Florida Car Insurance

Car insurance in Florida is among the costliest in the nation. Here’s everything you need to know about driving insured in the Sunshine State.

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Written by Ryan Brady
Lead Writer
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Edited by Ben Moore
Assistant Assigning Editor
Fact Checked

Getting car insurance in Florida can be tricky. Floridians have to contend with some of the highest car insurance prices in the country, and low state insurance requirements may leave many drivers financially vulnerable.

That’s why we created this Florida car insurance guide. Use this resource to learn the ins and outs of car insurance in the Sunshine State.

Florida car insurance quick-start guide

Why is car insurance in Florida so expensive?

Drivers in Florida may have to dig deeper in their pockets to cover car insurance premiums compared to other states.

While there are lots of factors that impact the price you pay for insurance, here are a few things driving up costs for Floridians:

  • Extreme weather. By living the hurricane capital of the country, Florida drivers may experience more weather-related vehicle damage than drivers in other states. Flooding, falling tree limbs and accidents while driving in heavy rains are just a few of the ways inclement weather can wreak havoc on cars, drive up insurance costs, and even make insurers think twice about covering Floridians.

  • Uninsured motorists. Roughly 16% of Florida drivers were uninsured in 2022, according to the Insurance Research Council

    Insurance Information Institute. Facts + Statistics: Uninsured motorists. Accessed Jun 24, 2024.
    . That’s higher than the 14% national average. This makes car insurance more expensive, since the risk of getting in an accident with an uninsured driver is higher.

  • Crash-related lawsuits. Insurers deal with a disproportionately high number of crash-related lawsuits, which in turn drive up insurance costs for drivers.

  • Bad accidents. Florida’s roads are not only getting more congested, they’re getting more dangerous. Florida ranked 16 in the country for having the most fatal car crashes per capita, according to 2022 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

    The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Fatality Facts 2022 State by state. Accessed Jun 25, 2024.
    . More severe accidents mean bigger payouts from insurers and higher rates for drivers.

While these things are largely outside of your control, there are a few things Florida drivers can do to keep rates in check.

Ways to save on Florida car insurance

Green shopping card over cellphone.
Shop aroundShop around with at least three different insurers to make sure you're getting the best deal.
Green shopping bag.
Ask about discountsMany insurers offer discounts you may qualify for, but you don't always know until you ask.
Cash and coins.
Raise your deductibleIf you increase it, be sure you have enough cash on hand to cover the higher deductible.
A green credit card.
Build your creditBuild your credit by paying all of your bills on time and using less than 30% of your available credit.
Learn more

A deep dive on how to save on car insurance.

Florida car insurance requirements

Property damage liabilityDrivers must have at least $10,000 in property damage liability insurance.
Personal injury protectionDrivers must have $10,000 in personal injury protection, or PIP, insurance.

Florida is a “no-fault” state. This means that if you’re injured in a car accident, you turn to your own insurance company first to cover medical costs and other related expenses — regardless of fault. That’s what the $10,000 of personal injury protection pays for. Property damage liability insurance pays for damage you cause to other people’s property while driving, like someone’s car or fence.

⚠ Heads up: You’ll likely need other coverage types in addition to property damage liability and PIP insurance if you finance or lease your car, or if you’re deemed a “high-risk” driver and need FR-44 or SR-22 insurance.

Learn more

A deep dive into Florida's auto insurance requirements.

🤓Nerdy Tip

Planning to move to Florida? Don’t forget to let your insurer know. New Florida residents have 10 days to update or change their auto insurance and have 30 days to get a valid Florida driver's license. Check out the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles website for more information.

How much car insurance should I get in Florida?

While buying minimum coverage will keep insurance premiums low, it may also leave you underinsured. You could be financially responsible for any property damage beyond what your insurance covers, and if you seriously injure another driver, you can be sued for medical costs that exceed their $10,000 PIP limit.

NerdWallet recommends buying enough liability insurance to cover your net worth, which is the total value of assets you own minus the total amount of debt you owe. Liability insurance includes both property damage liability and bodily injury liability, which pays for other people’s injuries you cause in a car accident after their $10,000 PIP limit is used up. It can also cover legal fees if you’re sued.

We also recommend Florida drivers consider adding the following coverage types to their policy:

  • Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, which pay for your medical costs if you’re injured by an uninsured or minimally insured driver. Because Florida has a high number of uninsured drivers and doesn’t require bodily injury liability insurance, this coverage type will come in handy if your medical bills exceed the $10,000 PIP limit.

