Ohio Car Insurance
Ohio drivers must carry at least 25/50/25 liability coverage under ORC § 4509.511. Ohio is a traditional tort state: no PIP is required5. UM and UIM must be offered under ORC § 3937.18 but can be rejected in writing3. The Ohio BMV runs random-selection electronic verification under ORC § 4509.101 and OAC 4501-7-08; a failure to verify can lead to license, plate, and registration suspension24.
YesWeSure Bottom Line
What the law requires. 25/50/25 liability. This is a floor, not a recommendation: a single modern vehicle can exceed $25,000 in repair cost, and $25,000 per person is often exhausted by a single hospital stay1.
What is not required. Ohio does not require PIP. UM and UIM must be offered, but purchase is optional; without a signed rejection, UM and UIM remain on the policy35.
How Ohio verifies coverage. Ohio does not run a continuous match program comparable to TexasSure or IIES. The BMV randomly selects registered vehicles for verification. A failure to produce proof suspends license, plate, and registration24.
How to make a real decision. Treat 25/50/25 as a floor. For how to think about higher limits, see how to choose coverage limits. For the rating landscape, see how insurers calculate rates.
State requirements at a glance
What Ohio car insurance law requires
Minimum liability limits
25 / 50 / 251
$25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident, $25,000 property damage per accident. In force since the December 22, 2013 amendments to the Ohio Financial Responsibility Law.
Personal Injury Protection (PIP)
Not required5
Ohio is a traditional tort state. No PIP is required on personal auto. MedPay is an optional first-party add-on insurers typically offer.
Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist
Must be offered; reject in writing3
ORC § 3937.18 requires UM and UIM to be offered on every personal auto policy. Purchase is optional and the named insured may reject the coverage in writing.
Coverage verification
Random electronic selection (BMV)2
Ohio BMV administers random-selection electronic verification under ORC § 4509.101 and Ohio Administrative Code 4501-7-08. A failure to verify can lead to license, plate, and registration suspension.
Rate approval regime
Ohio Department of Insurance oversight5
Ohio does not maintain a headline statewide prohibition on credit-based insurance scoring, gender, or age as personal-auto rating factors.
The 25/50/25 minimum: what it actually covers
ORC § 4509.51 compels every covered Ohio driver to maintain at least 25/50/25 liability coverage1. The three numbers refer to:
- $25,000 bodily injury per person. The maximum your policy pays for one injured person's medical bills, lost wages, and related bodily-injury costs when you are at fault.
- $50,000 bodily injury per accident. The maximum your policy pays across all injured people in one accident when you are at fault.
- $25,000 property damage per accident. The maximum your policy pays to repair or replace someone else's vehicle or other property.
Many Ohio drivers carry higher limits because modern vehicles routinely cost more than $25,000.
PIP is not required (traditional tort state)
Ohio does not require PIP. MedPay is an optional first-party add-on insurers typically offer; it does not substitute for liability. In Ohio, UM and UIM are the practically important first-party decisions, discussed below.
Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)
ORC § 3937.18 requires every Ohio personal auto policy to offer UM and UIM. Purchase is optional; the named insured may reject the coverage in writing. Rejection must be signed and on file with the insurer3.
Random electronic verification under ORC § 4509.101
ORC § 4509.101, together with Ohio Administrative Code 4501-7-08, authorizes the BMV to run random-selection electronic insurance verification24. A randomly selected owner who cannot produce proof of coverage faces suspension of driver license, registration, and license plates until coverage is reinstated.
Rating-factor landscape
Ohio does not maintain a headline statewide prohibition on credit-based insurance scoring, gender, or age as personal-auto rating factors. Rating is overseen by the Ohio Department of Insurance through filings5. For a general treatment, see our how insurers calculate rates guide.
Where the Ohio situation rules live on YesWeSure
This State Guide owns the Ohio pricing and legal framework. Situation-specific Ohio mechanics live on the sibling Situation guides:
- After an accident. See our after-an-accident guide.
- After a DUI. Ohio SR-22 and reinstatement mechanics are treated in our after-a-DUI guide.
- After a lapse. BMV random-verification consequences of a lapse are treated in our after-a-lapse guide.
- Moving into Ohio. New-resident registration is treated in our moving-to-another-state guide.
What we verified for this page
- Strong25/50/25 minimum liability verified against ORC § 4509.51 and the Ohio Department of Insurance consumer guide. In force since the December 22, 2013 amendments.
- StrongUM / UIM must-offer with written rejection verified against ORC § 3937.18.
- StrongRandom electronic verification under ORC § 4509.101 and OAC 4501-7-08 verified against primary text and the Ohio BMV consumer page.
- StrongOhio is a traditional tort state; no required PIP verified against the Ohio DOI consumer guide.
- LimitedDeliberately omitted from V1. An Ohio modeled cost anchor; carrier-specific Ohio underwriting; the exact Ohio SR-22 reinstatement timeline (deferred to the after-a-DUI guide); and telematics program detail.
- LimitedNamed author and expert reviewer. V1 attributes to "YesWeSure Editorial." A named auto-insurance editor and an Ohio-licensed reviewer are tracked as a pre-launch YMYL item.
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Common questions
What is the minimum car insurance required in Ohio?
25/50/25 liability under ORC § 4509.511.
Is PIP required in Ohio?
No. Ohio is a traditional tort state. MedPay is an optional first-party add-on5.
Is UM/UIM required in Ohio?
UM and UIM must be offered under ORC § 3937.18. Purchase is optional and the named insured may reject the coverage in writing3.
Sources & methodology
- Ohio Revised Code § 4509.51 (Minimum amounts of financial responsibility): 25/50/25 statutory floor. (Ohio General Assembly, TIER 1)
- Ohio Revised Code § 4509.101: proof of financial responsibility, random verification, and suspension consequences for failure to maintain coverage. (Ohio General Assembly, TIER 1)
- Ohio Revised Code § 3937.18: Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist coverage must be offered on every personal auto policy; written rejection required. (Ohio General Assembly, TIER 1)
- Ohio Administrative Code 4501-7-08: BMV procedures for random-selection electronic insurance verification. (Ohio Department of Public Safety, TIER 1)
- Ohio Department of Insurance: Automobile Insurance Consumer Guide. (Ohio Department of Insurance, TIER 1)
- Ohio BMV: Insurance Requirements consumer page. (Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, TIER 1)
- YesWeSure: Car insurance after an accident (YesWeSure, INTERNAL)
- YesWeSure: Car insurance after a DUI (YesWeSure, INTERNAL)
- YesWeSure: Car insurance after a lapse in coverage (YesWeSure, INTERNAL)
- YesWeSure: Car insurance when moving to another state (YesWeSure, INTERNAL)
- YesWeSure: How to choose coverage limits (YesWeSure, INTERNAL)
- YesWeSure: How insurers calculate rates (YesWeSure, INTERNAL)
Evidence hierarchy on this page: Tier 1 (Ohio Revised Code, Ohio Administrative Code, Ohio Department of Insurance, Ohio BMV). No Tier 2 or Tier 3 publisher figures appear on this page; an Ohio modeled cost anchor is deliberately omitted from V1 and will land on a future subpage with full provenance. Every legal number on this page traces to an Ohio primary source: ORC §§ 4509.51, 4509.101, 3937.18, and OAC 4501-7-08. This page is informational and does not constitute legal, tax, or insurance advice. Last reviewed .