Colorado requires at least $25,000 of bodily injury liability per person, $50,000 per accident and $15,000 of property damage liability, often written as 25/50/15. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage and $5,000 of medical payments coverage are also added to your policy unless you reject them.
Colorado’s no-fault law was repealed on July 1, 2003, so personal injury protection (PIP) isn’t required. Driving without insurance is a class 1 misdemeanor traffic offense with a mandatory minimum fine of $500, and the Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) can suspend your license on top of whatever the court does.
Key Takeaways
- Colorado requires 25/50/15 liability coverage. PIP hasn’t been required since the state’s no-fault law ended in 2003.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage stays on your policy unless you reject it in writing, and $5,000 of medical payments coverage stays on unless you reject it. Your insurer has to offer you UM/UIM limits up to your bodily injury liability limits.
- A first conviction for driving uninsured carries a mandatory minimum fine of $500 and 4 points. A second conviction within five years carries a minimum fine of $1,000.
- Separately, the DMV can suspend your license after an officer reports you. The first time, the suspension lasts until you file SR-22 proof, which you keep for three years. A second suspension within five years lasts four months, and a third lasts eight months.
Colorado Minimum Car Insurance at a Glance
| Coverage | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability | $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident |
| Property damage liability | $15,000 per accident |
| Uninsured/underinsured motorist | Included unless you reject it in writing. Your insurer must offer limits up to your bodily injury liability limits. |
| Medical payments | $5,000 included unless you reject it |
| Personal injury protection | Not required (no-fault ended July 1, 2003) |
| Collision and comprehensive | Not required by state law. Check any loan or lease contract for its own rules. |
The Colorado Division of Insurance (DOI) lists these limits on its auto insurance page, and they’re set by C.R.S. 10-4-620. That section dates to 2003, and the 2025 statutes show no later change to the amounts. If a website quotes 25/50/25 for Colorado, it’s wrong: the property damage minimum is $15,000. RateFrog’s guide to liability limits explains how the three numbers work.
Under C.R.S. 10-4-619, every owner who drives a vehicle on Colorado’s public highways, or lets someone else drive it, must have a complying policy. The only exception is self-insurance, which C.R.S. 10-4-624 limits to people with more than 25 registered vehicles.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage in Colorado
Under C.R.S. 10-4-609, an auto liability policy has to include uninsured motorist coverage unless the named insured rejects it in writing. Before the policy is issued or renewed, the insurer must also offer you UM coverage equal to your bodily injury liability limits. It doesn’t have to offer anything higher than that, and once you’ve chosen limits or declined, it doesn’t have to remind you at later renewals. You can ask in writing for more coverage. The DOI calls UM/UIM optional, since you can turn it down.
How Underinsured Coverage Pays
Since January 1, 2008, Colorado UIM coverage pays in addition to the at-fault driver’s liability insurance. It covers the gap between that driver’s limits and your damages (not counting exemplary, or punitive, damages), up to your own UIM limit. The law also says your UIM can’t be reduced by other coverage you have, such as health insurance or medical payments coverage.
Hypothetical example: the other driver carries $25,000 of liability coverage, your injury damages are $60,000 and you have $50,000 of UIM. The other driver’s insurer pays up to $25,000, and your UIM can cover the remaining $35,000, because it sits on top of their coverage. These numbers are only an illustration.
One policy covering several vehicles for a single UM/UIM premium can limit that coverage to once per accident. The DOI also says UM/UIM pays for injuries caused by a hit-and-run driver. RateFrog’s guide to uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage covers how these coverages work in general.
Uninsured Motorist Property Damage
If your policy doesn’t include collision, C.R.S. 10-4-610 lets you ask for uninsured motorist property damage coverage. It applies only if the vehicles actually touched, pays the lesser of actual cash value or the cost of repair or replacement, and may carry a deductible. See how collision and comprehensive differ if you’re comparing options.
Medical Payments Coverage in Colorado
Under C.R.S. 10-4-635, every car insurance policy must include $5,000 of medical payments coverage (motorcycles and some other vehicles are exempt) unless the named insured rejects it, in writing or in the same way the application was taken. If the insurer can’t show a rejection, the policy is treated as including the $5,000. A rejection applies to everyone on the policy, including relatives who live with you and permitted drivers.
This coverage pays before your health insurance, and under C.R.S. 10-4-636 it can go toward your health plan’s deductibles and coinsurance. Once the insurer is notified of a crash, it holds the $5,000 for up to 30 days for ambulance and trauma care first. That reserve is part of the $5,000, not extra money.
Proof of Insurance in Colorado
Under C.R.S. 42-4-1409, you have to show evidence of insurance after a crash or when a peace officer asks. Showing it on a phone counts, and the officer can look only at the insurance information. RateFrog’s guide to getting proof of insurance quickly can help if you need a card today.
