Rhode Island requires at least $25,000 of bodily injury liability per person, $50,000 per accident and $25,000 of property damage liability, often written as 25/50/25, or a $75,000 combined single limit. Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is built into every policy at your liability limits unless you lower it in writing.
Rhode Island law doesn’t require personal injury protection (PIP) or medical payments coverage. The state matches insurer records to registrations every week, and a car that stays unmatched can lose its registration.
Key Takeaways
- The legal minimum is 25/50/25 liability or a $75,000 combined single limit. No PIP or medical payments coverage is required.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage comes at your bodily injury limits. You can lower it in writing to no less than 25/50, and you can drop it to zero only if you buy minimum liability limits and sign a state-approved advisory notice.
- If the state’s insurance verification system can’t match your car to a policy, you get two 15-day notices before the registration is revoked. The statute sets a $250 reinstatement fee, and the DMV fee table lists $253.50 with a technology surcharge.
- Two different sections of state law punish driving uninsured, with first-offense fines of $100 to $500 or $100 to $250 and a possible suspension. A third offense can bring a $1,000 fine and a suspension of up to one year.
Rhode Island Minimum Car Insurance at a Glance
| Coverage | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability | $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident |
| Property damage liability | $25,000 per accident |
| Combined single limit option | $75,000 in place of the split limits above |
| Uninsured/underinsured motorist (bodily injury) | Included at your bodily injury limits unless you lower it in writing |
| Uninsured motorist property damage | Insurers must offer at least $25,000. You can reject it in writing. |
| Personal injury protection or medical payments | Not required |
| Collision and comprehensive | Not required by state law, but a lender or lease may require them |
These limits come from the Motor Vehicle Reparations Act, R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47-2, and the Department of Business Regulation (DBR) repeats them in its auto insurance rating rule. Some websites list the combined single limit as $65,000. The statute says $75,000. RateFrog’s guide to liability limits explains how split and combined limits work.
The law also accepts a surety bond or a $75,000 deposit of cash or securities, and under R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47-7, an owner with more than 25 vehicles registered in the state can apply to be a self-insurer.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage in Rhode Island
Under R.I. Gen. Laws 27-7-2.1, a liability policy for a car registered or principally garaged in Rhode Island has to include uninsured motorist coverage equal to your bodily injury liability limits. It covers injuries caused by uninsured drivers and hit-and-run drivers.
You have some choice. The named insured can pick a lower limit in writing, but not below the state minimum of 25/50. Only a named insured who buys the minimum liability limits can reduce it to zero, and only after signing an advisory notice approved by the DBR. The DBR’s uninsured and underinsured motorist rule requires that election in writing.
The same statute defines an underinsured driver as one whose liability coverage is less than the limits or damages you’re legally entitled to recover for an injury. If you’ve paid two or more uninsured motorist premiums, the law lets you collect up to the combined coverage for all the insured vehicles, even if the policy says otherwise.
Uninsured Motorist Property Damage
The DBR rule says insurers must offer at least $25,000 of uninsured motorist property damage coverage, and you can reject it in writing. If you don’t carry collision coverage, you have to sign a written rejection to turn it down. If you do carry collision, the statute says this coverage isn’t required unless you choose it.
When this coverage pays for damage from a collision, a $200 deductible per claim applies unless you and the insurer agree otherwise. RateFrog’s guide to uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage covers how these coverages work in general.
Proof of Insurance in Rhode Island
Under R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47-12, police ask for proof when they’re investigating an offense or a crash or have stopped you with probable cause. Police can’t stop a car only to check for insurance.
You can show proof on a phone or other mobile device. The officer isn’t allowed to look at anything else on it, and you’re responsible if the device gets damaged. RateFrog’s guide to getting proof of insurance fast can help if you need a card right away.
If you’re cited only for not having proof with you, the citation is held for at least one business day. Show proof of coverage that was in effect at the time during that window, and the citation is withdrawn.
How Rhode Island Checks Your Coverage
Rhode Island runs the Rhode Island Insurance Verification System (RIIVS) under R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47.4-2, which matches insurer data to registrations every week. According to the DMV’s insurance verification page, a Request for Insurance Verification letter goes out if a vehicle’s VIN doesn’t match a policy for four weeks in a row.
Under R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47.4-4, you have 15 days to send proof or an exemption, then 15 more days after a second notice. If you still don’t respond, the registration is revoked. The DMV page lists (855) 744-8722 for questions about these letters.
