Auto Insurance Requirements in Kansas
Auto Insurance Requirements in Kansas
Kansas requires all of its residents to carry auto insurance with liability and uninsured motorist coverage. It is a no-fault state, which means that your auto insurer will pay for first-party benefits — your medical costs for injuries from an accident — regardless of fault.
Have a copy of your insurance ID card with you whenever you drive in Kansas. Law enforcement officers can ask for your proof of insurance when they pull you over, and they will accept it either as a photo on your phone or a hard copy.
Contents
Kansas required car insurance coverage
Required min. limits | |
|---|---|
|
Bodily Injury (BI) | $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident |
|
Property Damage (PD) | $10,000 per accident |
|
Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist BI (UM/UIMBI) | $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident |
|
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) | $4,500 medical benefit and other benefits |
Kansas car insurance minimum requirements
To drive in the state, you need several coverages on your policy, including: bodily injury, property damage, personal injury protection and uninsured motorists. Each of these either covers your costs or pays on your behalf if you are involved in an accident, up to at least the minimum coverage amounts (limits) specified by the Kansas state laws:
Bodily Injury (BI): you need to at least be covered for 25/50 in case you are at fault for someone else's injuries in an accident you cause. 25/50 means that for each injured person in the other driver’s car, or a pedestrian, your insurer pays up to $25,000 for his or her medical fees on your behalf, but no more than $50,000 for a given accident.
Property Damage (PD): in an accident you are found mostly at-fault for, you will be covered up to at most $10,000 for the other driver’s property loss in a minimum policy. This includes paying for the other party’s bumper replacement or even replacing a hood. However, in case of a serious accident (see Your Right to Sue), he or she may sue you to recover additional compensation.
Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury (UM/UIMBI): in case you are ever struck by a driver who does not have adequate insurance coverage, Kansas law also requires that you include UM/UIMBI coverage into your policy. Your insurer will pay for your medical costs in place of the other driver’s insurer with UM/UIM. Your UM/UIMBI limits at the minimum are 25/50, and higher limits will be available to you as long as they are not higher than your BI on the same policy. It kicks in under two circumstances: when the at-fault driver has no insurance (uninsured), or when he or she has BI limits lower than your UM/UIMBI limits (underinsured). In an underinsured case, your insurer will cover your medical costs up to the difference between the negligent driver’s BI and your UM/UIMBI limits.
Cheapest companies in Kansas for minimum liability
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) in Kansas
Kansas is a no-fault state. All Kansas insurers will provide their policyholders with basic PIP benefits. Also known as no-fault insurance, PIP provides you with the necessary medical treatment coverage and post-accident benefits regardless of your fault in an accident. Most other states do not mandate no-fault benefits. These benefits include:
- Medical Benefits: up to $4,500 per person per accident for medical-related costs, such as ambulance and surgeries, which you or anyone covered by your policy may need.
- Rehabilitation Benefits: up to $4,500 per person per accident, for any post-accident rehabilitative service that you or anyone covered by your policy may need.
- Loss of Income (Disability Benefits): within a $900/month limit, and for as long as one year following the accident, you can recover at least 85% of the normal income you would have earned if you weren’t incapacitated by your injuries.
- Substitution Benefits: within a $25/day limit and for as long as one year following the accident, you may receive substitution benefits when you are also entitled to disability benefits. This covers the costs to hire someone to do the necessary and daily chores that you otherwise would be doing for either yourself or your family if you were not injured in the accident — for example, house cleaning and lawn maintenance.
- Funeral Benefits: if someone in your household — in other words, someone covered by your policy — unfortunately passes away due to injuries from an accident, your insurer will help you cover $2,000 of the funeral and burial costs.
- Survivor’s Benefits: the Kansas PIP allows a deceased insured’s beneficiaries to receive two PIP benefits: the deceased’s lost income and the costs to replace his or her usual daily chores. These benefits are subject to the same conditions as the disability benefits and substitution benefits — that is, if the insured received some of these benefits, the beneficiaries will receive the remaining months until the original year limit is reached.
Here is a table comparing the types and limits of the no-fault benefits between basic PIP and additional PIP coverage:
Type of No-fault Benefit | Basic PIP | Additional PIP* |
|---|---|---|
|
Medical Benefit | $4,500 per person / accident | $7,500 to $27,500 per person / accident |
|
Loss of income (or Survivor's Benefit) | $900 / month for 1 year | $900 to $1,500 / month for 2 to 3 years |
|
Substitution Benefit | $25 / day for 1 year | No higher limits |
|
Funeral Benefit | $2,000 | No higher limits |
|
Rehabilitation Benefit | $4,500 per person / accident | $7,500 to $27,500 per person / accident |
*actual available options vary by insurer.
Your right to sue
Living in a no-fault state means that, in exchange for your first-party PIP benefits, you are limited in your rights to collect compensation for your pain and suffering from an accident. However, if the accident meets one of the following severity thresholds, you may be exempt from this restriction, and free to sue the negligent driver in Kansas:
Quantitative Threshold: your right to sue is free from the limitation if your injuries amount to more than $2,000 worth of medical treatments. Even in the event you receive free services from family members who are trained in medical professions, you may reasonably include the service in an equivalent monetary amount into the total costs.
Qualitative Thresholds: your right to sue for pain and suffering will also be reinstated in Kansas, if your injuries result in any of the following conditions:
- Whole or partial permanent disfigurement
- Fracture to a weight-bearing bone, such as your tibia
- A serious bone fracture that results in bone piercing through your skin, or a broken or splintered bone
- Loss of a body part, such as a limb
- Permanent injury, based on a doctor’s reasonable medical diagnosis
- Permanent loss of a bodily function, such as eyesight
- Death
Alternative proof of financial responsibility
As an alternative to an insurance policy, you may also apply for a self-insurance certificate with the Department of Insurance as your proof of insurance if you meet the following qualifications:
- Have more than 25 cars registered under your name
- Provide documents as requested by the Commissioner of Insurance to prove you are able to pay and provide liability coverage in the same amounts as a minimum insurance policy for each vehicle insured under your self-insurance.
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