed form.
• Medical payments coverage pays at least $2,000 per person for treatment of you and your passengers, whoever caused the crash. Higher limits cost little extra.
• Towing and storage coverage of up to $500 pays for a police-ordered tow after a crash.

The state’s own insurance regulator says the minimums are only a starting point. A serious injury, or even smaller injuries to several people, can use up $100,000 fast. Many cars on the road cost more than $25,000. Use our state minimum lookup to compare Maine with a neighboring state, and read how uninsured motorist coverage works.

Here is an example with invented numbers. You rear-end a $38,000 pickup and its driver needs surgery. The repair bill is $13,000 and the medical bills are $90,000. Your policy pays the first $25,000 of property damage and up to $50,000 for that one injured person. Anything above those limits is your problem, and the other driver can come after your savings or wages.

What happens if I drive without insurance in Maine?

The fine is $100 to $500, but the bigger cost is the suspension. About 30 days after the state receives the court’s record of the violation, the Secretary of State suspends your license or your vehicle registration. It stays suspended until you file proof of coverage. Getting a suspended license back costs a $50 reinstatement fee.

It gets worse if you repeat it. Driving without insurance when you are already required to carry proof, such as after an earlier violation, is a crime. For a stop, an officer asks for your insurance card if you are pulled over for a moving violation or are in a reportable crash. A photo of a card on your phone counts, and showing it does not give the officer consent to look at anything else on the phone.

For a lapse, the cheapest fix is speed. If your policy lapsed because of a missed payment, ask your insurer about reinstatement before you drive. If your car sits unused, talk to your insurer before you cancel.

Only about 5.7% of Maine drivers were uninsured in 2023, the lowest rate in the country, against 15.4% nationally. Still, if one of the few hits you, your own uninsured motorist coverage is what pays.

Can my insurer cancel or drop me in Maine?

Less easily than in most places. This is the part of Maine law that other state guides skip.

For the first 60 days of a new policy, an insurer can cancel for almost any reason. After that, or at any renewal, it can cancel only for:

• not paying the premium,
• fraud or a material lie on the application or a claim,
• breaking the policy terms, or
• a driver in your household having a license revoked, or suspended for most reasons, during the policy or in the 180 days before it renewed.

The notice must give the reason and arrive at least 20 days ahead, or 10 days for nonpayment. Nonrenewal, where the insurer simply declines to continue at the end of the term, needs 30 days’ notice and a plain reason. The law says labels like “underwriting reasons,” “loss record” or “credit report” are not enough on their own.

The Bureau of Insurance lists extra grounds for not renewing, based on the past 36 months. They include an OUI, leaving the scene of a crash, speeding or reckless driving, driving on a suspended license, a false claim, or two or more crashes with injuries or more than $2,000 in damage.

You can fight it. Within 30 days of getting a reason, you can request a hearing before the Superintendent of Insurance. The insurer carries the burden of proving its reason. The Superintendent can order the policy to stay in force during the hearing and afterward if you win. If the insurer wins, your coverage can continue 14 more days so you can shop.

Two more protections help. An insurer cannot cancel, refuse to renew or raise your price solely because you reached a certain age. And credit is allowed as a rating factor, but an insurer cannot deny, cancel or refuse to renew solely because of credit information.

If you cannot get a policy anywhere, the Maine Automobile Insurance Plan is the last-resort market. Every insurer writing auto in the state takes part. Treat it as a bridge back to the regular market.

How much does car insurance cost in Maine?

Less than almost anywhere. The NAIC’s 2024 data show a Maine average of $934.54 per insured vehicle, against $1,431.63 for the whole country. Only North Dakota was lower on that measure. On the NAIC’s other measure, the combined average premium, Maine is the lowest at $1,000.13. For 2023 data, the Maine Bureau of Insurance reported the state had the lowest average in the country. It also said approved rate increases averaged under 4% from August 2024 to July 2025.

Those are averages across every driver and every policy. Published estimates for a specific profile are different, and they do not agree with each other because each uses its own driver and coverage.

Figures are taken from published third-party sources for the dates and coverage profiles shown. They are not quotes. Your price depends on your record, address, car and insurer.

The Bureau lists the usual drivers of price: your record, where the car is kept, miles driven, the car itself, prior coverage, claims history and credit. Because those weigh differently by company, two insurers can quote the same Mainer very differently. That is why comparing at least three is worth the time. Our guides on how rates are calculated and what drivers typically pay explain more.

Should I buy more than the minimum in Maine?

Probably, if you own a car worth more than a few thousand dollars, a home, or savings you cannot afford to lose. The estimates above show full coverage costing several times the minimum, but they bundle in collision and comprehensive, so they do not isolate the price of higher liability limits. Ask for quotes at both levels. Read full coverage versus liability only before you decide.

Three Maine-specific points to weigh:

1. Comprehensive coverage is what pays for hitting a deer or moose, or for storm damage like a falling limb. If you drive rural roads at dusk, a liability-only policy leaves you paying for that repair yourself.
2. Deductibles apply per vehicle. If you back into your spouse’s car, both deductibles can apply.
3. No diminished-value law. If your car loses resale value after a crash, your own policy generally will not pay it. You might raise it in a claim against the other driver’s insurer.

What if I have a claim dispute?

The Bureau says an insurer generally has 30 days after it has your proof of loss to pay or dispute a claim you make on your own policy. You do not have to use the shop the insurer suggests, though you may pay any price difference. If you and your insurer disagree on what a totaled car is worth, your policy’s appraisal clause lets each side hire an appraiser, with a neutral umpire if they disagree.

The Bureau can investigate whether an insurer handled a claim unfairly. It does not decide who caused the crash, so a fault dispute with another driver may end up in court.

Where do I go for help?

• Maine Bureau of Insurance: complaint form online or by mail, or call 800-300-5000. Start with your insurer in writing, then file if it does not fix the problem.
• Bureau of Motor Vehicles (Secretary of State): handles suspensions, license reinstatement and proof-of-insurance filings.
• Home and auto together: if you own a home, see our Maine home insurance page, and our guide to bundling.

We do not yet have separate Maine pages for SR-22 filings, young drivers or individual cities. Until we do, the national guides above cover the basics, and the Bureau of Insurance is the place to confirm anything specific to your case.

What to do next

1. Find your declarations page and check three numbers: liability limits, uninsured motorist limits, and whether you carry comprehensive and collision.
2. Decide whether 50/100/25 would cover a bad crash for you. If not, price 100/300/100 or higher.
3. Get quotes from at least three insurers using the same limits and deductibles, so the prices compare fairly.
4. Keep proof of insurance in the glove box or on your phone.
5. If a cancellation or nonrenewal notice arrives, read the reason, write down the date you received it, and count 30 days for a hearing request.
6. If a claim stalls, put your complaint in writing to the insurer first, then contact the Bureau of Insurance.

Bottom line

If you drive a newer car, own a home or have savings, the 50/100/25 minimum is probably too thin, and a low-price state like Maine makes quotes at higher limits worth getting. If money is tight, keep at least the minimum, never let it lapse, and keep your notices. If an insurer drops you, ask the state to review the reason within 30 days.