Minimum car insurance requirements in Maine
Maine requires residents to carry insurance on all motor vehicles they operate or park on the state’s roadways. You’ll need to carry proof of insurance in your car at all times and have it available when:
A law enforcement officer asks to see it
You renew your vehicle registration
The vehicle is involved in a car accident
The minimum liability insurance requirements for private passenger vehicles in Maine are:
$50,000 per person for bodily injury
$100,000 per accident for bodily injury
As a major part of your liability insurance, bodily injury coverage covers medical bills for people other than the policyholder who are injured during an accident. Maine is an at-fault state, meaning the driver who is responsible for the collision is also responsible for paying for any resulting expenses, either through their car insurance provider or out of pocket.
If it’s determined that an insured driver is at fault for an accident, this coverage pays for repairs to the property of the other involved parties. Additionally, property damage coverage can cover legal costs if the insured driver is involved in a lawsuit following the accident.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage pays for costs caused by a driver who is either uninsured or doesn’t have enough coverage to cover all the costs of the damage they caused. In Maine, drivers are required to purchase coverage for both uninsured and underinsured drivers for bodily injury.
Maine DMV information
The Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles offers a variety of services, including titling, registration, driver education, and driver’s licenses and IDs.1 The following services can be completed online:
Driver’s license and ID renewals
Driving record requests
Driver’s license reinstatement payments
Duplicate vehicle registration purchases
Organ donor registration
Oversize/overweight permits
Vehicle registration renewals
Title records searches
Title replacement
Trailer registration renewals
Vanity plate purchases
Unified carrier registrations
If you need an SR-22 on file due to a driving violation, your insurance company can also file the certificate online at NICInsuranceFilings.com.2
Public transportation in Maine
In Maine, only about 0.5% of residents used public transportation in 2020.3 Most people drove to work alone, with an average commute time of about 24 minutes. Even the largest cities in Maine aren’t as walkable as major hubs in other states.4 However, public transit options are available in Maine if you can’t afford to maintain and operate a vehicle.
The Maine Department of Public Transportation’s Transit Program oversees 20 bus-service providers, along with train service through Casco Bay Lines and the Downeaster passenger rail.5 But you may have fewer options for getting around outside of major metropolitan areas.