State guide
Car Insurance in Louisiana
Updated August 2026
Louisiana pairs one of the lowest bodily injury minimums in the country — 15/30/25, meaning $15,000 per person, $30,000 per accident, and $25,000 property damage under La. R.S. 32:900 — with some of the highest premiums in the country. Per the NAIC, only Florida's average expenditure ran higher in 2022. Dense litigation, high claim severity and a large uninsured population all feed the gap.
The state has been legislating at that gap hard: 2025 brought the largest tort reform package in Louisiana history. For drivers, the most concrete change is to the 'No Pay No Play' law. In a market this expensive and this much in motion, the spread between carriers for the same coverage is unusually wide — which makes comparing quotes more consequential in Louisiana than almost anywhere else.
| Coverage | Required minimum |
|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability (per person) | $15,000 |
| Bodily injury liability (per accident) | $30,000 |
| Property damage liability | $25,000 |
| PIP / medical | Not required (at-fault state) |
| No-fault state | No |
| SR-22 used | Yes |
Source: La. R.S. §32:900 (minimum limits), §32:866 (No Pay No Play); Louisiana Department of Insurance; Office of Motor Vehicles
Average annual expenditure for auto insurance in Louisiana was $1,558 in 2022 — second highest of any state. (NAIC 2022 Auto Insurance Database Average Premium Supplement (June 2024))
No Pay No Play — now a $100,000 penalty
Louisiana's No Pay No Play law (La. R.S. 32:866) bars uninsured drivers from recovering their initial damages after a crash even when the other driver was entirely at fault. Effective August 1, 2025, the legislature raised that unrecoverable threshold from $15,000 bodily injury / $25,000 property damage to $100,000 of each.
Notably, the required minimum coverage did not rise alongside it — the legal minimum you must buy is still 15/30/25. The result is a sharp asymmetry: carrying no insurance in Louisiana now means forfeiting the first $100,000 of your own recovery, while a minimum policy that keeps you legal remains comparatively small. Whatever else changes in Louisiana's reform era, driving uninsured has never been a worse bet.
How Louisiana's at-fault system works
Louisiana is an at-fault (tort) state: the driver who causes a crash pays for the other side's injuries and property damage through liability coverage. There is no PIP requirement. Your own protection comes from optional coverages — medical payments, collision, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, which Louisiana insurers must include unless you reject it in writing.
That UM decision deserves real thought here. Nationally, 15.4% of drivers were uninsured in 2023 (Insurance Research Council), and Louisiana consistently ranks among the worst states for it — the same problem the No Pay No Play law targets. A 15/30 at-fault driver can also be badly underinsured against a serious injury, which is what the UIM half of the coverage answers.
SR-22 filings in Louisiana
Louisiana uses SR-22 certificates. After suspensions for DWI, driving uninsured, or accumulating serious violations, the Office of Motor Vehicles requires your insurer to file an SR-22 proving you carry at least the state minimums — typically maintained for three years — before reinstating your license. Carriers treat SR-22 risk very differently in a market already this expensive, so drivers who need a filing see the largest quote spreads of all.
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Frequently asked questions
What car insurance is required in Louisiana?+
Liability coverage of at least $15,000 bodily injury per person, $30,000 per accident, and $25,000 property damage (15/30/25), per La. R.S. 32:900. Louisiana does not require PIP — it's an at-fault state.
What is Louisiana's No Pay No Play law?+
Under La. R.S. 32:866, a driver who fails to carry required insurance cannot recover the first portion of their own damages after a crash, regardless of fault. As of August 1, 2025, that unrecoverable amount is $100,000 for bodily injury and $100,000 for property damage — up from $15,000/$25,000.
Why is car insurance so expensive in Louisiana?+
High claim litigation rates, severe injury claims, and a large uninsured population all push costs up; the NAIC put Louisiana's 2022 average expenditure at $1,558, second only to Florida. The 2025 tort reform package aims at those drivers of cost, but carrier prices for identical coverage still vary widely.
Does Louisiana require SR-22 filings?+
Yes. The Office of Motor Vehicles requires an SR-22 certificate, usually for three years, to reinstate driving privileges after suspensions such as DWI or driving without insurance. Your insurer files it with the state.
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