What is PLPD insurance?

What does PLPD insurance cover?

PLPD covers injuries to others under bodily injury liability and property damage to others under property damage liability when you are at fault in an accident. PLPD doesn’t cover any injuries to you or damage to your car.

Personal liability car insurance

The PL in PLPD stands for personal liability. This coverage kicks in when you are at fault in a car accident where others are injured. It’s known as "bodily injury" coverage in most states. Personal liability covers:

Medical expenses. Hospital, ambulance and other medical costs, such as wheelchairs, crutches and other necessary medical equipment.
Pain and suffering. Legal costs for a pain and suffering lawsuit, as well as any judgments or settlements up to your coverage limits.
Lost wages. Lost income for injured people who are unable to work during recovery.

Personal liability for bodily injury has two coverage levels. The first is the maximum amount the policy will pay out per person, and the second is the maximum for all people injured in the accident.

If you have PLPD coverage of 100/300/100, those first two numbers are your bodily injury limits. This policy will pay:

$100,000 for injuries to any single person
$300,000 in total for injuries to everyone involved

Each state has a minimum amount of bodily injury coverage that’s required by law. In California, for example, the limits are 15/30. In a serious accident, this coverage will run out quickly. Some states have higher minimum requirements. Alaska and Maine, for example, have raised the minimum to 50/100. However, this might not be enough, especially in a serious accident with multiple injured people.

Consider how much you have to lose if you’re found at fault for an accident involving serious injuries or death and make sure you have enough to protect your assets.

Property damage car insurance

PD, or property damage, is the other component of PLPD car insurance. It’s the last number in the 100/300/100 example above and pays for damages to another person's property when you are at fault in an accident, such as:

Vehicle repair or replacement. Repairs for any damage to the other person’s car, or replacing the car if it’s a total loss.
Structure damage. Repairs to a house or other building, fence, mailbox or any other building or structure owned by someone else.
Landscaping damage. Repairs to trees, bushes, grass and other landscaping features.

Property damage is required in almost every state, but the minimums are often low, most commonly $25,000. Considering the average price of a new car in 2026 is more than $50,000, according to Kelley Blue Book, carrying higher limits is a good idea.

How much PLPD do you have to carry?

You have to carry at least enough PLPD insurance to meet your state’s minimum car insurance requirements, but state minimums are often too low to cover the damages in anything but a minor accident. In Massachusetts, for example, mandatory limits are only 20/40/5, which will be quickly exhausted in a serious accident.

A common rule is to carry liability limits that match or exceed your total net worth. If you own a home, have savings or hold investment accounts, those assets can be seized in a lawsuit that exceeds your coverage. Drivers with significant assets should consider limits of at least 100/300/100 and may also want to explore an umbrella policy for additional protection.