  • Comprehensive insurance, which pays to repair or replace your car after a non traffic-related incident, such as a hurricane, flood or theft. It comes with a deductible, which is what you pay out of pocket if you file a claim. Florida has a law that prevents drivers from having to pay a comprehensive insurance deductible for repairs to a damaged windshield.

  • Collision insurance, which you typically have to get if you buy comprehensive insurance, pays to repair or replace your car when you collide into another vehicle or object such as a lamppost or curb. It also covers hit-and-runs.

Learn more

A deep dive into how much car insurance you should get.

How to get car insurance in Florida

When shopping around for car insurance, you have options.
Couple of hands typing on a laptop.
Get quotes online from insurer websites
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Call insurers over the phone
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Work with an independent agent or broker
Learn more

A deep dive on how to shop for car insurance.

There are a lot of car insurance companies in Florida, but not all of them are created equal. When shopping around for insurance, you should start with the best companies. Here's a list of Florida insurers with a NerdWallet star rating of 4.5 or higher.

Company

Star rating

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

5.0

NerdWallet rating 

4.5

NerdWallet rating 

4.5

NerdWallet rating 

4.5

NerdWallet rating 

4.5

NerdWallet rating 

*USAA is only available to military, veterans and their families.

Learn more

A deep dive into Florida's best car insurance companies.

Frequently asked questions

Cheap car insurance in Florida cities

NerdWallet analyzed rates for some of the largest cities in Florida. Find the cheapest car insurance companies in the following metropolitan areas:

Read more about insurance in Florida

Explore our full Florida insurance library to dig deeper into rates or brush up on your car, home and renters insurance knowledge.

Methodology

Auto insurance ratings methodology

NerdWallet’s auto insurance ratings reward companies for customer-first features and practices. Ratings are based on weighted averages of scores in several categories, including financial strength, consumer complaints and discounts. Our “ease of use” category looks at factors such as website transparency and how easy it is to file a claim. Using our editorial discretion, we also consider customer satisfaction surveys. These ratings are a guide, but we encourage you to shop around and compare several insurance quotes to find the best rate for you. NerdWallet does not receive compensation for any reviews. Read our editorial guidelines and full ratings methodology for auto insurance.

Here’s how we evaluated each car insurance company in 2024 and the weights we placed on each category:

  • Financial strength (30%).

  • Consumer complaints (30%).

  • Ease of use (20%).

  • Affordability (20%).

The best auto insurers excel at all of these categories. They provide the information people need to make a purchase without any surprises along the way. They offer insurance at a fair price and provide more than one way to buy and manage a policy. They're financially strong and able to keep their customers happy throughout the relationship.

Average rates methodology

NerdWallet averaged rates based on public filings obtained by pricing analytics company Quadrant Information Services. We examined rates for men and women for all ZIP codes in any of the 50 states and Washington, D.C. Although it’s one of the largest insurers in the country, Liberty Mutual is not included in our rates analysis due to a lack of publicly available information.

In our analysis, “good drivers” had no moving violations on record; a “good driving” discount was included for this profile. Our “good” credit rates are based on credit score approximations and do not account for proprietary scoring criteria used by insurance providers.

These are median rates, and your rate will vary based on your personal details, state and insurance provider.

Sample drivers had the following coverage limits:

  • $100,000 bodily injury liability coverage per person.

  • $300,000 bodily injury liability coverage per crash.

  • $50,000 property damage liability coverage per crash.

  • $100,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage per person.

  • $300,000 uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage per crash.

  • Collision coverage with $1,000 deductible.

  • Comprehensive coverage with $1,000 deductible.

In states where required, minimum additional coverages were added. We used the same assumptions for all other driver profiles, with the following exceptions:

  • For drivers with minimum coverage, we adjusted the numbers above to reflect only the minimum coverage required by law in the state.

  • For drivers with one at-fault crash, we added a single at-fault crash costing $10,000 in property damage.

  • For drivers with a DUI, we added a single drunken-driving violation.

  • For drivers with a ticket, we added a single speeding violation for driving 16 mph over the speed limit.

We used a 2021 Toyota Camry LE in all cases and assumed 12,000 annual miles driven. We analyzed rates for 35-year-old drivers.

These are rates generated through Quadrant Information Services. Your own rates will be different.

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