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Rebecca Henderson is a freelance automotive and consumer content writer with more than a decade of experience creating research-driven, SEO-focused content. She specializes in automotive and home services, with additional experience writing about personal finance and pet care. Her work has been featured in USA Today, MarketWatch, This Old House, and Today’s Homeowner. She enjoys taking complicated topics — from car warranties and home repairs to insurance and everyday purchases — and breaking them down into clear, practical information that helps readers make confident decisions. When she’s not writing, Rebecca can usually be found baking something sweet, getting lost in a good book, or exploring new places.
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15+ years editing experience
7+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing
NPN: 6642281
Becky has worked as an editor at Insurify since 2024. In addition to her years of editing experience, Becky is a licensed property and casualty insurance agent.
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Licensed property and casualty insurance agent
10+ years editing experience
NPN: 21630969
MacKenzie Korris is an insurance copy editor with a producer’s license for property and casualty insurance in Missouri.
Updated
Arkansas law requires drivers to maintain certain minimum levels of car insurance coverage. While insurers in the Natural State must offer uninsured motorist coverage and personal injury protection (PIP) on new policies, you can reject one or both in writing.
Insurance companies in Arkansas must also offer a car insurance discount to drivers 55 and older who complete a state-approved defensive driving course.[1]
Liability quotes in Arkansas start at $34/mo.
Drivers in Arkansas must carry at least state-minimum liability insurance. Minimum car insurance requirements in Arkansas match those of several bordering states, including Mississippi, Tennessee, and Oklahoma:[2]
$25,000 in bodily injury liability per person
$50,000 in bodily injury liability per accident
$25,000 in property damage liability per accident
Neighboring Missouri, which ranks No. 6 nationwide for the highest percentage of uninsured drivers, requires uninsured motorist (UM) coverage. Arkansas has fewer uninsured motorists, according to the Insurance Research Council, and doesn’t require uninsured motorist coverage or underinsured motorist coverage (UIM).
Uninsured motorist bodily injury pays for your medical bills, and those of your passengers, if an uninsured driver hits you. Uninsured motorist property damage is a separate coverage in Arkansas that pays to repair your vehicle after an accident with an uninsured driver.
Personal injury protection (PIP) pays for medical expenses, lost wages, and funeral expenses after a car accident.
Insurers in Arkansas automatically include UM and PIP on new policies, but you can reject one or both of these optional coverages in writing.[3]
While liability-only insurance meets Arkansas’ minimum car insurance requirements, it’s typically not enough to protect you financially if you’re involved in a severe car accident.
Insurance experts recommend buying higher liability limits to cover expensive car repairs and high medical bills.[4]
A full-coverage policy in Arkansas protects your vehicle and may include:
Comprehensive coverage: Severe thunderstorms in Arkansas can produce destructive tornadoes and significant hail. Comprehensive coverage pays to repair weather-related damage.
Collision coverage: If you’re involved in a wreck, collision coverage pays to repair your car. Fewer people died in fatal car accidents in Arkansas in the first half of 2026 compared to the year prior, but 569 people lost their lives in 2025, according to the Arkansas Department of Transportation.[5]
Medical payments coverage: Health insurance rates in Arkansas increased 22.2% in 2026, according to a governor’s press release. MedPay helps offset accident-related medical care costs and doesn’t require a deductible.
In addition to UM and PIP coverage, you may also want to consider adding rental car reimbursement and roadside assistance to round out your policy.
In Arkansas, driving without car insurance can lead to steep fines and even jail time. If you cause an accident while uninsured, you face a Class A misdemeanor, and the state may impound your vehicle.
The table below outlines the consequences of driving without insurance in Arkansas:
Offense | Penalty |
|---|---|
| First offense | $100–$250 fine |
| Second offense | $250–$500 fine |
| Third and subsequent offense | $500–$1,000 fine, up to one year in jail |
A judge can dismiss charges if you prove your insurance policy was effective at the time of the traffic stop, but you’ll need to pay $25 in court costs. If you can’t show proof of insurance, the judge can suspend your vehicle’s registration.
To reinstate your registration, you’ll have to pay a $20 reinstatement fee and show proof of insurance that meets the state’s minimum liability limits.
The state may also require you to carry SR-22 insurance for three years as proof of financial responsibility.
Insurify partners with 120+ top insurers for real-time quotes
Every private passenger auto policy in Arkansas must include personal injury protection (PIP) in the form of medical and hospital, income disability, and accidental death benefits, per Arkansas law.
Medical and hospital: Covers medical expenses for 24 months after an accident, up to $5,000 per person
Income disability: Pays up to $140 per week for 52 weeks from the date of an accident
Accidental death: Provides a death benefit of $5,000 if you die within one year of an accident
Although Arkansas car insurance policies automatically include PIP, it’s not required to meet state-minimum liability requirements.
You can reject PIP in writing, according to state law. Once you reject it, insurers aren’t required to notify you again about its availability.
Arkansas law states that PIP benefits are available to the insured driver “without regard to fault.” This means if you or your passengers sustain injuries in a car accident, your PIP coverage applies, regardless of whether you’re the at-fault driver or not.
Your driving record and vehicle type affect your auto insurance rates. Comparing car insurance quotes is the best way to find coverage that meets the state requirements listed above. The answers to the frequently asked questions below can help you find the best insurance company for you.
Arkansas requires car insurance in the following minimum limits: $25,000 in bodily injury per person, $50,000 in bodily injury liability per accident, and $25,000 in property damage per accident.
No. Arkansas is an at-fault state. If you cause an accident, your policy covers the other driver’s injuries and any related property damage, up to your selected policy limits.
Yes. Although Arkansas law requires insurance companies to offer uninsured motorist coverage, you can reject it by signing a statement of refusal.
Yes. You need insurance to register a car in Arkansas. You must provide proof that your policy meets the state’s required minimum limits when you register your car for the first time and each time you renew.
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Rebecca Henderson is a freelance automotive and consumer content writer with more than a decade of experience creating research-driven, SEO-focused content. She specializes in automotive and home services, with additional experience writing about personal finance and pet care. Her work has been featured in USA Today, MarketWatch, This Old House, and Today’s Homeowner. She enjoys taking complicated topics — from car warranties and home repairs to insurance and everyday purchases — and breaking them down into clear, practical information that helps readers make confident decisions. When she’s not writing, Rebecca can usually be found baking something sweet, getting lost in a good book, or exploring new places.
15+ years editing experience
7+ years experience in insurance and personal finance editing
NPN: 6642281
Becky has worked as an editor at Insurify since 2024. In addition to her years of editing experience, Becky is a licensed property and casualty insurance agent.
Licensed property and casualty insurance agent
10+ years editing experience
NPN: 21630969
MacKenzie Korris is an insurance copy editor with a producer’s license for property and casualty insurance in Missouri.
At Insurify, our goal is to help customers compare insurance products and find the best policy for them. We strive to provide open, honest, and unbiased information about the insurance products and services we review. Our hard-working team of data analysts, insurance experts, insurance agents, editors and writers, has put in thousands of hours of research to create the content found on our site.
We do receive compensation when a sale or referral occurs from many of the insurance providers and marketing partners on our site. That may impact which products we display and where they appear on our site. But it does not influence our meticulously researched editorial content, what we write about, or any reviews or recommendations we may make. We do not guarantee favorable reviews or any coverage at all in exchange for compensation.