Minimum car insurance liability limits by state
State	Minimum car insurance limits
Alabama	Liability: 25/50/25
Alaska	Liability: 50/100/25
Arizona	Liability: 25/50/15
Arkansas	Liability: 25/50/25
California	Liability: 30/60/15
Colorado	Liability: 25/50/15
Connecticut	Liability: 25/50/25 UM/UIM BI: 20/40
Delaware	Liability: 25/50/10 PIP: 15/30
District of Columbia	Liability: 25/50/10 UM BI: 25/50 UMPD: $5,000
Florida	Liability: 0/0/10* PIP: $10,000
Georgia	Liability: 25/50/25
Hawaii	Liability: 20/40/10 PIP or PPO: $10,000
Idaho	Liability: 25/50/15
Illinois	Liability: 25/50/20 UM BI: 25/50
Indiana	Liability: 25/50/25
Iowa	Liability: 20/40/15
Kansas	Liability: 25/50/25 UM/UIM BI: 25/50 PIP: $4,500 medical/$900 work loss
Kentucky	Liability: 25/50/25 PIP: $10,000
Louisiana	Liability: 15/30/25
Maine	Liability: 50/100/25 UM/UIM BI: 50/100 Medical payments: $2,000
Maryland	Liability: 30/60/15 UM/UIM BI: 30/60 UMPD: $15,000 PIP $2,500
Massachusetts	Liability: 20/40/5 UM/UIM BI: 20/40 PIP: $8,000
Michigan	Liability: 50/100/10 PIP: 6 choices $50,000 to unlimited medical PPI: $1,000,000
Minnesota	Liability: 30/60/10 UM/UIM BI: 25/50 PIP: $40,000
Mississippi	Liability: 25/50/25
Missouri	Liability: 25/50/10 UM BI: 25/50
Montana	Liability: 25/50/20
Nebraska	Liability: 25/50/25 UM/UIM BI: 25/50
Nevada	Liability: 25/50/20
New Hampshire**	Liability: 25/50/25 UM/UIM BI: 25/50 Medical payments: $1,000
New Jersey	Liability: 30/70/25 (standard policy) UM/UIM BI: 15/30 UMPD: $5,000 PIP: $15,000
New Mexico	Liability: 25/50/10
New York	Liability: 25/50/10 UM BI: 25/50 PIP: $50,000
North Carolina	Liability: 50/100/50 UM BI: 30/60 UMPD: $25,000
North Dakota	Liability: 25/50/25 UM/UIM BI: 25/50 PIP: $30,000
Ohio	Liability: 25/50/25
Oklahoma	Liability: 25/50/25
Oregon	Liability: 25/50/20 UM BI: 25/50 PIP: $15,000
Pennsylvania	Liability: 15/30/5 First party benefits (PIP): $5,000
Rhode Island	Liability: 25/50/25
South Carolina	Liability: 25/50/25 UM BI: 25/50 UMPD: $25,000
South Dakota	Liability: 25/50/25 UM/UIM BI: 25/50
Tennessee	Liability: 25/50/15
Texas	Liability: 30/60/25
Utah	Liability: 25/65/15 PIP: $3,000
Vermont	Liability: 25/50/10 UM/UIM BI: 50/100 UMPD: $10,000
Virginia	Liability: 50/100/25 UM/UIM BI: 25/50 UMPD: $20,000
Washington	Liability: 25/50/10
West Virginia	Liability: 25/50/25 UM BI: 25/50 UMPD: $25,000
Wisconsin	Liability: 25/50/10 UM BI: 25/50
Wyoming	Liability: 25/50/20

*BI liability is not required by Florida law

**New Hampshire law doesn't require car insurance, but there are minimum limits if you buy a policy

How much does PLPD cost in Michigan?

The average cost of PLPD insurance in Michigan is $714 per year, according to Insurance.com data. Michigan uses a no-fault insurance system in which your personal injury protectionPersonal injury protection (PIP) pays for your medical, hospital and funeral expenses resulting from a car accident, regardless of who's at fault. (PIP) insurance pays for your injuries in an accident regardless of fault, but you still need PLPD insurance for when you go out of state or for an at-fault accident with property damage.

Here are the parts of PLPD coverage in Michigan.

Personal Protection Insurance (PPI)

This coverage will pay up to $1 million for damage that your vehicle does to other people's property in Michigan. Unlike standard property damage liability, it does not cover damage to vehicles that are driving on the road but only to stationary items. It covers buildings, fences, and legally parked vehicles.

Residual Bodily Injury and Property Damage (BI/PD)

This coverage kicks in to cover legal defense expenses as well as any judgments related to pain and suffering or damages that exceed your PIP benefits. It also covers medical bills if the accident happened outside of Michigan.

Michigan BI/PD coverage only kicks in when:

You’re at fault for an accident in Michigan where someone is seriously injured, permanently disfigured or killed.
You’re at fault in an accident with a non-resident of Michigan who is in a vehicle not registered in Michigan.
You’re at fault in an accident that takes place outside of Michigan.
You’re 50% or more at fault in an accident that causes damages to another person’s car (PD will pay up to $3,000).

The legal minimum coverage levels are 50/100/10.

How to get PLPD insurance

If you already have car insurance, you have PLPD coverage. It is required by law in most states. If you are purchasing a new policy, use Insurance.com's comparison tool to get quotes from multiple insurers, then select limits that meet your state's minimum requirements or, ideally, match your total assets.

Helpful auto insurance tools and calculators