Auto insurance in Massachusetts: what’s required, and what isn’t
Massachusetts raised its property damage requirement from $5,000 to $30,000 for policies written or renewing on or after 1 July 2025 — a sixfold increase that moved the state from one of the weakest floors in the country to one of the stronger ones. Massachusetts also bans the use of credit in auto insurance outright, runs a statewide Safe Driver Insurance Plan that codifies how your record affects your premium, and treats uninsured driving as a criminal rather than civil matter.
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What Massachusetts requires you to carry
| Bodily injury, per person | $25,000 |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury, per accident | $50,000 |
| Property damage, per accident | $30,000 |
Massachusetts also requires
- Personal injury protection — $8,000
- PIP covers medical expenses, up to 75 per cent of lost wages, and replacement services, to a limit of $8,000 per person, regardless of who caused the crash.
- Bodily injury caused by an uninsured auto — 25/50
- Massachusetts requires coverage for your own injuries caused by an uninsured or unidentified hit-and-run driver, at $25,000 per person and $50,000 for everyone injured in the crash.
These are floors, not recommendations. Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts enforces it
Massachusetts ties insurance to registration and verifies against carrier data. Operating an uninsured motor vehicle is a criminal offence under G.L. c. 90 § 34J rather than a civil infraction, which puts Massachusetts among the strictest states on this point.
How rates are set in Massachusetts
Massachusetts is a no-fault state. Your own personal injury protection pays medical expenses, up to 75 per cent of lost wages and replacement services up to $8,000, regardless of who caused the crash. Suits for pain and suffering are limited to cases meeting a statutory threshold.
The Division of Insurance regulates carriers and publishes a Consumer Bill of Rights for Automobile Insurance — a document worth reading, since it sets out what carriers must do for you in plainer terms than most states manage.
Two structural rules make Massachusetts unusual. Credit information may not be used in issuing or renewing auto insurance at all, under MGL c. 175 § 4E. And the Safe Driver Insurance Plan applies a standardised point system for at-fault accidents and violations across the market, so the surcharge consequences of a claim follow you rather than varying carrier to carrier.
Credit-based insurance scores in Massachusetts
Massachusetts prohibits the use of credit information in issuing or renewing auto insurance, under MGL c. 175 § 4E. It is one of a small handful of states to ban it outright. The practical effect is that a Massachusetts quote depends on your driving record, your vehicle and where you garage it — and not at all on your credit file.
What actually moves your premium here
Property damage went from $5,000 to $30,000 in July 2025
Massachusetts had one of the lowest property damage floors in the country at $5,000. For policies written or renewing on or after 1 July 2025 it is $30,000 — a sixfold increase and now one of the higher floors nationally. If you have not renewed since, this is coming.
Credit is banned, so your record carries more weight
With credit off the table entirely, Massachusetts carriers rate on driving history, vehicle and garaging location. That makes a clean record worth more here than in states where a strong credit file can offset a violation — and a violation correspondingly harder to price around.
The Safe Driver Insurance Plan formalises the record
Massachusetts runs a statewide Safe Driver Insurance Plan that assigns points for at-fault accidents and violations and feeds them directly into your premium. It is a more codified system than most states use, which makes the cost of an at-fault claim unusually predictable — and unusually hard to escape by switching carriers.
Uninsured driving is a criminal offence here
Operating an uninsured motor vehicle in Massachusetts falls under G.L. c. 90 § 34J as a criminal matter rather than a ticket. That is a materially different exposure from the civil fines most states impose.
See what you’d be matched with in Massachusetts
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Comparing carriers in Massachusetts
Confirm the quote is built on the current $30,000 property damage floor. Anything quoting $5,000 predates July 2025 and cannot be issued now.
Because credit is banned and the Safe Driver Insurance Plan standardises how records are treated, the spread between Massachusetts carriers is narrower than in most states. Shopping still pays, but expect a tighter range of answers and weight service and claims handling more heavily than you might elsewhere.
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 Massachusetts
Massachusetts does not use the SR-22 form. Reinstatement after an insurance-related suspension runs through the Registry of Motor Vehicles and requires proof of current coverage plus reinstatement fees. An SR-22 obligation imposed by another state belongs to that state.
Massachusetts auto insurance FAQ
- What is the minimum car insurance required in Massachusetts?
- Bodily injury to others at $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident, damage to someone else’s property at $30,000, personal injury protection of $8,000, and bodily injury caused by an uninsured auto at $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident.
- Did Massachusetts change its insurance minimums?
- Yes. For policies written or renewing on or after 1 July 2025, the property damage minimum rose from $5,000 to $30,000 — a sixfold increase that took Massachusetts from one of the lowest floors in the country to one of the higher ones.
- Can Massachusetts insurers use my credit score?
- No. MGL c. 175 § 4E prohibits the use of credit information in issuing or renewing auto insurance. Massachusetts is one of only a few states to ban it outright, so quotes here depend on your driving record, vehicle and garaging location instead.
- What is the Safe Driver Insurance Plan?
- A statewide system that assigns points for at-fault accidents and traffic violations and feeds them into your premium. Because it is standardised across the market, the premium consequence of an at-fault claim is unusually predictable — and difficult to avoid by switching carriers.
- What happens if I drive without insurance in Massachusetts?
- Operating an uninsured motor vehicle is a criminal offence under G.L. c. 90 § 34J, not a civil infraction. That is a materially more serious exposure than the fines most states impose.
Sources
Requirements on this page were verified against Massachusetts’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.
- Mass.gov — Basics of auto insurance
- Mass.gov — Massachusetts law about auto insurance
- Mass.gov — Consumer bill of rights for automobile insurance
Consumer help in Massachusetts: Massachusetts Division of Insurance, (877) 563-4467.