Auto insurance in Hawaii: what’s required, and what isn’t
Hawaii doubled its minimum liability limits for policies new or renewing on or after 1 January 2026, moving from 20/40/10 to 40/80/20. It is a no-fault state requiring at least $10,000 of personal injury protection, and it is one of only four states that bar carriers from using your credit history in rating at all — Hawaii also bars gender, which fewer still do.
Advertiser disclosure. We may be compensated when you connect with a provider through this site. This affects which options appear and where, but not our editorial assessments. How we make money
Question 1 of 3
What’s your ZIP code?
What Hawaii requires you to carry
| Bodily injury, per person | $40,000 |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury, per accident | $80,000 |
| Property damage, per accident | $20,000 |
Hawaii also requires
- Personal injury protection — $10,000
- Hawaii requires at least $10,000 of PIP for your own medical and rehabilitation costs, payable regardless of who caused the crash.
These are floors, not recommendations. Hawaii sets the minimum a driver may legally carry. It does not assess whether that amount would cover a claim you caused. Anything above your limits is your personal exposure.
How Hawaii enforces it
Hawaii requires proof of no-fault insurance to register a vehicle and at traffic stops, and verifies against carrier data. Driving uninsured carries substantial fines, licence suspension and potential vehicle impoundment.
How rates are set in Hawaii
Hawaii is a no-fault state. Your own personal injury protection pays medical and rehabilitation costs regardless of who caused the crash, and your ability to sue the at-fault driver for general damages is limited unless injuries clear a statutory threshold.
The Insurance Division of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs regulates carriers, publishes an annual motor vehicle premium comparison, and administers the motor vehicle insurance law in Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 23.
Hawaii restricts rating factors more than most states. Credit history may not be used, and neither may gender. Carriers may still choose whom to insure, but the grounds on which they may price are narrower here than on the mainland.
Credit-based insurance scores in Hawaii
Hawaii prohibits the use of credit history in auto insurance rating and underwriting. It is one of a small group of states — with California, Massachusetts and Michigan — to bar it outright. Hawaii also bars gender as a rating factor. Rates here rest on your driving record and your vehicle to an unusual degree.
What actually moves your premium here
The minimums doubled at the start of 2026
Hawaii moved from 20/40/10 to 40/80/20 for all personal auto policies that are new or renewing on or after 1 January 2026. Bodily injury doubled and property damage doubled. If your policy renewed earlier in 2026 you are already on the new floor; the premium change came with it.
Credit and gender are both off the table
Hawaii bars carriers from rating on credit history and on gender. Very few states go that far. The practical effect is that your driving record and your vehicle carry more of the weight here than almost anywhere, and a clean record is worth proportionally more.
Island geography compresses the risk picture
Short trips, low highway speeds and limited road networks give Hawaii a claims profile skewed toward low-speed frequency rather than high-speed severity. That is part of why Hawaii premiums have historically run below the national average despite high vehicle repair and shipping costs.
Parts have to cross an ocean
Vehicle repair in Hawaii depends on parts shipped from the mainland, which lengthens repair times and raises claim severity. It is a reason to look carefully at rental reimbursement coverage — a two-week repair on the mainland can be considerably longer here.
See what you’d be matched with in Hawaii
Question 1 of 3
What’s your ZIP code?
Comparing carriers in Hawaii
Confirm which limits a quote is built on. Hawaii’s floor doubled at the start of 2026, and anything quoting 20/40/10 predates the change and cannot be issued now.
Read the Insurance Division’s annual motor vehicle premium publication before you start. Hawaii is a small market and the Division publishes comparative pricing, which is a faster route to knowing whether a quote is competitive than gathering quotes one at a time.
One habit matters more than any single carrier choice: re-check every year or two, and again after anything that changes your risk profile — a move across town, a new vehicle, a driver added or removed, or a violation ageing off your record. Carriers re-weight their rating factors continuously, so the one that priced you best three years ago is often not the one that prices you best today.
If you need an SR-22 in Hawaii
Hawaii requires proof of financial responsibility after certain suspensions, including driving uninsured and DUI convictions. Your insurer files it with the Department of Transportation. Confirm the period for your case with the county Motor Vehicle office, since it runs from your reinstatement date.
Hawaii auto insurance FAQ
- What is the minimum car insurance required in Hawaii?
- For policies new or renewing on or after 1 January 2026: $40,000 per person and $80,000 per accident for bodily injury liability, $20,000 per occurrence for property damage liability, and at least $10,000 of personal injury protection.
- Did Hawaii raise its insurance minimums?
- Yes. The limits doubled from 20/40/10 to 40/80/20 for all personal auto policies new or up for renewal on or after 1 January 2026, to give injured parties greater financial protection after a crash.
- Can Hawaii insurers use my credit score?
- No. Hawaii prohibits the use of credit history in auto insurance rating and underwriting, and also bars gender as a rating factor. Your driving record and vehicle carry correspondingly more weight.
- Is Hawaii a no-fault state?
- Yes. Your own personal injury protection pays your medical and rehabilitation costs regardless of who caused the crash, and suits against the at-fault driver for general damages are limited unless injuries meet a statutory threshold.
- Should I carry rental reimbursement coverage in Hawaii?
- It is worth pricing. Vehicle repairs in Hawaii often wait on parts shipped from the mainland, so repair times run longer than they would elsewhere and the coverage is called on for longer when it is needed.
Sources
Requirements on this page were verified against Hawaii’s own regulator and motor vehicle agency on the date shown at the top. Rules change — if you are making a decision that turns on an exact figure, confirm it at the source.
- Hawaii DCCA — FAQ: auto insurance minimum limits
- Hawaii DCCA — Motor vehicle insurance information
- Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 23 — Motor vehicle insurance law
Consumer help in Hawaii: Hawaii Insurance Division, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, (808) 586-2790.