Louisiana Car Insurance Laws (2026)

Louisiana car insurance laws require drivers to carry a minimum amount of liability coverage for bodily injury and property damage. The state’s “No-Pay, No-Play” statute bars uninsured drivers from claiming the first $100,000 of damages after an accident, regardless of fault.^[1]

Here’s what you need to know about car insurance laws in Louisiana.

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Auto insurance requirements in Louisiana

Louisiana law requires drivers to carry a minimum amount of liability insurance to drive legally. The state-minimum insurance requirements are:^[2]

• $15,000 of bodily injury liability coverage for one person

• $30,000 of bodily injury liability coverage for more than one person per accident

• $25,000 of property damage liability coverage

Insurers also refer to this as 15/30/25 coverage. That’s lower than in Louisiana’s three neighboring states, which have the following coverage requirements:

• Arkansas: 25/50/25

• Mississippi: 25/50/25

• Texas: 30/60/25

Louisiana has one of the lowest coverage requirements in the country. Only Pennsylvania has a lower minimum-coverage limit of 15/30/5, plus $10,000 in personal injury protection (PIP). No-fault states also have lower limits. Florida, for example, requires drivers to have $10,000 in property damage liability coverage and $10,000 of PIP.

In mid-2025, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry updated the state’s comparative fault rule. If a court finds you 51% or more at fault in a car accident, you can no longer recover any damages for medical bills or property repairs. But if it finds you less than 51% at fault, you can recover damages in proportion to the degree of negligence that you were at fault.^[3]

Is state-minimum car insurance in Louisiana enough coverage?

State-minimum liability coverage generally isn’t enough to protect you financially in Louisiana. Despite having lower minimum-coverage requirements, Louisiana has a higher rate of bodily injury claims and insured losses than its neighboring states.^[4] In 2022, the state reported more than $1.4 billion in bodily injury losses, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).

Louisiana also has a higher risk than most other states for extreme weather, including severe windstorms and flooding. For this reason, you may want to purchase higher liability limits and full coverage, or consider adding these coverages to your policy:

• Collision coverage: Approximately 4.2% of drivers in the Pelican State have an at-fault accident on their driving record, according to Insurify data. Collision coverage pays for damage to your own car after an accident, minus your deductible and regardless of fault.

• Comprehensive coverage: Louisiana is one of the most hurricane-affected states in the U.S. Since 1851, 54 tropical storms or hurricanes have hit the Pelican Coast, with only Florida getting more.^[5] Comprehensive coverage can help pay for windstorm and flood damage to your car.

• Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage: Around 14% of Louisiana drivers lack car insurance, according to the Insurance Research Council. Uninsured motorist coverage helps pay for your injuries and property damage if an uninsured driver hits you. It also offers financial protection when the at-fault driver doesn’t have enough coverage.

• Medical payments (MedPay) coverage: MedPay helps pay for medical expenses for you and your passengers if you’re in an accident.

Penalties for driving without insurance in Louisiana

The penalties for driving without insurance in Louisiana depend on whether or not you have an accident. Fines generally range from $500 to $1,000, and the state could suspend your license and registration.

The table below shows the different penalties for driving uninsured in the Pelican State.

Offense	Fine	License Suspension	Registration Suspension
Operating a vehicle without insurance	$500–$1,000	None	None
Involvement in an accident without insurance	$500–$1,000	180 days	180 days
At-fault accident that causes injury, death, or more than $500 in damages	$1,000–$10,000	12 months	12 months

To reinstate your license, you must pay a fee. The fee amount depends on whether it’s your first violation or a repeat violation:

• First violation: $250

• Second violation: $500

• Third and subsequent violations: $1,000

The state will waive the fee if you can provide proof of insurance within 60 days of the violation.

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Louisiana’s “No-Pay, No-Play” law

Louisiana’s “No-Pay, No-Play” law limits how much you can recover from an at-fault driver if you drive uninsured. You generally can’t recover the first $100,000 for bodily injuries or the first $100,000 for property damage. The state increased these limits from $25,000 in property damage and $15,000 in personal injury in 2025.

For example, say another driver causes an accident, and your damages total $50,000. If you don’t have the state-minimum liability insurance, you can’t collect that $50,000 from the other driver’s insurance, even though the other driver caused the accident. But if your damages total $120,000, you may be able to recover $20,000.

You may choose to sue for damages. But if a court awards you $100,000 or less for bodily injury, you may have to pay court costs for yourself and for anyone else involved in the lawsuit.

This law may not apply if the at-fault driver was driving intoxicated, intentionally caused the accident, fled the scene, or was committing a felony at the time of the accident.

Louisiana insurance laws FAQs