Guide to Auto Insurance in Minnesota

These are the required limits to meet the minimum coverage in Minnesota:

• Bodily injury: You will need a minimum of $30,000 in bodily injury liability coverage per accident involving one person, or $60,000 per accident involving two or more people. Bodily injury coverage pays for the treatment of injuries you cause to someone else. It does not include the injuries of you or your passengers.
• Property damage: You’ll also need a minimum of $10,000 coverage for property damage liability. This coverage pays for damage you cause to someone else’s property — often their car, but also other property that your car hits.
• Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UIM): Minnesota requires a minimum of $25,000 in uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage per accident involving one person, or $50,000 per accident involving two or more people. UIM coverage reimburses you if someone without auto insurance (or with insufficient insurance) hits your car, including hit-and-run incidents.
• Personal injury protection (PIP): Minnesota is a no-fault state, meaning it requires personal injury protection. PIP pays for losses you or your passengers sustain in an accident. You’ll need at least $40,000 per person per accident ($20,000 for medical expenses and $20,000 for nonmedical expenses such as lost wages and replacement services).

Bodily injury, property damage, UIM, and PIP coverage are a good foundation, but you’ll probably want to add supplemental coverage like comprehensive coverage and collision coverage.

Comprehensive

About 80 percent of insured drivers purchase comprehensive coverage, which reimburses you for events like theft, vandalism, fire, and extreme weather.¹ In some cases, it also pays for broken windshields, though it never covers regular wear and tear.

Collision

About 76 percent of insured drivers purchase collision coverage.1 Collision coverage pays for damage to your car resulting from a collision with another car or an object — even if you’re at fault. It also covers damage sustained from potholes. Unless you can afford to buy another vehicle with cash in the event of an accident, we recommend purchasing this type of coverage.

For both collision and comprehensive coverage, the limit is your car’s actual market value.

If you’re involved in a hit-and-run in MInnesota, the state’s minimum insurance requirements should provide you with essential coverage. For more detailed steps, take a look at our guide for what to do after a hit-and-run in Minnesota.

On average, car insurance in Minnesota costs $1,967 annually for full coverage, which is 2 percent higher than the national average of $1924. For minimum coverage, the average cost is $1,037, nearly 90 percent higher than the national average of $547.

That said, your car insurance rate will depend on a variety of other factors, like your age, desired coverage level, and whether or not you’ve recently gotten a speeding ticket, so be sure to get quotes from multiple providers before choosing the best plan for you. In Minnesota, we’ve seen average full coverage rates range from $1,124 to $2,238, and minimum coverage rates from $660 to $1,112, depending on the provider. For more information about different providers, take a look at our review for the best auto insurance in Minnesota in 2024.

• AAA
• Allstate
• American Family
• Amica
• Auto-Owners
• Country Financial
• Direct
• Farmers
• Farm Bureau Financial
• GEICO
• Liberty Mutual
• National General
• Nationwide
• North Star Mutual
• Progressive
• State Farm
• The General
• Travelers
• USAA
• West Bend
• Western National

If you’re looking to save on car insurance, here are some ways you can lower your costs:

1. Use discounts. Check with your insurance provider about getting a discount. Companies offer discounts for things like GPS monitoring, being a good student, using other safety features, and having a clean driving record.
2. Bundle. Look into bundling your auto insurance with other policies, like homeowners or renters insurance, life insurance, and business insurance.
3. Raise your deductible. If you can afford it in the event of a claim, consider raising your deductible for comprehensive or collision claims.
4. Lower your limits. By lowering your coverage liability limits, you can decrease your premiums. However, your payout will be lower if you have to file a claim, so saving now could mean paying more down the line.

To drive in Minnesota legally, you need proof of auto insurance, either physical or digital. Some insurers provide digital proof of insurance on their mobile apps, which you can add to a smartphone wallet for convenience. Your provider may also offer a downloadable PDF.

If you’re caught driving without insurance, you’ll face a fine of at least $200, license and registration suspension until you provide proof of insurance, potential jail time, community service, and vehicle impoundment. The first two offenses within ten years are classified as misdemeanors. The third offense is a gross misdemeanor.²

In addition to auto insurance requirements, it’s good to familiarize yourself with state driving laws. That way, you avoid penalties, fines, and license suspensions and revocations.

Fault System

Minnesota is a no-fault state, meaning that if you cause an accident, you are responsible for the other party’s property damage but not their medical costs. You and the other party each pay your own medical costs.

Minnesota follows a modified comparative negligence rule, which states that if the victim sues the perpetrator, the defendant’s liability is reduced in proportion to the plaintiff’s fault, so long as the plaintiff’s fault is less than the defendant’s. If the plaintiff is 50 percent at fault, and there are multiple defendants, each less than 50 percent liable, the plaintiff can’t recover money in a civil suit.³

Uninsured Motorists

Minnesota requires all drivers to carry uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. That said, only 8.9 percent of drivers in Minnesota are uninsured, which is 5 percent less than the national average.⁴ Unlike some other states, UIM coverage in Minnesota isn’t stacked, meaning you can’t combine your UIM coverage across multiple cars on a policy.

