Auto insurance in Maine: what’s required, and what isn’t
Maine requires more coverage than any other state in the country. Its 50/100/25 liability minimum is double or triple what most states demand, and on top of that Maine compels uninsured motorist coverage at the same 50/100 level and at least $2,000 of medical payments. The part that surprises people: Maine has also reported the lowest average auto insurance premiums in the nation. Requiring real coverage and charging little for it turn out not to be contradictory.
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What Maine requires you to carry
| Bodily injury, per person | $50,000 |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury, per accident | $100,000 |
| Property damage, per accident | $25,000 |
Maine also requires
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist — 50/100
- Maine requires UM/UIM bodily injury coverage at the same 50/100 level as its liability minimum. It is compulsory, not an offer you can decline.
- Medical payments — $2,000 minimum
- Maine requires at least $2,000 per person of medical payments coverage, which pays medical expenses for you and your passengers regardless of fault.
These are floors, not recommendations. Maine 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 Maine enforces it
Maine requires proof of insurance to register a vehicle and at traffic stops. Because the compulsory limits are the highest in the country, a Maine minimum policy is a substantially more serious piece of coverage than a minimum policy almost anywhere else — which is part of why the state’s uninsured rate has historically run low.
How rates are set in Maine
Maine 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 — but in Maine those limits start considerably higher than elsewhere.
The Maine Bureau of Insurance, part of the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, reviews carrier filings and handles consumer complaints. Maine is a competitive-rating state; carriers apply their own filed models.
Because three coverages are compulsory here — liability, UM/UIM and medical payments — a Maine driver has fewer levers than a driver in, say, Washington. What remains is limits above the floor, deductibles on physical damage coverage, and which carrier’s model reads your profile most favourably.
Credit-based insurance scores in Maine
Maine permits credit-based insurance scores as a rating factor. Given how competitive Maine premiums already are, the spread between carriers on credit weighting tends to matter less in absolute dollars here than in a high-cost state — though it is still the reason two quotes for the same driver differ.
What actually moves your premium here
Maine requires more than any other state — and charges less
This is the genuinely counter-intuitive fact about Maine. Its 50/100/25 minimum is the highest compulsory limit in the United States, it also compels UM/UIM and medical payments, and Maine has nonetheless reported the nation’s lowest average auto insurance premiums in NAIC data. High required limits and low prices are not in tension the way most people assume.
Low density is doing most of the work
Maine has few large metros, comparatively light congestion, and low crash frequency outside the Portland area. Frequency is the dominant input into auto pricing, and Maine simply has less of it. That is the main reason its prices sit where they do.
Winter is severity, deer are frequency
Maine’s two distinctive claim drivers are winter road conditions and animal collisions. Deer strikes are a comprehensive claim rather than a collision claim in most policies, which is a distinction worth confirming on yours before you decide comprehensive is optional.
A combined single limit is an option
Maine accepts a combined single limit of $125,000 in place of the split 50/100/25 structure. It satisfies the same requirement in a different shape, which is useful to know when a quote arrives structured differently from the one beside it.
See what you’d be matched with in Maine
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Comparing carriers in Maine
Maine is one of the few states where the statutory minimum is already a defensible level of liability coverage. That changes what comparing is for: the question here is less "am I underinsured" and more "which carrier prices this profile best", because the floor itself is sound.
Do not compare a Maine quote against one from another state on headline price. Maine minimum coverage contains UM/UIM at 50/100 and medical payments that most states treat as optional, so the products are not the same.
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 Maine
Maine requires proof of financial responsibility to be filed after certain suspensions, including operating under the influence and driving uninsured. The filing is made by your insurer with the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Confirm the period that applies to your case with Maine BMV, since it runs from your reinstatement date.
Maine auto insurance FAQ
- What is the minimum car insurance required in Maine?
- Liability of $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for bodily injury plus $25,000 for property damage; uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage at 50/100; and at least $2,000 per person of medical payments coverage. A combined single limit of $125,000 also satisfies the requirement.
- Does Maine really have the highest insurance requirements in the country?
- Yes. Maine’s 50/100/25 compulsory liability limit is the highest in the United States, and it additionally compels uninsured motorist coverage and medical payments that most states leave optional.
- If Maine requires the most coverage, why is it so cheap?
- Because required limits and price are driven by different things. Price is driven mostly by claim frequency, and Maine has low population density, light congestion outside Portland and comparatively few crashes. Maine has reported the nation’s lowest average auto premiums in NAIC data despite the highest minimums.
- Is hitting a deer covered by my Maine policy?
- Under most policies an animal collision is a comprehensive claim rather than a collision claim. That matters because a liability-only policy covers neither. Given how common deer strikes are in Maine, it is worth confirming how your specific policy treats them.
- Is uninsured motorist coverage required in Maine?
- Yes, at 50/100 — the same level as the liability minimum. Unlike most states, you cannot decline it.
Sources
Requirements on this page were verified against Maine’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.
- Maine Bureau of Insurance — Insurance required by law
- Maine Bureau of Insurance — Maine has the nation’s lowest auto premiums (NAIC)
- 24-A M.R.S. § 2902 — Uninsured vehicle coverage
Consumer help in Maine: Maine Bureau of Insurance, (800) 300-5000.