Arizona Auto Insurance Requirements: 25/50/15 Minimum

Arizona raised its minimums in 2020

Arizona increased its required liability limits on July 1, 2020, from 15/30/10 to 25/50/15. Policies issued or renewed before that date could legally carry the old limits.

Every policy issued or renewed since then has to meet 25/50/15. If you have not shopped in years, confirm your declarations page shows the current limits.

Arizona auto insurance requirements by coverage type

Arizona auto insurance requirements apply only to liability. Everything else is optional under state law, though a lender can require more.

Is car insurance required in Arizona?

Yes, and the minimum is 25/50/15. Arizona law requires that every vehicle operated on a highway in the state be covered, and that the driver carry evidence of that coverage in the vehicle. You can show it on your phone, and doing so does not give an officer consent to look at anything else on the device.

Insurance is not the only legal route. Arizona also recognizes an alternate method of coverage and a certificate of self-insurance, but for an individual driver a policy is by far the cheaper and simpler option.

What 25/50/15 actually pays

With 25/50/15 limits, your insurance company pays no more than $25,000 to any one injured person, no more than $50,000 for everyone injured in that accident combined, and no more than $15,000 to repair or replace the property you damaged. Those three caps apply separately, so exhausting one does not release money from another.

Property you damage includes the other driver's vehicle and things like a fence, a mailbox, or a utility pole.

Anything above those limits is yours to pay. The other party can pursue you personally for the difference, including your wages and your assets.

Is state minimum insurance the same as full coverage?

No. Arizona's 25/50/15 state minimum is liability only, and it pays other people when you are at fault. Full coverage adds collision and comprehensive, which pay for your own vehicle after a crash, a theft, or hail. Both meet Arizona law, so both are legal, but only full coverage does anything for your own car.

If your car is financed or leased, your lender almost certainly requires collision and comprehensive regardless of what Arizona requires. State minimum alone will not satisfy a loan.

What state minimum insurance does not cover

A 25/50/15 policy pays the other party, and only the other party. With nothing added to it, there are 5 things a state minimum policy in Arizona will not cover:

• your own injuries, and your passengers' injuries
• damage to your own vehicle, whoever caused it
• theft, fire, hail, or vandalism
• a rental car while yours is being repaired
• towing and roadside assistance

Each of those is available as an add-on. You do not have to jump to full coverage to get some of them.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage in Arizona

Arizona treats these as 2 separate coverages, unlike many states, and insurers have to offer you both by written notice on an approved form.

Uninsured motorist coverage pays your injuries and your passengers' when the at-fault driver has no insurance at all. Underinsured motorist coverage picks up when they have insurance but their limits are too low.

Arizona does not use personal injury protection. Medical payments is the optional coverage that pays your medical bills regardless of fault, and it is the closest equivalent here.

On a state minimum policy, these are the only parts that would pay you rather than the other driver.

Penalties for driving without insurance in Arizona

Driving without insurance in Arizona is a civil traffic violation, and the penalties escalate over a rolling 36-month window. All of the following come from Arizona Revised Statutes §28-4135.

After a third violation, MVD requires proof of financial responsibility on file before it will reinstate your license, registration, and plates. That means an SR-22.

One thing worth knowing: if you actually had coverage when you were cited and simply could not produce proof at the time, the court must dismiss the citation once you show the court that a qualifying policy was in effect on the date and time of the stop. That applies even if the vehicle you were driving was not the one named on the policy.

If you need an SR-22 in Arizona

An SR-22 is not insurance. It is a certificate your insurance company files with the state to prove you carry at least the 25/50/15 minimum. Arizona officially calls it future financial responsibility, and it is filed with the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division (MVD).

• How long: 3 years, counted from the date of your suspension.
• Judgment suspensions are different. The length varies case by case, so contact MVD directly for yours rather than assuming 3 years.
• If it lapses: the filing has to stay continuous or the suspension can resume.
• To cancel: your insurance company files an SR-26 once the requirement is satisfied.

A-MAX files SR-22s electronically, often within the hour, and can file one even if your policy is with another company.

Get an Arizona state minimum policy today

Since 2002, A-MAX has worked with drivers other companies turn away. We are an independent agency, so we shop your rate across the carriers we work with rather than selling one company's rates, including carriers built for drivers with an SR-22, a lapse in coverage, tickets, an at-fault accident, or no prior insurance.

In Arizona that means 4 offices, three in Phoenix and one in Yuma, with bilingual agents, coverage that can start the same day in most cases, low down payment options, monthly payment plans, and SR-22 filings sent to the Arizona MVD while you are still in the office.

Call 602-268-2548, quote online, or visit any Arizona office.

Coverage in your Arizona city

Phoenix · Mesa · Tucson · Yuma · Statewide Arizona coverage · All Arizona insurance

Our 4 offices are in Phoenix and Yuma, and we cover the whole state. If you are in Tucson or Mesa, the nearest offices are in Phoenix, and everything can be handled by phone or online.

Frequently asked questions