DUI Laws

In Minnesota, a DUI stays on your record for life. After your first offense, you will face potential jail time and the loss of your license for a minimum of 30 days up to a year. First time offenders arrested at twice the legal limit (0.16 blood alcohol concentration) and above and second-time DUI offenders will be required to use an ignition interlock device or lose driving privileges ranging from one to two years. DUI offenders with three or more offenses in a 10-year period will be required to use an ignition interlock for three to six years in order to regain driving privileges.⁵

Seat Belt Laws

Minnesota’s seat belt law is under primary enforcement, meaning the police can pull you over solely for being unbuckled (as opposed to needing another reason, like speeding). The state requires seat belts for the driver and all passengers. Drivers receive tickets for unbuckled passengers 14 and younger; individuals 15 and older will receive tickets directly. A seat belt ticket is $25, but with fees, it can cost up to $100.

Distracted Driving Laws

Distracted driving includes texting and driving, talking on the phone while driving, and even changing the music while driving. Since 2016, distracted driving has caused 1 in 9 crashes in Minnesota, resulting in 960 serious injuries and 155 deaths.⁶ Not only is distracted driving extremely dangerous, but it can also result in fines and other consequences.

Contact Information

We hope the following contact information will make it easier to navigate auto-related bureaucracies in Minnesota.

Here we’ve compiled the information for the Minnesota DMV offices and Department of Insurance.

How to Register your Car in Minnesota

If you’re a new resident in Minnesota, you have 60 days to register your vehicle. You can apply in person at the DMV or by mail. To register your vehicle, you need the following:

• Proof of vehicle ownership (title or registration)
• Completed Application to Title and Register a Motor Vehicle (Form PS2000), which you can download at https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/dvs/forms-documents/Documents/MV_TitleandRegisterMotorVehicleApplication.pdf
  • Note: If you own the vehicle with another person, only one of you has to sign the application.
• Vehicle’s current odometer reading
• A form of identification, expired less than five years with a photo and less than one year without a photo
  • Note: If you’re bringing a driver’s license from a state other than Minnesota, you will need to bring an additional primary form of identification, like a passport.

Here is the contact information for the Minnesota DMV:

How to Get a Copy of Your Vehicle Title

To request a copy of your vehicle’s title, follow these steps:

1. Print and fill out an Application for Duplicate Title, Registration, Cab, or Lien Card, which you can download at https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/dvs/forms-documents/Documents/MV_DuplicateTitle_Reg_Cab_LienCard_Application.pdf.
2. Bring the form to a deputy registrar’s office.
3. Prepare to pay any necessary title or transfer fees. These are the typical fees:
   • Title fee: $8.25 (plus $2 for each lien recorded)
   • Transfer tax: $10
   • Public safety vehicle fee: $3.50
   • Technology surcharge: $2.25
   • Filing fee: $12
   • Motor vehicle tax, which depends on your vehicle: https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/dvs/Pages/motor-vehicle-sales-tax.aspx

   You can find additional information on fees at https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/dvs/Pages/title-transfer-fees.aspx.

4. If you prefer to apply by mail, send the application form and payment to this address:
   • Driver and Vehicle Services – Central Office
   • Town Square Building
   • 445 Minnesota St., Suite 187
   • St. Paul, MN 55101-5187
5. If you choose to apply by mail, you can verify your fees by emailing DVS.motor.vehicles@state.mn.us.

How to Contact Minnesota’s Insurance Department

If you have questions about auto insurance in Minnesota that we didn’t cover, use the following information to contact the state’s insurance department.

In 2024, car repairs in Minnesota cost about two percent less than the national average.⁸9

Because insurance companies consider crime a risk factor, local crime will affect insurance rates. Areas with more crime, along with more traffic fatalities, have higher average costs of auto insurance.

Vehicle Theft

In 2022, with an annual rate of 312 vehicle thefts per 100,000 Minnesotans, Minnesota ranked 11th among states with the highest auto theft rates. Usually, auto theft and accidents happen more often in cities, which can raise the cost of insurance. You can find vehicle thefts by city in the chart below.

Fatalities

According to early estimates from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Minnesota’s motor vehicle fatality rate for the first quarter of 2024 is projected to increase by 69 percent compared to the previous year. The estimated fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in Minnesota is expected to rise to 0.64 in 2024, up from 0.40 in 2023.¹¹

Conclusion

You’re ready to hit the road in Minnesota! If you want to learn more about driving elsewhere, check out our state driving guide, which covers the same ground in other states.