What Is Bodily Injury Liability Coverage?

Car insurance bodily injury liability pays for physical injuries you cause to other people in an at-fault accident: their ER bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and legal costs if they sue. It’s one of the two required liability coverages in almost every state. For an overview of all coverage types, see our car insurance coverage options guide.

Your bodily injury coverage activates when you’re found at fault in a crash that injures another person. Your insurer pays the injured party’s covered costs directly, up to your policy limits.

Here’s where it matters: say you run a red light and hit another car. The other driver has a broken arm, misses six weeks of work and racks up $38,000 in medical bills and lost wages. Your insurer handles the claim, negotiates with the injured party and pays out up to your per-person limit. If they sue, your insurer also covers your legal defense — attorney fees included.

That said, property damage liability is a separate coverage that handles the other driver’s vehicle. Bodily injury liability only covers people, not property.

Bodily injury liability is legally required in 49 out of 50 states — New Hampshire is the lone exception. State minimum requirements typically fall between $15,000 to $50,000 per person. MoneyGeek recommends 100/300 limits for most drivers with assets to protect. The cost difference is smaller than you'd expect — raising limits from 25/50 to 100/300 typically adds $15 to $30 per month. The gap between your coverage and the cost of a real accident is where financial ruin starts.

Your state may also offer full vs limited tort options that affect whether injured parties can sue you for pain and suffering. That choice interacts directly with how much liability coverage you should carry. If you're shopping for baseline coverage, you can find affordable liability coverage without sacrificing essential protection.

Both coverages are required liability protections — paired together in every state that mandates liability insurance. That’s where the similarity ends. Bodily injury liability pays for physical harm you cause to other people: medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering. Property damage liability pays for the damage you cause to other vehicles or physical property — the other car, a fence, a mailbox. They’re sold together as a split limit.

Think of it this way — a 100/300/100 policy breaks down as: $100,000 bodily injury per person / $300,000 bodily injury per accident / $100,000 property damage per accident. The first two numbers cover people. The third covers stuff.

For more ways to save on car insurance while maintaining adequate liability protection, explore available discounts and bundling options.

MoneyGeek's rate data is sourced from Quadrant Information Services and reflects 2.4 million quotes across major U.S. insurers. Rates shown are for a 40-year-old male driver with a clean record and good credit. For a full explanation of how MoneyGeek collects, analyzes and presents insurance data, see our auto insurance methodology.