Under the DMV’s insurance verification rule, a written hearing request within 10 days of the notice holds off revocation. The DMV’s verification page says reinstating takes proof of insurance, an affidavit and a fee. The statute sets the fee at $250, and the DMV’s adjudication fee table, updated December 30, 2025, lists $253.50, which includes a $3.50 technology surcharge. The same page says a lapse during the 12 months after reinstatement means immediate revocation with no hearing.
Penalties for Driving Without Insurance in Rhode Island
Two sections of Rhode Island law set penalties for driving uninsured, and they cover different situations.
Owners Who Knowingly Drive or Allow an Uninsured Car
R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47-9 covers an owner who knowingly drives an uninsured car or lets someone else drive it, and anyone who drives it knowing the owner has no coverage, unless that driver has their own operator’s policy. These people may face license and registration suspension:
- First offense: a suspension of up to three months and a possible fine of $100 to $500
- Second offense: a six-month suspension and a possible fine of $500
- Third or later offense: a suspension of up to one year and a possible fine of $1,000, handled as a civil violation
For reinstatement, this section lists a $30 fee (the law allows it to be raised to as much as $50) and requires you to file and keep proof of financial security. The DMV’s fee table lists a $153.50 license reinstatement fee, and it isn’t clear which charge applies after a no-insurance suspension, so check the amount on your own notice.
Any Driver Without Coverage in Force
Section 31-47-12(f) applies to anyone driving a Rhode Island-registered car that has no financial security in force on the date of a stop or crash:
- First offense: a suspension of up to 30 days and a possible fine of $100 to $250
- Second offense: a suspension of up to six months and a possible fine of $500
- Third or later offense: a suspension of up to one year and a possible fine of $1,000, handled as a civil violation
Neither section mentions jail time.
Fake proof is treated far more seriously. Under R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47-9.1, knowingly making, providing or altering counterfeit or invalid proof of insurance is a felony punishable by a fine of $500 to $3,000, up to one year in prison, or both.
A Crash Without Insurance
Rhode Island’s old rule requiring security deposits from uninsured drivers after a crash was repealed by P.L. 2021, ch. 398, effective July 14, 2021, so older articles describing it are out of date.
If someone wins a judgment against you for a crash and it goes unpaid, R.I. Gen. Laws 31-32-10 tells the DMV to suspend your license and registration once it receives a certified copy. Under R.I. Gen. Laws 31-32-14, the suspension lasts until the judgment is stayed, paid or otherwise resolved and you provide proof of financial responsibility. RateFrog’s guide to what happens when insurance lapses covers the broader risks.
SR-22 Filings in Rhode Island
Rhode Island law calls this “proof of financial responsibility for the future,” and the term SR-22 doesn’t appear in the statutes or DMV pages found for this guide. Under R.I. Gen. Laws 31-32-21, the proof can be a written certificate from an insurer authorized in Rhode Island, filed with the DMV.
R.I. Gen. Laws 31-32-4 requires this proof after a mandatory license revocation and after two license suspensions within 24 months, and the DMV can require it after one suspension for other violations in that period. It’s also required after a suspension for DUI or refusing a chemical test, and after an unpaid crash judgment.
How long you keep it depends on why it was required. After a DUI or test refusal suspension, the law sets three years. Otherwise, R.I. Gen. Laws 31-32-36 reads a three-year requirement elsewhere in state law as one year, and R.I. Gen. Laws 31-32-35 lets the filing be canceled after a year if you had no qualifying conviction or forfeited bail in that year. A pending lawsuit, an unpaid judgment or a crash in the past year can block cancellation. RateFrog’s SR-22 guide explains how these filings work in general.
If You Can’t Find Coverage
Under R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47-16, every auto insurer in the state takes part in a plan that shares drivers who can’t get coverage the usual way, the Rhode Island Automobile Insurance Plan. According to AIPSO, which runs the plan’s site, applicants certify that they tried and failed to get insurance in Rhode Island within the past 60 days, and applications go through certified producers. AIPSO lists (401) 946-2600 for private passenger auto.
How Rhode Island Insurers Set Rates
Rates can’t be excessive, inadequate or unfairly discriminatory under R.I. Gen. Laws 27-9-4, and R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47-18 says they have to take your past claim experience into account. The DBR rating rule adds limits on surcharges:
- Surcharge programs have to apply without regard to age, sex or where the car is garaged.
- Insurers can’t raise your premium or take away a discount only because you’re 65 or older.
- Property damage under $3,000 isn’t chargeable for accidents on or after January 1, 2020.
