Florida Auto Insurance
Florida is a no-fault state with some of the thinnest minimum requirements in the country, and a lot of drivers only discover the gap after a crash. Monarch Risk is an independent agency covering Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Lehigh Acres, Naples and the rest of Southwest Florida — we compare auto policies across carriers, then tell you in plain English what each limit and deductible actually does for you.
New to PIP? Read our guide to Florida PIP insurance, or see the full history of Florida's PIP repeal bills. Laws change; we confirm current requirements when we quote.
| Coverage | What it pays for | Required in Florida? | Who should consider it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Injury Protection (PIP) | 80% of your necessary medical expenses after a covered injury, up to the limit, regardless of who caused the crash, plus some lost wages. | Yes — at least $10,000 | Every Florida-registered vehicle |
| Property damage liability (PDL) | Damage you or someone driving your car causes to another person's property. | Yes — at least $10,000 | Every Florida-registered vehicle; higher limits for newer-car traffic |
| Bodily injury liability | Injuries you cause to other people, including their legal claims against you. | Not for most drivers; can be required after certain events | Anyone with a home, savings or income to protect |
| Uninsured / underinsured motorist | Your injuries when the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough. | No (optional) | Most drivers, especially with low PIP limits |
| Collision | Repairs to your own vehicle after a crash, minus your deductible. | No by law; lenders usually require it | Financed or leased cars, or any car you couldn't replace out of pocket |
| Comprehensive | Theft, flood, falling objects, glass and other non-crash damage, minus your deductible. | No by law; lenders usually require it | Financed or leased cars; anyone parking outdoors in storm season |
| Medical payments | Medical costs after a crash that PIP doesn't cover, up to the limit. | No (optional) | Drivers who want help with the share PIP leaves unpaid |
| Rental reimbursement | A rental car while yours is being repaired after a covered claim. | No (optional) | Households without a spare vehicle |
| Roadside / towing | Towing, jump-starts, lockouts and similar roadside help. | No (optional) | Commuters and anyone without a separate roadside plan |
Required minimums per FLHSMV(opens in a new tab). On small screens, scroll the table sideways.
Who needs it
Florida requires proof of insurance to register a vehicle, so the real question isn't whether you need auto insurance — it's whether the policy you have would hold up. The state minimum was written decades ago and hasn't kept pace with what a modern vehicle, an ambulance ride, or a hospital stay costs.
Some drivers need very little beyond the basics. Others — homeowners, parents of new drivers, people with retirement savings to protect — are carrying far more risk than their declarations page suggests. We look at your situation first, then build the quote around it.
Coverage options
Six line items make up almost every Florida auto policy. Here's what you're choosing between when we send your quote.
Pays for injuries and property damage you cause to other people. Property damage liability is required in Florida; bodily injury liability generally isn't — but it's the coverage that protects your savings, your home, and your future wages when a crash is your fault. This is the limit we push hardest to get right.
Florida's no-fault coverage. PIP pays a portion of your own medical bills and lost wages after a crash regardless of who caused it, up to your limit — and there are deadlines for seeking treatment after an accident, so timing matters. Every Florida policy starts here, but $10,000 disappears quickly in an emergency room.
Repairs or replaces your own vehicle after a collision — another car, a guardrail, a pole in a parking garage. It applies whether or not the crash was your fault, minus your deductible. Lenders and leasing companies typically require it.
Covers your vehicle for the things that aren't collisions: theft, vandalism, fire, falling branches, flooding, and hurricane or hail damage. In Florida, that last group is not hypothetical. Comprehensive is usually one of the more affordable coverages on the policy.
Because Florida doesn't require bodily injury liability, plenty of drivers on the road can't cover what they cause. UM/UIM covers your injuries when the at-fault driver has no coverage, too little coverage, or leaves the scene. Optional in Florida, and often the most under-purchased coverage on the policy.
Roadside assistance, rental reimbursement while your car is in the shop, gap coverage if you owe more than the car is worth, and custom equipment coverage. Small line items, but they're the ones people wish they'd added after a claim.
Deductibles
A deductible is the amount you pay out of pocket on a covered claim before your insurance pays the rest. It applies to your own vehicle — collision and comprehensive — not to the liability coverage that pays other people.
Raising your deductible lowers your premium, because you're absorbing more of the first dollars of a claim. Lowering it does the opposite. Neither choice is automatically smarter; the right one depends on what you could write a check for tomorrow without it hurting.
The common mistake is choosing a deductible to hit a monthly payment target, then discovering after a fender bender that the repair costs less than the deductible and the claim isn't worth filing. We'd rather have that conversation before you sign — not in a body shop parking lot.
Start with your cash cushion
Pick a deductible you could pay today without touching a credit card. That's your ceiling.
Compare the premium difference
We'll quote the same policy at two or three deductible levels so you can see the actual dollar gap, not a guess.
Weigh it against the car's value
On an older vehicle, a high deductible plus limited value can make collision coverage a poor trade. We'll say so if it is.
Revisit it at renewal
Cars age, savings change, and Florida rates move. A deductible that fit two years ago may not fit now.
FAQ
This page is general information, not a policy or legal advice. Coverage, limits, eligibility, and Florida requirements vary by carrier and can change — your policy documents and a licensed agent are the final word.
Auto insurance by city
Roads, weather, and coverage concerns specific to where you actually drive.
Keep reading
Most Florida households save time — and sometimes money — by reviewing auto alongside their other policies.
Send us your details and a licensed Florida agent will come back with real, comparable options — usually within one business day. Free, no obligation, and no pressure to switch if what you have is already better.
