The District of Columbia currently requires $25,000 of bodily injury liability per person, $50,000 per accident and $10,000 of property damage liability (25/50/10), plus uninsured motorist coverage of $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident and $5,000 for property damage with a $200 deductible. Starting October 1, 2027, D.C. Law 26-155 raises those minimums to 50/100/20 for liability and to $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident and $20,000 for property damage on uninsured motorist coverage.
Every owner of a car that has to be registered in D.C. must keep coverage in force for the whole registration period. Insurers tell the DC DMV when a policy is canceled, and a lapse can bring a fine and a registration suspension, separate from any ticket for driving uninsured. Personal injury protection (PIP) isn’t required, but insurers have to offer it.
Key Takeaways
- D.C.’s minimums are 25/50/10 liability plus uninsured motorist coverage. They rise to 50/100/20 on October 1, 2027, and from January 1, 2037 the bodily injury and uninsured motorist amounts go up again every 10 years.
- Starting October 1, 2027, enhanced underinsured motorist coverage comes with every policy unless the first named insured waives it in writing. It pays without being reduced by what the at-fault driver’s insurer paid you.
- Insurers must offer PIP, but buying it is your choice. If you’re hurt and have PIP, you have 60 days to tell the insurer whether you’ll take PIP benefits or keep your right to claim against the at-fault driver.
- Driving uninsured brings a $500 civil fine, a license suspension of up to 30 days, or both. Owners also face a separate lapse fine of $150 for the first 30 days, then $7 a day up to $2,500.
District of Columbia Minimum Car Insurance at a Glance
| Coverage | Required now | Required from October 1, 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability | $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident | $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident |
| Property damage liability | $10,000 per accident | $20,000 per accident |
| Uninsured motorist bodily injury | $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident | $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident |
| Uninsured motorist property damage | $5,000, with a $200 deductible | $20,000 (the law doesn’t amend the $200 deductible sentence) |
| Underinsured motorist | Must be offered; optional | Enhanced coverage included unless you waive it in writing |
| Personal injury protection | Must be offered; optional | Must be offered; optional |
| Collision and comprehensive | Not required by law, but lenders and lessors often require them | Same |
The current amounts are in D.C. Code 31-2406, and the DC DMV’s vehicle insurance page lists the same figures, which is correct until the new law applies. Under D.C. Code 31-2403, each owner of a vehicle that must be registered in the District needs continuous coverage during the registration period, and a nonresident can’t drive an uninsured car in D.C. RateFrog’s guide to liability limits explains how split limits like 25/50/10 work.
What Changes on October 1, 2027
The Motor Vehicle Insurance Modernization Amendment Act of 2026 (D.C. Law 26-155) took effect August 14, 2026, but its new amounts apply as of October 1, 2027. On that date, the liability minimum becomes 50/100/20, and required uninsured motorist coverage becomes $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident and $20,000 for property damage. The law changes the uninsured motorist dollar amounts but doesn’t amend the sentence that sets the $200 property damage deductible.
The law also builds in future increases. Beginning January 1, 2037, and every 10 years after that, the bodily injury liability minimums and the uninsured motorist minimums rise by $5,000 per person and $10,000 per accident, and uninsured motorist property damage rises by $2,000. The increase provision doesn’t list the separate property damage liability minimum. The commissioner has to publish notice at least 12 months before each increase.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage in D.C.
Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage is required on every D.C. policy. Under 31-2406(f), it applies when you’re hit by an uninsured vehicle, a hit-and-run driver, or a driver whose insurer denies coverage or is insolvent. Current law lets you ask for higher UM limits, up to $100,000 per person, $300,000 per accident and $25,000 for property damage. Policies may bar stacking UM coverage from more than one vehicle.
Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage applies when the at-fault driver has insurance but not enough. Until October 1, 2027, insurers must offer it as an option, in amounts up to your UM limits. If you reject it, the insurer doesn’t have to offer it again.
Enhanced Underinsured Motorist Coverage From 2027
Law 26-155 adds a new default. Starting October 1, 2027, each insurer has to include enhanced UIM coverage unless the first named insured makes an affirmative written waiver after getting written notice. Enhanced UIM pays the amount of the coverage without subtracting what the at-fault driver’s insurer already paid you, and it’s capped at your policy’s UM amount.
You can’t carry enhanced and traditional UIM at the same time. The anti-stacking language will be allowed only on policies with traditional UIM. RateFrog’s guide to uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage explains how these coverages work in general.
