8+ years writing for major outlets, including MarketWatch and Business Insider
Master’s in Education
Taylor Mlam-Samuel is a personal finance writer and credentialed educator. When she’s not helping readers better save and spend money, she can be found teaching.
Becky Helzer is an editor at Insurify. She loves helping writers express their ideas clearly and authentically. With a diverse background in editing everything from curriculum and books to magazine articles and blog posts, she’s worked on topics ranging from home finance, insurance, and cloud computing to the best tools for home improvement.
A proud graduate of Colorado State University with a degree in technical journalism, Becky lives in Fort Collins, CO, with her husband and their two spoiled rescue dogs.
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Liability-only car insurance, which includes bodily injury and property damage coverage, meets the minimum-coverage requirements in New York. If you cause an accident, this coverage pays for the other driver’s car repairs and medical expenses for them and their passengers. The state also requires uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage and personal injury protection (PIP).
Liability coverage has limits, though. It doesn’t cover your car’s repair costs if you’re at fault in an accident, hit an object, or suffer damage from weather-related events.
Quick Facts
New York is a no-fault state, so every driver must have personal injury protection to help pay for accident-related medical bills.
Liability car insurance is cheaper than full coverage, but it doesn’t protect your car.
CSAA and Liberty Mutual offer some of the cheapest liability coverage in New York.
Cheapest liability car insurance in New York
The average cost of car insurance in New York is $348 per month for liability-only coverage and $460 for full coverage. Liability coverage is usually cheaper than full coverage, but your cost depends on factors like your driving history, age and gender, credit history, and ZIP code.[1]
The companies in the following table have some of the cheapest rates for liability car insurance in New York.
The below rates are estimated rates current as of: Tuesday, April 22 at 12:00 PM PDT.
Insurance Company
Average Monthly Quote: Liability Only
CSAA
$98
Liberty Mutual
$113
Progressive
$233
Erie
$314
USAA
$327
Bristol West
$446
Disclaimer: Table data sourced from real-time quotes from Insurify's 50-plus partner insurance providers and quote estimates from Quadrant Information Services. Actual quotes may vary based on the policy buyer's unique driver profile.
What does liability car insurance cover in New York?
Liability insurance covers medical and repair costs for the other driver and their passengers if you cause a car accident. Property damage pays for their car repairs, while bodily injury coverage covers their medical bills.
PIP coverage pays your accident-related medical expenses — regardless of who’s at fault. And if a driver without insurance or insufficient coverage causes an accident, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage helps pay for your accident-related expenses.
Liability car insurance in New York is more robust than in other states since it includes PIP and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. But it doesn’t cover your vehicle repairs if you cause an accident or hit an object. It also doesn’t cover weather-related damage, theft, or vandalism.
For example, if you accidentally hit a mailbox and damage both it and your car’s bumper, your liability insurance covers the mailbox repairs but won’t pay for your bumper.
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Liability quotes in New York start at $98/mo.
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Pros and cons of having liability-only car insurance
Liability coverage meets the minimum insurance requirement in New York, but it’s not as extensive as other options. Here’s what to consider.
Pros
Meets the minimum requirements for New York
Protects against uninsured/underinsured drivers and pays for medical expenses
Cheaper than full-coverage car insurance
Cons
Doesn’t cover your car repairs
No coverage for weather damage, theft, or vandalism
Might not provide enough financial protection
How much liability coverage does New York require?
New York drivers must have liability coverage that meets the minimum requirements for the state. Here’s how much coverage you need:
Bodily injury liability
This pays the medical expenses for people in the other car if you cause an accident. It also protects you from lawsuits related to the incident, but only up to the policy limits. You must have $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for injuries. You also need $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for deaths.
Property damage liability
If you cause an accident, property damage liability helps cover the cost of repairs for the other driver or property owner. The state minimum is $10,000 per accident.
Uninsured/underinsured motorist
Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage helps pay for your car repairs if an uninsured driver causes damage, up to $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident. It also kicks in if the driver doesn’t have enough coverage to pay the full cost. You can also add out-of-state protection for an additional fee.
Personal injury protection (PIP)
PIP insurance covers your medical expenses, lost income, and other costs after an accident up to $50,000 per person — even if you’re at fault.
