Rhode Island Auto Coverage Requirements
This chapter covers the coverage rules a Rhode Island producer must know to place personal auto correctly: the compulsory liability limits, the combined-single-limit option, and Rhode Island's tort (at-fault) system.
Compulsory Liability Limits
Rhode Island's financial-responsibility law requires every registered vehicle to carry liability insurance at the state minimum limits. Under R.I. Gen. Laws Section 31-47-2, the minimum limits are $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury and $25,000 per accident for property damage (25/50/25). The same statute permits a $75,000 combined single limit as an alternative that consolidates bodily injury and property damage into one amount (confirmed at webserver.rilegislature.gov). Because statutory minimums can change, verify the current figures with the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation.
Tort System and the Right to Sue
Rhode Island is a tort, or at-fault, state: it is not on the Insurance Information Institute's list of no-fault states, so an injured person keeps the right to sue the at-fault driver for economic and noneconomic damages. Compulsory liability coverage still applies under the state's financial-responsibility law, and uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is commonly required to be offered. Confirm the current framework with the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation.