Oregon Auto Insurance Minimums: 25/50/20, Plus $15,000 PIP and UM
James Brazil lives in Mérida, Mexico. He founded Swift Agent Sites and studied Classics at the University of Mississippi.
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Oregon's minimum auto policy is more than the liability numbers in ORS 806.070. ODOT says a driver must have bodily injury and property damage of $25,000 per person, $50,000 per crash, and $20,000 for property damage, plus $15,000 of personal injury protection per person, plus uninsured motorist coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash.
A policy used for financial responsibility still has to meet ORS 806.080: it names the vehicles, covers the named insured and people who use the car with permission, and provides at least the 806.070 liability limits. PIP and uninsured motorist coverage are separate requirements on that policy.
What does each number pay?
The $25,000 is for one person's injuries or death in one crash. The $50,000 is the cap for everyone injured in that crash, and it cannot override the per-person cap. Two badly injured people do not each get $50,000 out of a minimum policy. The $20,000 pays for other people's property, such as a car or a fence. It does not repair your own car.
You can meet the liability requirement with one policy or with policies that together meet the limits, under ORS 806.080. Self-insurance under ORS 806.130 is the other path in ORS 806.060.
Who has to be listed?
The policy has to insure the named insured and other people insured under its terms, including people who use the vehicle with the named insured's consent. Someone specifically excluded under ORS 742.450 can be left off. If a household driver is excluded, ask what happens when that person drives anyway. The exclusion is a coverage decision, not a note in the glove box.
When you move to Oregon, an out-of-state card does not automatically satisfy Oregon's schedule. Ask a licensed Oregon agent to put the 25/50/20 limits on a policy that meets 806.080 before you treat the old card as enough. The furniture mover is a different credential. In-state household moves use an ODOT-certified mover. See how to hire one.
What PIP and uninsured motorist coverage are required?
ORS 742.520 requires personal injury protection benefits on a motor vehicle liability policy issued for delivery in Oregon that covers a private passenger vehicle. ORS 742.524(1)(a) sets the medical piece at reasonable and necessary medical, hospital, dental, surgical, ambulance, and prosthetic expenses incurred within two years, not more than $15,000. That $15,000 is the medical cap. It does not eat the wage benefit.
If the injured person usually works and the disability lasts at least 14 days, PIP pays 70 percent of lost income, up to $3,000 a month, for up to 52 weeks. If the person does not usually work, and disability lasts at least 14 days, PIP pays essential services by someone who is not a relative and does not live in the household, up to $30 a day for 52 weeks. Funeral expenses are up to $5,000, incurred within one year.
ORS 742.502 requires uninsured motorist coverage on a liability policy issued for delivery in Oregon, or delivered by an insurer doing business here for a vehicle principally used or garaged here. The limits must match the policy's bodily injury liability limits unless a named insured elects lower limits in writing. That election cannot go below the ORS 806.070 bodily injury amounts, $25,000 and $50,000. The coverage includes underinsured motorist protection. ODOT lists the floor as $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash.
What does liability leave unpaid?
Liability pays other people. Collision and comprehensive pay your car, if you bought them. A lender often requires those even though 806.070 does not. Fire, smoke, and ash on a car parked in a garage are a comprehensive question. The Division of Financial Regulation says a homeowners policy does not cover that car. Wildfire claim steps are in Oregon wildfire claims and additional living expenses.
Home insurance is separate again. If standard companies decline the house, the FAIR Plan is the last resort after two declinations. See the Oregon FAIR Plan. Health insurance is Explore Health, not this auto schedule. See shopping Explore Health for 2027.
How should I compare a quote to the statute?
- Read the declarations page for bodily injury, property damage, PIP, and uninsured motorist coverage.
- Match liability to $25,000, $50,000, and $20,000. Match PIP medical to $15,000. Match uninsured motorist to at least $25,000 and $50,000, or to your higher bodily injury limits if you did not elect a lower UM limit in writing.
- Ask whether anyone in the household is excluded.
- Ask the price of a higher limit before you stop at the minimum. A $20,000 property-damage limit does not replace a new truck.
- Ask what the policy pays for your own car. If the answer is nothing, you have liability only.
Bring the declarations page to the agent and point at liability, PIP, and uninsured motorist coverage. If property damage is $20,000, ask what a crash into a newer car would cost above that. Higher liability limits are allowed. The 806.070 figures are the liability floor, and PIP and uninsured motorist coverage still have to be on the policy.
If you lend the car, the policy covers a permissive user unless that person is excluded under ORS 742.450. Tell the agent who lives in the household and who drives the car even occasionally. An exclusion you forgot about is the one that shows up in the claim letter.
FAQ
What are Oregon's minimum auto liability amounts? ORS 806.070: $25,000 for one person's injury or death, $50,000 for two or more people in one crash, and $20,000 for other people's property. ODOT also lists $15,000 PIP per person and uninsured motorist coverage of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per crash.
Does the $50,000 get paid on top of the $25,000 for each person? No. The $50,000 is subject to the $25,000 limit for any one person.
Does this pay to fix my car? No. These figures are liability to others. Your car needs collision or comprehensive if you want the policy to pay for it.
Can two policies together meet the minimum? Yes. ORS 806.080 says the requirements may be met by policies of one or more carriers that together meet the limits.
Is a homeowners policy a substitute? No. Financial responsibility for the car is the auto policy or self-insurance under ORS 806.060.
Next step
Read the declarations page against ORS 806.070, the $15,000 PIP medical benefit in ORS 742.524, and the uninsured motorist floor in ORS 742.502. If any required number is missing, ask a licensed Oregon agent to reissue the policy before you rely on the card in a crash.
Sources: ODOT Driver & Motor Vehicle Services: insurance requirements, ORS 806.070 and 806.080, ORS 742.524, ORS 742.502.
This is general information for Oregon. It is not a recommendation to buy, drop, or switch a specific policy. Confirm current details with the insurer or a licensed agent who knows your situation.
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