By the Drivers Compass editors · Updated October 31, 2026
Texas requires every driver to carry liability insurance of at least $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage — written 30/60/25 (Texas Department of Insurance, undated), with those amounts set in Texas Transportation Code §601.072 (alaautoinsurance.com citing the statute, undated). Texas is an at-fault state, so the driver responsible for a crash is financially liable for the damage (U.S. News & World Report, undated), and that liability is not capped at your policy limits.
Two further coverages — personal injury protection and uninsured/underinsured motorist — are not mandatory, but your insurer must include or offer them, and you have to reject them in writing to go without them.
Minimum Coverage Limits by Type
| Coverage | Amount | Where the requirement comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability, per person | $30,000 | Tex. Transp. Code §601.072 (alaautoinsurance.com citing the statute, undated) |
| Bodily injury liability, per accident | $60,000 | Tex. Transp. Code §601.072 (alaautoinsurance.com citing the statute, undated) |
| Property damage liability | $25,000 | Tex. Transp. Code §601.072 (alaautoinsurance.com citing the statute, undated) |
| Personal injury protection (PIP) | $2,500 per person minimum offered limit; included unless rejected in writing | Tex. Ins. Code §1952.152 (The Alfred Firm, 2025-05-08); Texas Department of Insurance, undated |
| Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) | No mandated limit; must be offered, and rejected in writing | Tex. Ins. Code §1952.101 (alaautoinsurance.com citing the statute, undated) |
What each row pays:
- Liability pays the other party, not you: up to $30,000 for one injured person, no more than $60,000 across everyone injured in one crash, and up to $25,000 for their vehicle and other property. It pays nothing toward your own car or your own injuries.
- PIP pays your medical expenses and a portion of lost income regardless of fault, up to the limit on your declarations page, with no deductible.
- UM/UIM pays your injury and property damage when the at-fault driver had no insurance, had limits too low, or fled the scene (Texas Department of Insurance, undated). Texas Insurance Code §1952.101 imposes a $250 deductible on uninsured-motorist property damage claims that you cannot waive (alaautoinsurance.com citing the statute, undated).
A lender or lienholder on a financed or leased vehicle will require collision and comprehensive under the loan contract. That is contractual, not statutory — Texas law never requires you to insure your own car.
What Happens If You Don't Carry the Minimum
Texas Transportation Code §601.051 provides that a person may not operate a motor vehicle in the state unless financial responsibility is established for that vehicle (Texas Municipal Courts Education Center, 2023).
- First conviction: a fine of $175 to $350 under Texas Transportation Code 601.191 (LegalClarity, undated). One summary puts the exposure at a fine of up to $500 and/or 90 days in jail (U.S. News & World Report, undated); sources report the ceiling differently, so read the citation you are charged under.
- Repeat convictions: fines of $350 to $1,000, plus possible vehicle impoundment (LegalClarity, undated).
- Impoundment for 180 days. A vehicle involved in a no-insurance stop can be impounded for 180 days, and the owner cannot apply for release without evidence of financial responsibility (ValuePenguin, undated).
- License suspension on a second or subsequent conviction. The Department of Public Safety mails an Order of Suspension effective 21 days from the date on the order, running two years from the conviction date unless evidence of financial responsibility or an SR-22 is filed (Texas DPS, 37 Tex. Admin. Code §25.5, undated).
- SR-22 for two years. Reinstatement after a failure-to-maintain-financial-responsibility conviction requires filing an SR-22 and keeping it two years from the conviction date (LegalClarity, undated; Texas DPS, 37 Tex. Admin. Code §25.5, undated).
Because Texas is at-fault, the responsible driver is personally liable for the damages (U.S. News & World Report, undated) — with no insurer behind you, and no 30/60/25 ceiling on a judgment.
Coverage That's Common but Not Required
None of the following is required by Texas statute. The Texas Department of Insurance and NAIC do not publish a Texas take-up rate — the share of Texas drivers carrying each coverage — so no percentage is available for the items below.
