Alabama Car Insurance Requirements

Updated July 10th, 2018

Auto insurance requirements in Alabama

Alabama requires only one type of auto insurance: Liability insurance. But buying only the minimum may leave you without enough insurance if you're in a car accident. Let's look at the coverage types available in Alabama so you can buy the right coverage for you.

Minimum liability car insurance:

Liability insurance is for damage and injuries you cause others. It won’t pay for damage to your own car. The minimum liability limits you must buy in Alabama are:

$25,000 bodily injury per person
$50,000 bodily injury per accident
$25,000 property damage per accident

This is often written as 25/50/25.

More: Cheap car insurance in Alabama

Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage:

You don't have to buy UM/UIM coverage in Alabama but insurance companies must offer it. It pays for injuries to you and your passengers from a driver who has no liability insurance or not enough. If you do buy UM/UIM, the mimimum coverage limits are $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident (25/50).

Optional car insurance in Alabama

Collision: Pays for damage to your car caused by hitting another car or an object, like a fence.

Comprehensive coverage: Pays for theft of your vehicle or damage caused by hitting an animal like a deer, hail, flood, fire, vandalism, falling objects and explosions.

Rental reimbursement: Pays for a rental car if your car is in the shop due to an accident covered by comprehensive or collision insurance. It usually has a daily maximum for the rental car and also a total limit.

Medical payments (MedPay): This pay for injuries and funeral expenses for you and your passengers no matter who was at fault. It's available in Alabama but not required.

You must show an insurance ID card (or other proof of financial responsibility) in Alabama when:

Law enforcement requests it
You renew vehicle registration
Your vehicle is involved in a car accident

Penalties for not having auto insurance in Alabama

Operating a vehicle without the minimum insurance results in a license suspension:

First violation: the department will terminate the suspension upon payment by the owner of a $200 reinstatement fee
Second or subsequent violation within the preceding four years will result in suspension for four months and a $400 reinstatement fee

Source: Property Casualty Insurers Association of America

Consumer complaints against the largest auto insurance companies in Alabama

Each state's department of insurance collects complaints against insurance companies that operate in the state and supplies the numbers to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. A national "complaint ratio" number is meant to show the number of complaints against a company relative to the insurer's size of business. Shown below are national complaint ratios for the 10 largest auto insurance companies in Alabama.

Updated July 9, 2018