Texas Minimum Car Insurance Requirements

How much car insurance do you have to carry in Texas?

Texas requires drivers to carry liability insurance. Liability coverage pays for harm you cause to other people. It does not pay for your own car or your own injuries.

The legal minimum is written 30/60/25. That is three limits, meaning the most your insurer will pay for each kind of loss:

• $30,000 for injuries to any one person you hurt.
• $60,000 for everyone’s injuries in one crash. No single person can get more than $30,000 of it.
• $25,000 for property you damage in one crash, such as other cars, fences, signs or a storefront.

People often mix up the last two numbers. The $60,000 covers injuries only. Property damage stays at $25,000, however many cars you hit.

If a crash costs more than your limits, you owe the difference yourself. That is the real risk of carrying only the minimum.

Does Texas minimum insurance pay for my own car or injuries?

No. To fix your own car after a crash you cause, you need collision coverage, which Texas does not require. Two other coverages can protect you, and your insurer must include them unless you turn them down in writing:

• Personal injury protection (PIP) pays your own medical bills, lost income and household help after a crash, whoever was at fault. Insurers only have to provide $2,500 per person, a small cushion.
• Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage (UM/UIM) pays you when the other driver has no insurance or too little. For a hit-and-run, Texas policies require that the other car actually touched you or your property.

If you never signed a rejection, you probably have both. The quickest check is your declarations page, the summary at the front of your policy. If you did turn one down, your insurer does not have to add it back at renewal unless you ask in writing.

What happens if I drive without insurance in Texas?

It can come up at a traffic stop, a crash scene, or in a registration notice. A first ticket is a misdemeanor with a fine of $175 to $350, plus court costs, so ask the clerk for the total. If you truly cannot pay, a judge may go below $175.

There is one big way out. If you can show a policy that was active on the day of the ticket, the court must dismiss the charge.

A second conviction costs much more:

• A fine of $350 to $1,000.
• A suspended license, unless you file an SR-22 for two years. An SR-22 is a form your insurer sends the state to prove you have coverage.
• If you owned the car when you were stopped and still own it at conviction, a court-ordered 180-day impound at $15 a day.

Since September 1, 2025, an officer can have your car towed at the stop, and you pay for towing and storage. Older websites still mention yearly surcharges, but Texas ended them in 2019. See our Texas uninsured driver guide and SR-22 page.

How does Texas know whether I have insurance?

Your insurer reports your policy to TexasSure, a state database that matches policies to registered vehicles. Police, county tax offices and courts can look you up. An officer must try that check before writing an insurance ticket, and a clean result cancels the assumption that you were uninsured.

You can also show proof yourself. Your insurance card works, and so does an image your insurer sent to your phone. The officer may not browse your phone. Your county tax office wants proof before registering your car. A policy under 30 days will not count for registration or a license.

The database gets things wrong sometimes. A notice looks scary, but if you were insured, it is fixable. Common causes:

• A new or changed policy, which can take about three weeks to show up.
• An out-of-state or business policy, which TexasSure does not receive.
• A name, address or VIN (the car’s ID number) that does not match your registration.

Is 30/60/25 enough coverage in Texas?

It meets the law but often falls short in a serious crash. Here is an example with made-up numbers, not Texas averages. You change lanes on I-35 and clip a pickup, which then hits a guardrail:

• The pickup driver’s medical bills are $48,000. Your policy pays $30,000, and you owe $18,000.
• A passenger in the pickup has $14,000 in bills. Your policy pays all of it.
• The pickup ($38,000) and the guardrail ($6,000) add up to $44,000. Your policy pays $25,000, and you owe $19,000.

The total loss is $106,000. Your insurer pays $69,000 and you owe $37,000. With 50/100/50 limits, nothing would be left unpaid.

If you cannot pay, it can get worse. Once a court judgment (an order to pay) against you goes unpaid for 60 days, the other side can have it reported to the state, which then suspends your license and vehicle registrations. That lasts until you pay, set up a court-ordered payment plan, or the other side agrees in writing, and you show proof of insurance.

Who should carry more than the minimum?

Ask for quotes on higher limits if any of these fit you:

• You own a home, have savings or earn wages a judgment could reach. A Texas attorney can say which assets state law protects.
• You often drive with passengers, because everyone hurt shares the $60,000.
• The cars around you may be worth more than $25,000.
• A teen driver is on your policy.

Keep UM/UIM matched to your liability limits. The state’s database shows about one in eight registered vehicles with no matching policy, though some are business or self-insured. A 2023 industry study put uninsured drivers at 14.5 percent. The two counts use different methods, so treat the truth as a range.

To compare prices, try the state’s HelpInsure tool or our liability limit checker. Ask about an umbrella policy too, which adds liability coverage above your auto limits.

Do I need more coverage if I have a car loan or drive for a ride-hailing app?

Possibly. If you owe money on the car, your lender will require collision and comprehensive coverage, which pay to fix or replace your car after a crash, theft, fire or flood. If you drop them, the lender can buy a policy that protects only the lender and add the cost to your payment. Leases often ask for higher liability limits, so read yours. If you owe more than the car is worth, look at gap insurance.

Most personal policies exclude ride-hailing and delivery work. While you are logged on and waiting, Texas requires 50/100/25. During a ride the requirement is $1 million. It can come from you, the company, or both, so ask before your first trip.

The details in one table

What to do next

1. Find your declarations page. Check your liability limits and whether PIP and UM/UIM are on the policy.
2. If a crash like the example would wipe you out, get quotes for higher limits.
3. Read your loan or lease paperwork before you drop any coverage.
4. Keep proof in the car, either your insurance card or the image your insurer sends.
5. Got a ticket while insured? Ask your insurer for proof of coverage on that date and bring it to court. Got a TexasSure notice? Check that the VIN on your policy matches the one on your car. If not, have your agent fix it. If it matches, check your title and file Form VTR-270 if the state’s record is wrong.
6. Ticketed with no coverage? Do not skip your court date. Tell the judge if the fine is a hardship, and get a policy right away. A second conviction costs far more.
7. Unsure what a coverage means? Read the Texas Department of Insurance guide.

Common mistakes

• Assuming you have, or lack, PIP or UM/UIM without reading your declarations page.
• Ignoring a TexasSure notice after you switch insurers.
• Letting coverage lapse while the car stays registered. Dismissal needs a policy active on the ticket date.

Bottom line

If you have little to lose, 30/60/25 keeps you legal. If you own a home, have savings or drive with passengers, ask for higher limits and keep UM/UIM. If you got a ticket or notice but were insured that day, bring proof, and the court must dismiss it. If you were not insured, buy coverage now and take the court date seriously.