LIABILITY INSURANCE COVERAGE LIMITS The amount your insurer will pay for a covered liability insurance claim depends on the coverage limits you choose. Each state sets minimum coverage limits for bodily injury liability and property damage liability that drivers must purchase, but you may decide to buy additional coverage. You may see three liability coverage limits on your car insurance policy: HOW MUCH LIABILITY INSURANCE SHOULD YOU BUY?
Any costs that exceed your liability coverage limits are your responsibility — in other words, you'd have to pay them out of your own pocket. That's why it may be a good idea to increase your auto liability limits above the state's minimum requirements by purchasing more coverage.
Consider the following: You are at fault for a crash that injured three people in another car. Your bodily injury liability limit per person is $50,000 and your bodily injury limit per accident is $100,000. If Person 1's medical bills total $40,000, Person 2's cost $30,000 and Person 3's cost $25,000, you're likely covered. Each person's bills were under $50,000 (your bodily injury limit per person), and the total cost of injuries is $95,000, which is lower than your $100,000 bodily injury limit for a single accident.
But suppose all three people had $50,000 in medical bills, totaling $150,000. In that case, your bodily injury liability coverage would pay $100,000 toward those bills, and you may need to cover the remaining $50,000 yourself.