How Colorado Checks Your Coverage
Under C.R.S. 42-3-105, a vehicle can’t be registered without a complying policy, so you show your insurance card when you register.
Insurers report policies to the state’s Motorist Insurance Identification Database every week under C.R.S. 10-4-615, and police and county clerks can look up a vehicle. If an officer finds you were driving uninsured, the officer sends an affidavit to the DMV, which can lead to the license suspension described below.
Penalties for Driving Without Insurance in Colorado
Court Penalties
Under C.R.S. 42-4-1409, driving without insurance, or failing to show proof, is a class 1 misdemeanor traffic offense. A first conviction carries a mandatory minimum fine of $500, and the court can go higher. It can suspend up to half the fine if you show you’ve since bought insurance.
Under C.R.S. 42-4-1701, a class 1 misdemeanor traffic offense can bring up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $1,000 or both. Jail is allowed but not required. A second or later conviction within five years carries a mandatory minimum fine of at least $1,000, in addition to any jail sentence. The court may also order at least 40 hours of community service.
A 2024 bill, HB24-1135, didn’t change these penalties. On this issue, the signed version only ordered a legislative study.
If You Were Insured but Didn’t Have Proof
Not showing proof when asked is treated as evidence that you broke the law, but you can’t be convicted if you bring the court a policy that was in force at the time. The court clerk’s office may also dismiss the charge after checking the database.
Points on Your Record
Under C.R.S. 42-2-127, failing to have or show proof of insurance adds 4 points. Most drivers face a points suspension at 12 points in 12 months or 18 points in 24 months. Lower limits apply to minor drivers, a group that includes some drivers 18 and older.
Driver’s License Suspension
The DMV handles this part, under C.R.S. 42-2-127.7, based on the officer’s affidavit:
- First time: your license is suspended until you file proof of financial responsibility (an SR-22), which you then keep for three years.
- Second time within five years: four months.
- Third or later: eight months.
The suspension starts seven days after you receive the notice (a mailed notice counts as received three days after mailing). Filing SR-22 proof before then can head it off, though the statute is unclear on how that works for repeat suspensions, so check with the DMV. You can also request a hearing in writing within seven days, with evidence of current insurance in your name, which puts the suspension on hold. Reinstatement costs $95 under C.R.S. 42-2-132.
A Crash Without Insurance
If you’re named in a required accident report and didn’t have insurance, C.R.S. 42-7-301 requires you to post security set by the DMV, up to $35,000, and file SR-22 proof, or your license is suspended. Drivers who had a liability policy on the car are exempt. Under C.R.S. 42-7-303, the suspension ends with a release, a court finding you not liable, posting the security, or three years with no lawsuit.
The DMV’s Form DR 2316 explains the options, several of which require an SR-22 kept for three years. An unpaid crash judgment can also cost you your license, and under C.R.S. 42-7-402 you can’t get a new one until it’s resolved and you file proof. RateFrog’s guide to what happens when your insurance lapses covers the wider fallout.
SR-22 Filings in Colorado
An SR-22 is a form from your insurer, filed with the DMV, showing you carry at least the state minimum. The DMV lets you upload it at myDMV.Colorado.gov or mail it with your reinstatement application. According to the DMV’s SR-22 page, it isn’t an insurance policy, and the insurer has to tell the DMV if your policy is canceled. If it lapses, your license will be suspended for that reason alone. If you switch insurers, get the new SR-22 filed before the old one expires.
How long you keep it depends on the reason. It’s three years after an uninsured-driving or uninsured-crash suspension, and C.R.S. 42-7-408 sets three years as the general rule. A first DUI or DWAI with no crash can need it only while your privilege is restricted, up to three years. The DMV’s DUI page gives more than one time frame, so ask the DMV what your case requires. RateFrog’s SR-22 guide explains these filings in general.
If You Can’t Find Coverage
The Colorado Automobile Insurance Plan, run through the Western Association of Automobile Insurance Plans (WAAIP), covers people who are entitled to insurance but can’t get it through ordinary methods under C.R.S. 10-4-412. If an insurer cancels you for a reason other than nonpayment, or doesn’t renew you, C.R.S. 10-4-606 requires it to tell you that you may be eligible.
The plan’s page on AIPSO has a tool for finding a producer, and WAAIP takes calls at (800) 227-4659 on weekdays.
How Colorado Insurers Set Rates
Each insurer files rates based on its own experience. The DOI lists changes that can raise a premium, including moving, adding a car or driver, annual mileage, a change in your credit-based insurance score and at-fault accidents.
