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Upstate New York drivers get off comparatively easy, with car insurance rates that stack up well against the rest of the nation. But the five boroughs are another story. Staten Island is cheap only compared with Manhattan, and Manhattan looks good only compared with Brooklyn, where rates for our sample driver topped $4,000 a year. We've got every ZIP in New York mapped out below.
New York car insurance requirements | |
|---|---|
| New York state law requires the following minimum car insurance coverage: | |
| Minimum bodily injury liability | $25,000/$50,000 |
| Minimum property damage liability | $10,000 |
| Uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury | $25,000/$50,000 |
| Personal injury protection | $50,000 limit |
Minimum auto insurance coverage requirements for New York are $25,000 for bodily injury per person, $50,000 for bodily injury per accident and $10,000 for property damage.
The minimums may be fine if you don't have many assets or live in a rural area where accidents are less likely, but if you live in a metropolitan area, such as New York City, or have many assets to safeguard, bump your limits up to 100/300/50 or more.
Uninsured motorist bodily injury is also required as part of a New York auto insurance policy. New York also mandates motorists to carry at least $50,000 in personal injury protection (PIP), sometimes referred to as no-fault insurance.
No-fault doesn't mean that no one is found at fault for an accident, but instead that someone who is injured in an accident looks first to his or her own coverage. If PIP limits are exceeded, then the at-fault driver's liability coverage can kick in.
Basic no-fault: PIP coverage includes:
Exclusion to no-fault coverages: Most New York car insurance policies say that a person may be ineligible for PIP benefits if the individual was:
Surcharges: If you cause a car accident, New York law says your insurer can raise your rates (known as a surcharge) only if you caused bodily injury or property damage that was more than $2,000. You can also be surcharged if you're convicted of certain traffic violations. As in any state, keeping your driving record clean will go a long way toward holding down your car insurance rates.
