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Mississippi has minimum coverage requirements to limit the circumstances in which a party that causes some form of damage with an automobile is unable to pay for the repairs. Make sure to compare rates with our free quote tool above! 

How to Read Car Insurance Requirements

There are six basic types of car insurance coverage: bodily injury liability, personal injury protection (PIP) / medical payments, property damage liability, collision coverage, comprehensive coverage, and uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage.

Bodily injury liability coverage applies to injuries a covered driver causes to another person and usually extends to anyone driving the insured’s car with their permission. This type of coverage is one of the most important types given the possibility of high medical bills.

Personal injury protection (PIP) and medical payment coverage are the opposite of bodily injury liability coverage. Where bodily injury coverage is for injuries a driver causes another, PIP coverage is for injuries the driver sustains.

Some PIP coverage goes beyond medical bills to cover lost wages and even funeral expenses.

Property damage liability is similar to bodily injury liability coverage in that it covers the damage a driver does to another’s property. This is typically for damage done to another vehicle but can also include damage to signs, mailboxes, buildings, and trees.

The inverse of property liability coverage, collision coverage covers damage done to the covered driver’s vehicle. This can include damage from a single or multiple vehicle accidents. Collision claims can be collected regardless of the driver’s fault.

Comprehensive coverage is more robust coverage for a driver’s vehicle than collision coverage.

Comprehensive coverage will cover damage to a driver’s vehicle outside of collisions such as vandalism, fire, animal damage or hail.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is failsafe coverage that protects a driver when his vehicle is struck by a person who has no insurance, who doesn’t have enough coverage to cover all of the damage, or in hit-and-run accidents.

Policy Requirement Basics

State insurance coverage requirements are often written in a shorthand that can be confusing.

This shorthand includes three numbers indicating the minimum coverage for bodily injury per person, the minimum bodily injury liability coverage for an accident overall, and the minimum property damage liability coverage. These numbers are truncated.

For example, a coverage requirement that reads 20/40/10 would mean that a state requires $20,000 in bodily injury liability per person injured, $40,000 in coverage for bodily injury liability coverage for a single accident overall, and $10,000 in property damage liability coverage for a single accident.

Not every policy will meet every state’s requirement making it important to compare 3-4 car insurance policies before purchasing one.

Minimum Coverage for Mississippi

Mississippi has a fairly standard vehicle insurance coverage requirement of 25/50/25.

In other words, Mississippi requires $25,000 of bodily injury liability per person and a total of $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per accident. Additionally, Mississippi requires $25,000 in property damage liability coverage.

Mississippi does have options to satisfy financial responsibility requirements other than through insurance.

Mississippi law allows a driver to place a bond with a state-licensed company for the full amount of required coverage in lieu of insurance.

The law also allows a driver to post cash or securities in the total amount required of liability insurance with the State Treasurer. Given the high requirements, these options are rarely used.

Mississippi law provides for steep penalties for a violation of the minimum insurance coverage requirements.

Each violation comes with a $500 fine and a one-year driver’s license suspension. There are ways to mitigate these penalties, however.

If proof of financial responsibility is provided before the hearing on the violation the fine is lowered to $100 and the driver’s license suspension is removed. If there is proof that there was insurance coverage at the time of the violation all fines, suspensions, and costs are lifted.

Minimum Required Coverage vs. Recommended Coverage

Minimum required coverage is the bare minimum required to drive a vehicle in Mississippi. But often times the bare minimum isn’t enough to meet every need. For instance, a driver who had previously been the victim of a hit-and-run might want more uninsured motorist coverage.

A driver with small children might need more than the minimum required PIP coverage. In fact, most insurance industry groups recommend more than the bare minimum required coverage.

Medical bills from a single accident can be enormous. Due to the potential for expensive medical bills, most industry groups recommend at least $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident of bodily injury liability coverage.

In the past, shopping for insurance was difficult and time-consuming. Thankfully, the process has been simplified through the internet.

It has never been easier to compare multiple policies, and purchasing a policy online can be done in a few minutes.

How Do I Find the Cheapest Auto Insurance Rates in Mississippi?

Regardless of the minimum coverage requirements, Mississippi drivers must weigh their need for additional coverage with what their budget will allow.

The best way to satisfy these competing interests is to compare at least 3-4 different car insurance policies before making a purchase.

Doing a little comparison shopping can lead Mississippi drivers to policies that fit their needs and their budgets. The policy-shopping process doesn’t end with the purchase of a policy either. Needs change, and policy prices fluctuate.

It’s highly recommended to review policies every six months after purchase to make certain it continues to meet every need. Don’t miss out on our free quote tool below! Just enter your zip code and start comparing rates now!

Auto Insurance Laws

01.12.2017 / auto insurance basics / auto insurance requirements