Credit can be used, with limits. Under C.R.S. 10-4-116, an insurer can’t:
- Calculate an insurance score using your income, gender, address, ZIP code, ethnic group, religion, marital status or nationality
- Deny, cancel or nonrenew a policy based on credit without considering another underwriting factor that’s independent of credit
- Count medical collection accounts against you, if they’re coded that way on your credit report
Under C.R.S. 10-4-628, an insurer can’t cancel, nonrenew or raise your premium because of an accident you didn’t cause (outside a filed general rate change). It also can’t charge more solely because you had no prior insurance unless it has filed actuarial justification, and that exception doesn’t apply if you weren’t required to be insured.
If the principal driver is 55 or older and finishes an approved driver’s education course, C.R.S. 10-4-632 requires an appropriate reduction on liability and collision premiums for three years. The insurer can require that you not have an at-fault accident in that time. Court-ordered courses don’t count, and the law sets no percentage.
Since October 15, 2025, a DOI regulation under SB21-169 has required auto insurers that use outside consumer data, algorithms or predictive models to run a governance and risk-management program. It doesn’t ban credit scores. RateFrog’s guide to the factors that affect car insurance rates covers the rest.
Cancellation and Nonrenewal Rules
Once a policy has been in effect for 60 days, or if it’s a renewal, C.R.S. 10-4-602 allows cancellation only for these reasons:
- Nonpayment of premium
- A suspended or revoked license or registration for the named insured or someone who lives with you or usually drives the car
- Knowingly making a false statement on the application
- Knowingly and willfully making a false material statement on a claim
Under C.R.S. 10-4-603, the insurer must give at least 30 days’ notice of cancellation, or 10 days when the reason is nonpayment. RateFrog’s guide to car insurance grace periods explains what usually happens when a payment is late.
For nonrenewal, C.R.S. 10-4-604 requires 30 days’ advance notice, except when the insurer offered to renew or you didn’t pay. Under C.R.S. 10-4-629, a notice to cancel or not renew for a reason other than nonpayment must give specific reasons and mention the assigned risk plan and your right to complain to the DOI.
Is Colorado’s Minimum Coverage Enough?
A 25/50/15 policy can run out quickly in a serious crash, and $15,000 of property damage coverage may not pay for a newer car. If a claim is more than your limits, you could owe the rest yourself. Before you reject UM/UIM or medical payments coverage to save money, think about how you’d pay your own medical bills if the other driver has little or no insurance. RateFrog’s guide to how much car insurance you need can help you weigh it, and you can compare car insurance quotes at a few coverage levels to see the price difference.
Where to Get Help
The DOI’s Consumer Services Team takes calls at 303-894-7490, or 800-930-3745 from outside the Denver metro area, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You can file a complaint through its complaint page. For license suspensions, SR-22 filings and reinstatement, call DMV Driver Services at 303-205-5613.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Colorado a No-Fault State?
No. Colorado’s no-fault law was repealed on July 1, 2003, so PIP isn’t required. Your policy does include $5,000 of medical payments coverage unless you reject it.
Is Uninsured Motorist Coverage Required in Colorado?
It’s included in your policy unless you reject it in writing, so you can decline it. Your insurer has to offer you UM/UIM limits up to your bodily injury liability limits.
What Is the Fine for Driving Without Insurance in Colorado?
A first conviction carries a mandatory minimum fine of $500, and the offense can bring up to $1,000 and up to a year in jail. A second conviction within five years has a minimum fine of $1,000. A DMV license suspension can apply separately.
Can I Show Proof of Insurance on My Phone in Colorado?
Yes. Colorado law accepts proof shown on a phone or other electronic device, and the officer can look only at your insurance information.
Sources
- Colorado Division of Insurance: Auto Insurance
- Colorado Division of Insurance: File a Complaint
- Colorado Division of Insurance: SB21-169
- Colorado DMV: SR-22 and Insurance Information
- Colorado DMV: Form DR 2316, Financial Responsibility Requirements
- Colorado DMV: Motorist Insurance Identification Database
- Colorado General Assembly: HB24-1135
- C.R.S. 10-4-116
- C.R.S. 10-4-412
- C.R.S. 10-4-602
- C.R.S. 10-4-603
- C.R.S. 10-4-604
- C.R.S. 10-4-606
- C.R.S. 10-4-609
- C.R.S. 10-4-610
- C.R.S. 10-4-615
- C.R.S. 10-4-619
- C.R.S. 10-4-620
- C.R.S. 10-4-624
- C.R.S. 10-4-628
- C.R.S. 10-4-629
- C.R.S. 10-4-632
- C.R.S. 10-4-635
- C.R.S. 10-4-636
- C.R.S. 42-2-127
- C.R.S. 42-2-127.7
- C.R.S. 42-2-132
- C.R.S. 42-3-105
- C.R.S. 42-4-1409
- C.R.S. 42-4-1701
- C.R.S. 42-7-301
- C.R.S. 42-7-303
- C.R.S. 42-7-402
- C.R.S. 42-7-408
- AIPSO: Colorado Automobile Insurance Plan