- Collision. Pays to repair your vehicle after a crash with another vehicle or object regardless of fault, minus your deductible, capped at the vehicle's actual cash value (the depreciated value). If repairs exceed that value, the insurer totals the car and pays actual cash value minus the deductible. Texas take-up percentage: not available.
- Comprehensive. Pays for hail, flood, fire, theft, vandalism and animal strikes, minus your deductible, capped at actual cash value. Some Texas policies apply a separate, higher wind/hail deductible; your declarations page states which applies. Texas take-up percentage: not available.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist. Must be offered under Texas Insurance Code §1952.101 and rejected in writing (alaautoinsurance.com citing the statute, undated). Estimates of uninsured Texas drivers differ: the Insurance Research Council puts it near 14.5% for 2023 (Texas Bulldog Law citing IRC, 2023; U.S. News & World Report, undated), while the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles estimates closer to 20% (Insurify, undated). The $250 UMPD deductible cannot be waived.
- PIP above the minimum. PIP is included unless rejected in writing (Texas Department of Insurance, undated); the minimum offered limit is $2,500 per person (Tex. Ins. Code §1952.152, per The Alfred Firm, 2025-05-08). Higher limits are sold. Texas take-up percentage: not available.
- Medical payments (MedPay). Pays medical bills only, with no lost-wage component, up to the limit, no deductible. Texas take-up percentage: not available.
- Rental reimbursement, towing and labor, gap. Each pays a defined daily or per-event amount shown on your declarations page; gap pays the difference between actual cash value and the loan balance after a total loss. Texas take-up percentages: not available.
When a dealer or lender says "full coverage," ask which coverages: they mean collision and comprehensive on top of the statutory 30/60/25 liability, nothing broader.
Questions
I just moved to Texas. How long do I have to get a Texas policy?
Texas Transportation Code §502.040 requires a vehicle owner to apply for Texas registration not more than 30 days after buying the vehicle or becoming a Texas resident (Onecle Texas Laws quoting the statute, undated). No grace period lets you drive uninsured meanwhile — §601.051 bars operating a vehicle unless financial responsibility is established for it (Texas Municipal Courts Education Center, 2023). Tell your insurer before the move, since policies are rated to the state and territory where the car is garaged.
Does my Texas policy cover me if I crash in another state?
Standard Texas policies contain an out-of-state provision raising your liability limits to the other state's minimum where those exceed Texas's 30/60/25. Whether and how it applies depends on the form your insurer filed, so read your own policy language. It matters most in a no-fault state, where injury claims run first through the injured person's own PIP rather than the at-fault driver's liability coverage as they do in at-fault Texas (U.S. News & World Report, undated).
What counts as proof of insurance at a traffic stop?
A card from your carrier — paper or in your insurer's app — showing the policy number, the covered vehicle, and dates covering the day of the stop; officers can also verify electronically. If you cannot show coverage, the vehicle can be impounded for 180 days, and the owner cannot apply for its release without evidence of financial responsibility (ValuePenguin, undated).
I declined PIP or UM/UIM by phone. Is that effective?
No. The Texas Department of Insurance states PIP is in every Texas auto policy and that you must tell the company in writing if you do not want it, and the same written-rejection rule applies to uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (Texas Department of Insurance, undated). Those rules sit in Texas Insurance Code §1952.152 for PIP (The Alfred Firm, 2025-05-08) and §1952.101 for UM/UIM (alaautoinsurance.com citing the statute, undated). Ask your insurer to confirm in writing what is on the policy.
How long does an SR-22 stay on file after a no-insurance conviction?
Two years from the conviction date (LegalClarity, undated), and where an SR-22 is the compliance method, the Department of Public Safety requires it be maintained two years from the most recent conviction for which evidence of financial responsibility was required (37 Tex. Admin. Code §25.5, undated). On a second or subsequent conviction, the Order of Suspension takes effect 21 days from the date on the order and runs two years unless an SR-22 or other evidence is filed (Texas DPS, undated).