Auto insurance in Connecticut: what’s required, and what isn’t
Connecticut requires 25/50/25 liability and — unusually — compels both uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage at 25/50. Only around fourteen states require the underinsured half, which is the one that matters more often: a driver carrying the bare minimum can injure you well past their own limits, and UIM is what covers the difference. Connecticut is a small state sitting inside one of the most expensive insurance corridors in the country.
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What Connecticut requires you to carry
| Bodily injury, per person | $25,000 |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury, per accident | $50,000 |
| Property damage, per accident | $25,000 |
Connecticut also requires
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist — 25/50
- Connecticut requires both. It is one of roughly nineteen jurisdictions that compel uninsured motorist coverage and one of only about fourteen that also compel underinsured motorist coverage — the narrower and more useful of the two mandates.
These are floors, not recommendations. Connecticut 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 Connecticut enforces it
Connecticut verifies insurance electronically against carrier data and suspends registration on a lapse. The state’s legislative research office has published repeated reports on penalties for driving without insurance, which escalate with repeat offences.
How rates are set in Connecticut
Connecticut is an at-fault state. The driver responsible for a crash is responsible for the resulting injury and property damage, and their liability limits cap what the insurer pays on their behalf.
The Connecticut Insurance Department regulates carriers, publishes consumer material and handles complaints. Connecticut is a competitive-rating state, so carriers apply their own filed models rather than a single approved price.
Because both UM and UIM are compulsory at 25/50, a Connecticut minimum policy contains meaningfully more protection than the headline liability figures suggest — you are buying three coverages, not one.
Credit-based insurance scores in Connecticut
Connecticut permits credit-based insurance scores in rating. Connecticut premiums run above the national average, driven by density, repair costs and proximity to the New York metro, so the dollar effect of any rating factor is larger here than in a low-cost state.
What actually moves your premium here
Underinsured motorist coverage is compulsory, which is rare
Plenty of states require uninsured motorist coverage. Far fewer — around fourteen — also require underinsured motorist coverage, and Connecticut is one. That matters because the at-fault driver having too little coverage is much more common than their having none, so the UIM mandate closes the gap most states leave open.
A small state inside a very expensive corridor
Connecticut sits between the New York and Boston metros and carries heavy through-traffic on I-95 and I-84. Repair labour and medical costs track the corridor rather than the state’s size, which is much of why premiums run above the national average.
Fairfield County and the rest of the state differ sharply
The southwestern corner of Connecticut prices closer to the New York metro than to the rest of the state. Carriers rate by garaging ZIP, so the statewide average sits between two quite different markets and describes neither well.
Coastal storm exposure sits on comprehensive
The Connecticut shoreline carries genuine tropical storm and surge exposure, and inland flooding follows the river valleys. Vehicle storm and flood damage is a comprehensive claim, which nothing in the state minimum requires you to carry.
See what you’d be matched with in Connecticut
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Comparing carriers in Connecticut
Check that a quote includes both uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Both are compulsory here, and a quote that has quietly dropped the underinsured half is cheaper because it is not issuable.
If you are near the shoreline, price comprehensive deliberately. Storm and flood damage to your own vehicle is a comprehensive claim and the state minimum requires none of it.
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 Connecticut
Connecticut requires an SR-22 filing after certain suspensions, including driving without insurance and DUI convictions. Your insurer files it with the DMV and must notify the state if the policy lapses. Confirm the period for your case with Connecticut DMV, since it runs from your reinstatement date.
Connecticut auto insurance FAQ
- What is the minimum car insurance required in Connecticut?
- Liability coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury plus $25,000 per accident for property damage, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage of at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident.
- Is underinsured motorist coverage required in Connecticut?
- Yes, and that is unusual — Connecticut is one of only about fourteen states that compel it. UIM covers you when the at-fault driver has insurance but not enough of it, which is a more common scenario than their having none at all.
- What is the difference between uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage?
- Uninsured motorist coverage responds when the at-fault driver has no policy or cannot be identified, such as a hit and run. Underinsured motorist coverage responds when they do have a policy but its limits run out before your losses do. Connecticut requires both.
- Why is Connecticut car insurance expensive?
- Density, heavy through-traffic on the I-95 and I-84 corridors, and repair and medical costs that track the New York and Boston metros rather than the state’s size. The compulsory UM and UIM coverages also mean a Connecticut minimum policy contains more than a minimum policy in most states.
- Is Connecticut an at-fault or no-fault state?
- Connecticut is an at-fault state. The driver who caused the crash is responsible for the resulting damage, and their liability coverage pays up to the policy limits.
Sources
Requirements on this page were verified against Connecticut’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.
- Connecticut Insurance Department — Auto insurance
- Connecticut Insurance Department — Automobile coverage information
- Connecticut OLR — State minimum auto insurance requirements (2023-R-0090)
Consumer help in Connecticut: Connecticut Insurance Department, (800) 203-3447.