How to find cheap liability car insurance in New York
Liability coverage is usually cheaper than full-coverage auto insurance, which is good news for budget-conscious drivers. You can take the following steps to find the best car insurance in New York:[3]
Shop for discounts. Ask about discounts when you sign up for a car insurance policy. You might be able to get a reduced rate if you’re a good student, military member, or safe driver. Some companies also offer discounts for paperless billing and signing up for coverage online.
Improve your credit. Your credit influences your credit-based insurance score, which insurers can use when setting your rates. When you have a higher score, you pay less for coverage. Improve your credit and lower your rates by making payments on time, reducing your debt, and fixing errors on your credit report.
Bundle policies. Most insurers offer discounts when you have more than one type of coverage with the same company. For example, you can bundle auto insurance and home insurance.
Compare rates. Auto insurance companies charge different rates for the same coverage, so getting new quotes every six months can help you save money. Pick three insurers that seem like a good fit, and review quotes from each to find the best deal. This only takes a few minutes and is one of the easiest ways to lower your costs.
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Additional car insurance coverages to consider in New York
Liability car insurance meets the minimum requirements for New York, but most insurance experts recommend you add extra protection.
Coverage beyond the minimum helps pay for expensive vehicle repairs and medical expenses, preventing debt. Plus, banks and dealerships require full-coverage insurance — including liability, comprehensive, and collision — when you lease or finance a car.
Consider the following coverage options in addition to liability insurance:
Comprehensive coverage: Comprehensive insurance covers vehicle repairs for damage from theft, vandalism, hail, storms, and other non-collision events.
Collision coverage: Collision insurance pays for your car repairs if you cause an accident or hit an object.
Gap coverage: Gap insurance pays the difference between what you owe on your car loan and your vehicle’s value.[4] You can use it if you total your car.
Glass coverage: Glass coverage provides no-deductible windshield and window repairs.
Liability car insurance in New York FAQs
New York law requires drivers to have liability car insurance. The following frequently asked questions and answers provide more information about coverage in the Empire State.
How much does liability insurance cost in New York?
Liability insurance costs an average of $348 per month in New York. CSAA has some of the cheapest coverage. Your cost depends on factors like your ZIP code, age, driving record, and gender.
Do you need liability insurance in New York?
Yes. You must have liability insurance to drive in New York legally. The state requires the following coverage types and amounts:
$25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in bodily injury liability
$50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for injuries resulting in death
$10,000 per accident in property damage liability
$25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident in uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage
$50,000 per person in personal injury protection (PIP)
Is New York a no-fault state?
Yes. New York is a no-fault state. After an accident, drivers must file a claim with their insurance company, regardless of fault. Because it’s a no-fault state, you must have PIP coverage to pay for your medical expenses, and it’s harder to sue drivers for damages.
Methodology
Insurify data scientists analyzed more than 90 million quotes served to car insurance applicants in Insurify’s proprietary database to calculate the premium averages displayed on this page. These premiums are real quotes that come directly from Insurify’s 50+ partner insurance companies in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Quote averages represent the median price for a quote across the given coverage level, driver subset, and geographic area.
Unless otherwise specified, quoted rates reflect the average cost for drivers between 20 and 70 years old with a clean driving record and average or better credit (a credit score of 600 or higher).
Liability-only premium averages correspond to policies with the following coverage limits:
Bodily injury limits between state-minimum rates and $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident
Property damage limits between $10,000 and $50,000
No additional coverage
Full-coverage premium averages correspond to the same bodily injury and property damage limits in addition to:
Comprehensive coverage with a $1,000 deductible
Collision coverage with a $1,000 deductible
Quotes for Allstate, Farmers, GEICO, State Farm, and USAA are estimates based on Quadrant Information Services’ database of auto insurance rates.
Taylor Milam-Samuel is a writer and credentialed educator who is fascinated by how people earn, save, and spend their money. When she's not researching financial terms and conditions, she can be found in the classroom teaching.
Taylor has been a contributor at Insurify since February 2023.
Becky Helzer is an editor at Insurify. She loves helping writers express their ideas clearly and authentically. With a diverse background in editing everything from curriculum and books to magazine articles and blog posts, she ’s worked on topics ranging from home finance, insurance, and cloud computing to the best tools for home improvement.
A proud graduate of Colorado State University with a degree in technical journalism, Becky lives in Fort Collins, CO, with her husband and their two spoiled rescue dogs.
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