Overview: Minimum automobile liability and UM/UIM limits increasing to $50,000 in 2025
With 2025 swiftly approaching, Virginians need to be aware of big changes coming to Virginia automobile insurance policies. Starting January 1, 2025, the state-minimum bodily injury liability and uninsured (UM) / underinsured (UIM) limits for newly issued or renewed Virginia automobile insurance policies will increase to $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident.
1. Minimum liability limits for Virginia bodily injury and UM/UIM policies issued or renewed before January 1, 2025
Under Va. Code § 46.2-472(A), all automobile liability insurance policies issued or renewed in Virginia between January 1, 2022 December 31, 2024 must carry liability coverage of at least $30,000 per person for automobile bodily injury or death, and at least $60,000 per accident for bodily injury. Similarly, under Va. Code § 38.2-2206(A), all Virginia automobile insurance policies must include coverage for bodily injury or death caused by an uninsured motorist (UM) or underinsured motorist (UIM). The UM/UIM bodily injuries limits must be at least the state minimum limits for liability coverage pursuant to Va. Code Section § 46.2-472(A). As such, all Virginia insurance policies issued or renewed between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2024 must offer at least $30,000 per person / $60,000 per accident in UM/UIM coverage for bodily injury.
2. Minimum limits increase to $50,000/$100,000 for policies issued or renewed after January 1, 2025
Under Va. Code § 46.2-472(B), for all Virginia automobile liability insurance policies issued on or after January 1, 2025, the minimum limits for bodily injury liability or death increase will increase to $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident. Likewise, the minimum UM/UIM limits will increase to $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for all automobile liability insurance policies issued on or after January 1, 2025.
3. How this affects people injured in Virginia car accidents in 2025
For people injured in Virginia car accidents in 2025, the increase in state-minimum liability limits and UM/UIM limits is good news. The current state minimum liability limits of $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident are often not enough to cover an injured person’s medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering — especially when there are multiple people injured in the same accident. It is not uncommon to see emergency room bills, particularly when extensive imaging such as CT scans or MRIs are ordered, to exceed $30,000. The increased liability and UM/UIM limits make it more likely that injured Virginians will be fairly compensated for their medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
4. Timing Considerations
It is important to note that most Virginia personal (non-commercial) automobile liability policies are for 6-month periods. A small minority of Virginia personal automobile policies are for 12-month periods. As such, if you get in an accident with another driver with a Virginia policy in early 2025, that other driver could have minimum limits of $30,000 or $50,000 depending on when that driver’s insurance policy was issued or renewed. For instance, if the at-fault driver renewed his insurance policy on November 15, 2024, that driver could only have $30,000/$60,000 for bodily injury. In contrast, if the at-fault driver’s insurance policy was issued or renewed on January 1, 2025 or later, the policy would have at least $50,000/$100,000 in bodily injury liability coverage.
If you have been injured in a Virginia automobile accident, contact Bordegaray Injury Law PLLC at 757-505-HURT (4878) or go to our Contact Us page to schedule a free consultation.
