Car Insurance Requirements in Missouri (2025)
Missouri requires residents to maintain liability and uninsured motorist coverage to drive legally in the state.
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Every U.S. state except New Hampshire 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 states require these coverages, you may wish to pursue additional optional coverages to better protect your assets.
Here’s what you should know about the car insurance requirements in Missouri.
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 people’s 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. But you can opt for higher coverage limits if you want more protection.
Missouri Automobile Insurance Plan
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.
But most insurance experts recommend having more than the minimum coverage. Increasing your policy limits and adding physical damage coverage provides more protection.
A full-coverage policy includes comprehensive and collision coverage. Collision insurance helps cover repairs to your vehicle after an accident, and comprehensive insurance 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.
Penalties for driving without proof of insurance in Missouri
Auto insurance laws exist to help keep people safe on the road. If you receive a conviction for 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.
Cheapest 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 people’s medical expenses and property damage.
Missouri’s average cost of a liability-only policy is $91 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.
Cheapest 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 $175, according to Insurify data. Here’s a look at how average rates vary among insurers in the state.
Optional car insurance coverages to consider
Maintaining liability and uninsured motorist coverage will keep you from incurring penalties for driving without insurance. But 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:
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.
Does Missouri require car insurance?
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’re 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’ll pay for injuries and damage up to your policy’s limits.
What happens if law enforcement pulls you over without insurance in Missouri?
You’ll receive a ticket if you don’t show proof of insurance to law enforcement. The court can decide to do one of a few things following a conviction for failure to show proof of insurance. It will either have the Missouri Department of Revenue add the conviction to your driving record, enter an order of supervision to monitor the driver, or suspend your driver’s license.
What happens when an uninsured driver hits you in Missouri?
Following an accident with an uninsured driver, you can file a claim with your insurance company. Missouri requires drivers to maintain a minimum of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage. Your insurer can cover up to those amounts if you or your passengers have accident-related injuries. If you have collision insurance, your insurance can also cover any property damage.
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