The D.C. Uninsured Motorist Fund
The District runs a separate Uninsured Motorist Fund through the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB) for pedestrians and passengers hurt by an uninsured driver. You can’t use it if you were at fault, are an insured or own a registered vehicle. DISB says you must report the crash within 45 days, unless that is waived for good cause, and file a claim within 180 days.
Personal Injury Protection and the Choice to Sue
D.C. is often called a choice no-fault jurisdiction. Under D.C. Code 31-2404, insurers must offer PIP to everyone required to carry insurance, and you can buy any one or any combination of its three parts:
- Medical and rehabilitation: a maximum of at least $50,000 per person
- Work loss: at least $12,000 per accident, including replacement services during the first three years after the crash
- Funeral: actual costs up to $4,000
PIP covers you and people riding in your insured car or a car you’re driving. PIP is secondary to other coverage available to you. RateFrog’s guide to personal injury protection explains the coverage in more detail.
The 60-Day Election
Under D.C. Code 31-2405, an injured person with PIP has to tell the PIP insurer within 60 days of the crash whether they’ll take PIP benefits or keep the right to claim against the at-fault driver. The deadline can be extended by mutual written agreement. If you make no choice, the at-fault driver’s liability coverage applies and you keep the right to claim against that driver.
If you choose PIP, you can still sue the at-fault driver only in certain cases, including substantial permanent scarring or disfigurement, an injury that keeps you from your usual activities for more than 180 continuous days, or medical costs or work loss greater than the PIP benefits available. In a death case, survivors may sue regardless of the election.
D.C.’s auto insurance law doesn’t list medical payments coverage as a required coverage.
Proof of Insurance in D.C.
Your insurer gives you an Insurance Identification Card, and 31-2406(a)(2A) says it must be in the insured car so you can show it when asked. An electronic image of the card on your phone is allowed. Failing to show the card carries a $30 civil fine under D.C. Code 31-2413, and it creates a rebuttable presumption that you were driving uninsured. You can contest it by mail or in person with your ID card or policy. For in-person DMV transactions, the DMV’s proof of insurance page says proof must be printed. RateFrog’s guide to getting proof of insurance quickly can help if you need a card right away.
How D.C. Checks Your Coverage
Under 31-2403, insurers must notify the DMV of cancellations within 30 days and send monthly reports. When the DMV finds a gap, it mails an insurance verification notice, and you respond through DCIVS, the District’s insurance verification site.
If your coverage lapsed, the registration or reciprocity sticker is suspended 30 days after the mailed notice unless you show a policy and pay the fines. The DMV or the Metropolitan Police Department may immobilize the vehicle. The suspension lasts until you go to the DMV with proof of an effective policy and pay the reinstatement fee and the fine.
If you’re getting rid of a car or taking it off the road, the DMV’s tag surrender page says not to cancel your insurance before you surrender the tags. Otherwise you’ll owe an insurance lapse fee.
Penalties for Driving Without Insurance in D.C.
D.C. Code 31-2413 treats driving uninsured and owning an uninsured registered car as separate violations, and both can apply to the same person.
Driving Uninsured
An owner who drives an uninsured car in the District, or lets someone else drive it, faces a civil fine of $500, a license suspension of up to 30 days, or both, for a first offense. For a second or later offense, the fine rises by 50% and the suspension can last up to 60 days. This is a civil penalty, and the jail terms in the statute don’t apply to it.
Owner Lapse Fines
Under 31-2413(b)(2), the owner of a registered car without the required insurance owes $150 per vehicle for a lapse of 1 to 30 days, then $7 for each day after that, up to $2,500 per violation. The DMV Director may waive the fine if you prove the car wasn’t driven during the lapse.
Offenses That Can Bring Jail Time
Some related violations carry up to 30 days in jail for a first offense and up to 90 days for a later one. They include making a false material statement about your insurance, driving a car whose registration or reciprocity sticker has been suspended, failing to return registration and tags, and violating other provisions of the chapter.
A Crash Without Insurance
D.C. used to suspend the license and registration of a driver who didn’t pay a civil judgment from a crash. D.C. Law 22-236 repealed those provisions effective March 13, 2019, so older advice about losing your license over an unpaid judgment no longer applies in the District. RateFrog’s guide to what happens when car insurance lapses covers the broader risks.
SR-22 Filings in D.C.
Under 31-2406(h), the DMV Director may require extra reporting coverage, including SR-22 insurance, before issuing or reinstating a license or registration that was revoked. The DMV’s alcohol and drug reinstatement page says D.C.-licensed drivers must provide SR-22 proof if their conviction was within the last three years. Its ignition interlock page says to keep SR-22 insurance for three years from the date of conviction. Ask the DMV what your case requires. RateFrog’s SR-22 guide explains how these filings work in general.
