Car Insurance Requirements in Missouri (2024)
Missouri requires residents to maintain liability and uninsured motorist coverage to drive legally in the state.
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Written byJennifer Brozic
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Jennifer Brozic
18+ years experience in finance writing
Background in communications for banks and credit unions
Jennifer is a content marketing writer specializing in the financial services and insurance industries. Her areas of expertise include budgeting, building credit, loans, and more.
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15+ years in content creation
7+ years in business and financial services content
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Updated November 21, 2024
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Table of contents
Nearly every U.S. state requires drivers to maintain car insurance, but the types and amount of coverage you need vary based on where you live.
In the Show Me State, you must carry at least 25/50/25 liability coverage, as well as uninsured motorist coverage. While these coverages are required, you may wish to pursue additional optional coverages to better protect your assets.
Here’s what you should know about the coverage requirements in Missouri.
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Missouri car insurance requirements
Most states require drivers to have liability insurance to satisfy financial responsibility requirements. In addition to liability insurance, Missouri requires residents to maintain uninsured motorist insurance.[1]
Out-of-state drivers must meet their state’s minimum requirements to drive in Missouri.
Here, you’ll learn more about the types of car insurance coverage Missouri requires and the policy limits you need to maintain.
Liability coverage
Liability coverage has two parts: bodily injury and property damage. Both protect other people if you’re at fault in a car accident. Bodily injury liability helps pay the medical bills of other drivers and passengers involved in an accident you cause.
Property damage liability pays for repairs to other peoples’ vehicles and property damaged in a crash, such as fences or mailboxes.
But liability coverage doesn’t pay your medical bills or vehicle repairs after an accident.
The state of Missouri requires drivers to maintain at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in bodily injury liability coverage and $25,000 per accident in property damage liability coverage.
Uninsured motorist coverage
Even though driving while uninsured is illegal in Missouri, that doesn’t stop some drivers from doing it. In fact, more than 16% of Missouri drivers don’t have car insurance.[2]
To help protect you, the state requires drivers to carry uninsured motorist coverage. It kicks in to cover your medical bills when someone without insurance is at fault in a car accident or when you’re the victim of a hit-and-run driver. It also applies if someone without insurance hits you when you’re walking or biking.
Missouri requires licensed drivers to maintain uninsured motorist coverage of at least $25,000 in bodily injury per person and $50,000 per accident. However, you can opt for higher coverage limits if you want more protection.
Missouri Automobile Insurance Plan
Even though Missouri law requires all drivers to have auto insurance, it can be challenging for people with poor driving records, low credit scores, and other factors to qualify for a policy.
The Missouri Automobile Insurance Plan (MAIP) is available to drivers who can’t get insurance in the traditional market.
To qualify for coverage under this plan, you must show that you tried to get insurance within the last 60 days and couldn’t. You may also be eligible for coverage under the Missouri Automobile Insurance Plan even if you can get a traditional policy but the rate you received was higher than what you’d pay under the MAIP.
You can learn more about getting car insurance through the MAIP from your insurance agent or broker.[3]
Do you need more than state-minimum coverage in Missouri?
The amount of coverage you need depends on how much financial protection you want. Maintaining Missouri’s minimum liability and uninsured motorist limits provides bare-bones protection in case of an accident.
However, most insurance experts recommend having more than the minimum coverage. Increasing your policy limits and adding physical damage coverage provides more protection.
When you add comprehensive and collision coverage to your policy, it’s known as full coverage. Collision helps cover repairs to your vehicle after an accident, and comprehensive pays for repairs after covered incidents that don’t involve a crash, such as falling objects or severe weather. Although full coverage offers more protection, state-minimum coverage is more affordable.
Good to Know
Full coverage typically makes sense if you have a late-model or high-value car that would be expensive to repair. Lenders usually require it if you have an auto loan or lease.
Maintaining state-minimum coverage is better than nothing if it’s all you can afford. But it could leave you on the hook for out-of-pocket expenses after a serious car accident because your policy limits may not be high enough to cover damages.
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The cost of liability-only car insurance in Missouri
Liability coverage can help you avoid or reduce your out-of-pocket expenses after an at-fault accident by covering other peoples’ medical expenses and property damage.
Missouri’s average cost of a liability-only policy is $99 per month, according to Insurify data. You may pay more or less depending on your driving record, age, policy limits, and other factors.
Here’s how insurance premiums for liability-only coverage stack up among Missouri insurers.
The below rates are estimated rates current as of: Friday, November 1 at 12:00 PM PDT.
Insurance Company ▲▼ | Average Monthly Quote ▲▼ |
|---|---|
| USAA | $29 |
| State Farm | $35 |
| Allstate | $47 |
| GEICO | $51 |
| American Family | $59 |
| Clearcover | $69 |
| Progressive | $71 |
| Shelter | $77 |
| Nationwide | $82 |
| Auto-Owners | $85 |
| Travelers | $86 |
| Safeco | $90 |
| Direct Auto | $92 |
| National General | $96 |
| Dairyland | $119 |
| GAINSCO | $128 |
| Bristol West | $128 |
| The General | $130 |
| Liberty Mutual | $136 |
| AssuranceAmerica | $141 |
| Foremost | $156 |
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
The cost of full-coverage car insurance in Missouri
Full-coverage car insurance is a combination of liability and property damage coverage. It can help you avoid out-of-pocket expenses for repairs to your vehicle after an accident or other covered incident.
The average monthly cost of full coverage in Missouri is $210, according to Insurify data. Here’s a look at how average rates vary among insurers in the state.
The below rates are estimated rates current as of: Friday, November 1 at 12:00 PM PDT.
Insurance Company ▲▼ | Average Monthly Quote ▲▼ |
|---|---|
| USAA | $55 |
| State Farm | $65 |
| Allstate | $88 |
| GEICO | $96 |
| American Family | $110 |
| Progressive | $134 |
| Clearcover | $143 |
| Safeco | $143 |
| Shelter | $146 |
| Nationwide | $155 |
| Auto-Owners | $160 |
| Travelers | $161 |
| Direct Auto | $185 |
| National General | $201 |
| Liberty Mutual | $268 |
| GAINSCO | $307 |
| The General | $307 |
| Foremost | $337 |
| Bristol West | $340 |
| Dairyland | $369 |
| AssuranceAmerica | $441 |
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
Penalties for driving without proof of insurance in Missouri
Auto insurance laws exist to help keep people safe on the road. If you’re convicted of driving without insurance in Missouri, one or more of the following could happen:
Points infraction: The conviction will appear on your driving record, and you’ll receive four points. Under Missouri state law, you lose driving privileges if you accrue eight or more points within 18 months or less.[4]
Order of supervision: The Missouri Department of Revenue will monitor your insurance status to make sure you stay insured.
License suspension: The court may order a suspension of your driver’s license. You’ll receive notification of the suspension from the Department of Revenue.
Optional car insurance coverages to consider
Maintaining liability and uninsured motorist coverage will keep you from incurring penalties for driving without insurance. However, carrying only the state minimum is unlikely to provide adequate protection if you’re in a serious accident.
The good news is you can add many optional coverages to your policy to safeguard your finances, including:
Collision coverage
Collision coverage pays for repairs to your vehicle after a crash with another car or stationary object. It also covers pothole damage.
Comprehensive coverage
Comprehensive coverage pays for damage from incidents other than a collision, such as theft, severe weather, animals, and more.
Rental reimbursement coverage
Rental reimbursement coverage pays for the cost of a rental car if yours is in the shop for repairs after a covered event. Most insurance policies provide a certain daily allowance for a specific number of days.
Medical payments coverage
Medical payments (MedPay) coverage helps pay for your and your passengers’ accident-related injuries, no matter who’s at fault.
Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
Sometimes, a motorist may not have enough insurance to pay for all the damage they cause after a crash. This covers losses that exceed the at-fault driver’s policy limits. Your uninsured motorist policy limit must be at least twice the at-fault driver’s limit for this coverage to kick in.
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Missouri car insurance requirements FAQs
Missouri’s car insurance requirements are simple. Read on to find out what types of coverage and policy limits you need to register your motor vehicle.
Is car insurance required in Missouri?
Yes. All Missouri drivers must maintain liability and uninsured motorist coverage to drive legally. Out-of-state drivers must have their state’s minimum insurance requirements to drive legally in Missouri. However, most insurance professionals recommend maintaining more than the minimum. Optional coverages and higher policy limits provide added protection if you’re in an accident.
What are the auto insurance requirements in Missouri?
Missouri drivers must maintain at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in bodily injury liability coverage, along with $25,000 per accident in property damage liability coverage. You must also carry bodily injury uninsured motorist coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident.
Do you need car insurance to register a car in Missouri?
Yes. You must show proof that you have insurance that meets or exceeds the state’s minimum requirements when registering your car.
Does insurance follow the car or the driver in Missouri?
Missouri law requires all liability insurance policies in the state to cover the vehicle and the person named in the policy. It also requires insurers to cover all household members who live with the person named in the policy and anyone who has permission to drive the car, regardless of whether they live with the named insured.
Can someone drive your car if they are not on your insurance in Missouri?
Yes. Drivers not named on your insurance policy may drive your car as long as they have your permission. If they’re in an accident while driving your vehicle, your insurance policy will cover them as it would if you were driving. It will pay for injuries and damage up to your policy’s limits.
Methodology
Insurify data scientists analyzed more than 90 million quotes served to car insurance applicants in Insurify’s proprietary database to calculate the premium averages displayed on this page. These premiums are real quotes that come directly from Insurify’s 50+ partner insurance companies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Quote averages represent the median price for a quote across the given coverage level, driver subset, and geographic area.
Unless otherwise specified, quoted rates reflect the average cost for drivers between 20 and 70 years old with a clean driving record and average or better credit (a credit score of 600 or higher).
Liability-only premium averages correspond to policies with the following coverage limits:
- Bodily injury limits between state-minimum rates and $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
- Property damage limits between $10,000 and $50,000
- No additional coverage
- Comprehensive coverage with a $1,000 deductible
- Collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible
Quotes for Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, State Farm, and USAA are estimates based on Quadrant Information Services’ database of auto insurance rates.
Sources
- Missouri Department of Revenue. "Insurance Information."
- Insurance Information Institute. "Facts + Statistics: Uninsured motorists."
- The Official Website of Aipso. "Missouri Automobile Insurance Plan."
- Missouri Department of Revenue. "Missouri Driver Responsibilities and Penalties."
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Jennifer Brozic
Jennifer Brozic is a content marketing writer, specializing in the financial services and insurance industries. She's committed to helping her clients create content that inspires people to take action. Her areas of expertise include insurance, financial planning & budgeting, building credit, loans, credit cards and more.
15+ years in content creation
7+ years in business and financial services content
Chris is a seasoned writer/editor with past experience across myriad industries, including insurance, SAS, finance, Medicare, logistics, marketing/advertising, and many more.
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