Virginia Auto Coverage Requirements
This chapter covers the coverage rules a Virginia producer must know to place personal auto correctly: the compulsory liability limits, Virginia's historical Uninsured Motor Vehicle fee, and its tort (at-fault) system.
Compulsory Liability Limits
Virginia's financial-responsibility law requires liability insurance at the state minimum limits. Under Virginia Code 46.2-472, for policies effective on or after January 1, 2025 the minimums are $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for bodily injury and $25,000 for property damage (50/100/25), reflecting a scheduled increase from earlier, lower limits. Because these figures change on a schedule, verify the current minimums with the Virginia Bureau of Insurance.
The Uninsured Motor Vehicle Fee and the Tort System
Virginia has historically been unusual in letting a motorist pay an Uninsured Motor Vehicle (UMV) fee to the DMV as an alternative to buying liability insurance; this option has been changing, so a producer should confirm the current requirement rather than assume the fee is still available. Virginia is a tort, or at-fault, state and follows a strict contributory-negligence rule, under which a claimant even slightly at fault may be barred from recovery, an important difference from comparative-fault states. Confirm the current framework with the Virginia DMV and Bureau of Insurance.