If You Can’t Find Coverage
The District of Columbia Automobile Insurance Plan is for people who can’t get insurance in the regular market. According to the plan’s page on AIPSO, you need a valid D.C. driver’s license and a vehicle registered in the District, and you apply through an agent or broker. The plan’s phone number is (888) 820-0170. Under 31-2406(a), you can appeal a plan decision to the insurance commissioner.
How D.C. Insurers Set Rates
Under 31-2406(a)(5), an insurer can’t raise your rate because of an accident unless it first determines the accident was your fault. Under D.C. Code 31-2409, an insurer can’t:
- Refuse to insure you, or charge a disadvantageous rate, because you weren’t previously insured
- Require you to disclose past cancellations or nonrenewals, or ask about driving experience beyond the past three years
- Refuse, cancel or nonrenew for reasons barred by the D.C. Human Rights Act
Under D.C. Code 50-2003, insurers must give a discount to licensed drivers who complete an approved accident prevention course. The discount lasts two years, and you retake the course to keep it. The law doesn’t set a percentage. Since February 18, 2022, the discount has applied to all licensed drivers; it used to be limited to older drivers. RateFrog’s guide to what affects car insurance rates covers the other factors insurers commonly use.
Cancellation and Nonrenewal Rules
Once a policy has been in force for more than 60 days, or if it’s a renewal, 31-2409 lets the insurer cancel for only three reasons: you didn’t pay the premium, your registration was suspended or revoked during the policy period, or your license was suspended or revoked during the policy period.
The insurer has to give at least 30 days’ notice before a cancellation or the end of the policy period for a nonrenewal, or at least 15 days for nonpayment. The notice has to state the specific reasons and tell you about your right to a DISB review. Nonrenewals follow the same notice rules, though the law lists no allowed reasons for them.
To ask for a review, send your written reasons to the commissioner within 15 days of getting the notice. The commissioner decides within 45 days, and if the cancellation or nonrenewal was improper, the policy is treated as still in effect. RateFrog’s guide to car insurance grace periods explains what usually happens when a payment is late.
Is D.C.’s Minimum Coverage Enough?
A 25/50/10 policy leaves little room in a serious crash, and $10,000 of property damage coverage may not pay to replace a newer car. If a claim is more than your limits, you could owe the rest.
Two choices deserve a closer look. PIP is optional, so weigh it against your health insurance and how you’d cover lost pay. After October 1, 2027, think about how you’d pay your own bills if the other driver is underinsured before you sign a waiver of enhanced UIM. RateFrog’s guide to how much car insurance you need can help you choose, and you can compare car insurance quotes at several coverage levels.
Where to Get Help
DISB’s Consumer Services Division takes calls at (202) 727-8000 and accepts complaints by email at disbcomplaints@dc.gov or through its complaints page. For registration suspensions, lapse fines, tag surrender and SR-22 reinstatement, contact the DC DMV at (202) 737-4404 (TTY 711).
Frequently Asked Questions
When Do D.C.’s Car Insurance Minimums Go Up?
On October 1, 2027. Liability rises from 25/50/10 to 50/100/20, and required uninsured motorist coverage rises to $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident and $20,000 for property damage.
Is PIP Required in D.C.?
No. Insurers must offer it, but buying it is optional. If you have PIP and get hurt, you have 60 days to tell your insurer whether you’ll take PIP benefits or keep your right to claim against the at-fault driver.
What Is the Penalty for Driving Without Insurance in D.C.?
A $500 civil fine, a license suspension of up to 30 days, or both for a first offense. A later offense raises the fine by 50% and allows a suspension of up to 60 days.
Can I Show Proof of Insurance on My Phone in D.C.?
Yes. D.C. law allows an electronic image of your insurance ID card on a phone. For in-person DMV transactions, the DMV says proof must be printed.
Sources
- D.C. Code 31-2403
- D.C. Code 31-2404
- D.C. Code 31-2405
- D.C. Code 31-2406
- D.C. Code 31-2409
- D.C. Code 31-2413
- D.C. Code 50-2003
- D.C. Law 26-155: Motor Vehicle Insurance Modernization Amendment Act of 2026
- D.C. Law 22-236: Driver’s License Revocation Fairness Amendment Act of 2018
- DC DMV: Vehicle Insurance
- DC DMV: Proof of Insurance
- DC DMV: Tag Surrender
- DC DMV: Alcohol and Drug Related Reinstatement
- DC DMV: Ignition Interlock Program Enrollment
- DC Insurance Verification System (DCIVS)
- DISB: Uninsured Motorist Fund
- DISB: Complaints
- AIPSO: District of Columbia Automobile Insurance Plan