Credit-based insurance scores are allowed with safeguards. Under R.I. Gen. Laws 27-9-56, an insurer can’t turn down a new customer based solely on an insurance score, and it can’t cancel, nonrenew or raise the rate of an existing customer based solely on a worse score, with some exceptions. Bills to ban credit and other rating factors were filed in 2025 and 2026, but legislative trackers show they didn’t advance, and the DBR wrote in a March 2026 letter that current law allows insurers to use credit.
Two discounts are required by law. Under R.I. Gen. Laws 27-9-7.1, drivers 55 and older who complete a DMV-approved accident prevention course get a premium reduction. The course certificate requires no chargeable accidents or convictions in the past three years, and it’s good for two years as long as that record stays clean. The rating rule also sets minimum comprehensive discounts for anti-theft devices, from 5% for an alarm to 25% for a vehicle recovery system. 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, the DBR’s cancellation and renewal rule lets the insurer cancel only for listed reasons. They include nonpayment, fraud, a suspended license for the named insured or a regular driver, and certain convictions such as DUI.
The insurer has to give written notice with the reason at least 30 days before a cancellation takes effect, or 10 days for nonpayment, which matches R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47-4. A nonrenewal or conditional renewal needs at least 30 days’ notice with the reasons. An insurer can’t nonrenew you only because you turned 65. It also can’t nonrenew you because of a loss alone unless the policy period included a chargeable loss or more than two non-chargeable losses. Plan policies follow the plan’s own manual.
A coverage reduction at renewal needs written notice at least 30 days ahead under R.I. Gen. Laws 27-8-11. RateFrog’s guide to car insurance grace periods explains what usually happens when a payment is late.
Is Rhode Island’s Minimum Coverage Enough?
A 25/50/25 policy can run out quickly in a serious crash, and $25,000 of property damage coverage may not replace a newer car. If a claim is more than your limits, you could owe the rest, and an unpaid judgment can cost you your license and registration in Rhode Island.
By default, uninsured motorist coverage matches your bodily injury limits, so the liability limits you pick shape that protection too. Before you lower or drop it to save money, think about how you’d pay your own medical bills if the other driver had little or no insurance. 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
The DBR Insurance Division handles questions and complaints about cancellations, claims and premiums. It takes calls at (401) 462-9520 on weekdays, and its contact page lists other ways to reach it. For registration revocations and verification letters, contact RIIVS. For license and registration suspensions, contact the Rhode Island DMV at (401) 462-4368.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Uninsured Motorist Coverage Required in Rhode Island?
It’s included in every policy at your bodily injury limits. You can lower it in writing to no less than 25/50, and you can drop it to zero only if you carry minimum liability limits and sign a state-approved advisory notice.
Does Rhode Island Require PIP?
No. Rhode Island law doesn’t require personal injury protection or medical payments coverage.
What Happens If Rhode Island Can’t Verify My Insurance?
If your car doesn’t match a policy for four weeks in a row, the DMV’s verification program sends a letter. You get 15 days to respond, then 15 more after a second notice, before the registration is revoked. The reinstatement fee is $250 plus a DMV surcharge.
Can I Show Proof of Insurance on My Phone in Rhode Island?
Yes. State law allows proof on a mobile device, and the officer can’t look at anything else on it.
Sources
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47-2
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47-4
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47-7
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47-9
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47-9.1
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47-12
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47-16
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47-18
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47.4-2
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-47.4-4
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-32-4
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-32-10
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-32-14
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-32-21
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-32-35
- R.I. Gen. Laws 31-32-36
- R.I. Gen. Laws 27-7-2.1
- R.I. Gen. Laws 27-8-11
- R.I. Gen. Laws 27-9-4
- R.I. Gen. Laws 27-9-7.1
- R.I. Gen. Laws 27-9-56
- Rhode Island P.L. 2021, ch. 398
- 230-RICR-20-05-1: Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Insurance
- 230-RICR-20-05-2: Auto Insurance Cancellation and Renewal Provisions
- 230-RICR-20-05-3: Automobile Insurance Rating
- 280-RICR-30-10-3: Insurance Verification Program
- Rhode Island DMV: Insurance Verification Program
- Rhode Island DMV: Adjudication Fees
- Rhode Island DBR: Letter on S 2763 (March 31, 2026)
- AIPSO: Rhode Island Automobile Insurance Plan
- Rhode Island DBR: Insurance Division
- Rhode Island DBR: Contact Us