Car Insurance in Salt Lake City: What Utah Law Requires, What It Actually Costs, and How to Pay Less
See what Utah law requires, what Salt Lake City drivers actually pay, and how an independent agent can find you a better rate. Call (801) 622-2626.
If you haven't called your insurance agent since 2024, there's a decent chance your car insurance changed without you doing anything at all. Utah's minimum car insurance requirements went up on January 1, 2025, under House Bill 113, and most existing policies updated automatically at renewal. That sounds like good news, and mostly it is. But automatic doesn't mean adequate, and a lot of Utah drivers are still carrying coverage that wouldn't come close to covering a serious accident. The short answer: Utah's new minimum is 30/65/25, up from 25/65/15. That's $30,000 in bodily injury coverage per person, $65,000 per accident, and $25,000 in property damage per accident. It's more than before. It's still not much. Here's what actually changed, what it means for your policy, and where the real gaps are. What Utah's Minimum Car Insurance Requirements Actually Are Now Utah's liability minimums rose from 25/65/15 to 30/65/25 when HB 113 took effect January 1, 2025. In plain terms: if you cause an accident, your policy now has to cover at least $30,000 for injuries to one person, $65,000 total for everyone injured, and $25,000 for damage to the other vehicle or property. If you already had a policy before that date, you didn't need to do anything. Insurers were required to bump every existing policy up to the new minimums at its first renewal in 2025. If you haven't shopped your coverage since, your policy is very likely sitting at 30/65/25 right now, whether you asked for it or not. Utah also requires drivers to carry personal injury protection, often called PIP, of at least $3,000 per person. Utah is a no-fault state for medical claims up to that threshold, meaning your own PIP coverage pays your medical bills after an accident regardless of who caused it. Why "Minimum" Doesn't Mean "Enough" The state minimum is a legal floor, not a real estimate of what an accident costs. A single hospital visit after a serious crash can run well past $65,000, and a newer vehicle alone can exceed $25,000 in value before you factor in any other property damage. If a claim against you costs more than your policy limits, you're personally responsible for the difference. That means your savings, your home equity, even future wages can be at risk through a judgment. Utah's new 30/65/25 minimum closes part of that gap compared to the old 25/65/15 standard, but it still leaves plenty of room for a bad accident to outrun your coverage. This is the conversation an independent agent should be having with you at renewal, not just confirming your policy meets the new legal number, but asking whether that number actually protects what you have. What the State Minimum Doesn't Cover: Your Own Vehicle Utah's 30/65/25 requirement is entirely about the damage you cause to other people and their property. It says nothing about your own car. Liability-only coverage means that if you cause an accident, your insurer pays the other driver, not you. Repairing or replacing your own vehicle after a crash you caused requires collision coverage, and comprehensive coverage handles everything else: hail, theft, a deer in the road, a cracked windshield. Neither is required by Utah law. If you're financing or leasing your vehicle, though, your lender almost certainly requires both, and even on a paid-off car, dropping collision and comprehensive to save money can be a costly bet if you can't afford to replace the vehicle out of pocket. The Coverage Most Utah Drivers Don't Realize They Can Reject Uninsured motorist coverage protects you if someone without insurance, or without enough insurance, causes an accident and you're the one left holding the bill. In Utah, it's included in every auto policy by default. You have to reject it in writing, on a form your insurer provides, and that rejection includes a required explanation of what you're giving up. Utah's uninsured driver rate is actually one of the lowest in the country. The Insurance Research Council put it at roughly 6% in its most recent state-by-state study, well under the national average. That's a genuinely good number for Utah drivers. But it's not zero, and it doesn't account for underinsured drivers, people who carry a policy but only at the state minimum. Nationally, the Insurance Research Council found that one in three drivers were uninsured or underinsured in 2023, a combined rate that's climbed 10 percentage points since 2017. If the other driver in your accident is carrying 30/65/25 and the damage is worse than that, underinsured motorist coverage is what closes the gap on your end. If you rejected uninsured motorist coverage years ago to save a few dollars a month, it's worth asking your agent to add it back. The rejection doesn't expire on its own. It stays in place until you request the coverage again in writing. How Much Coverage Should You Actually Carry The honest answer depends on what you have to protect, not what the state requires. A driver with no savings and no home has less financial exposure than a homeowner with equity and a retirement account. Both are legally covered at 30/65/25. Only one of them is actually protected. An independent agent can walk through your specific situation, your assets, your driving history, whether you have teen drivers on the policy, and recommend limits that make sense for you rather than a one-size number set by the legislature. For many Utah homeowners, that conversation also includes an umbrella policy, which extends liability protection well beyond your auto and home limits for a relatively small annual cost. Ask your agent whether it makes sense for your situation. This matters more the more you have. A renter with an older car and no other assets is a very different risk than a homeowner with equity, retirement savings, and a couple of teen drivers on the policy. The state minimum treats both the same. A good agent won't. What Farr West and Heber Valley Drivers Should Do Now Pull out your current auto declarations page and check your actual liability limits. Don't assume your renewal notice caught everything. If you're still showing anything below 30/65/25, your policy is out of compliance with Utah law and needs to be fixed immediately. Beyond compliance, ask your agent two questions: are my limits enough to protect what I actually own, and do I have uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on the policy. An independent agency like The Insurance Center can walk through both questions and shop your coverage across multiple carriers if your current limits or your current price don't add up. Frequently Asked Questions What are Utah's minimum car insurance requirements in 2026? Utah requires liability coverage of at least $30,000 per person and $65,000 per accident for bodily injury, plus $25,000 for property damage, commonly written as 30/65/25. Drivers must also carry at least $3,000 in personal injury protection. Did my car insurance automatically update to the new Utah minimums? Yes, if you had an existing policy before January 1, 2025, Utah law required your insurer to raise it to the new 30/65/25 minimum at your first renewal that year. Most Utah drivers are already covered at the new limits without having done anything themselves. Can I reject uninsured motorist coverage in Utah? Yes, but only in writing, on a form your insurer provides that explains what the coverage does. Without that written rejection, uninsured motorist coverage is automatically included in every Utah auto policy. What happens if I cause an accident that costs more than my policy limits? You're personally responsible for the difference. A judgment against you can reach savings, home equity, and future wages, which is why many drivers carry limits well above the state minimum or add an umbrella policy. How many Utah drivers are uninsured? About 6%, according to the Insurance Research Council's most recent state study, one of the lowest rates in the country. Underinsured drivers are a separate and larger risk: nationally, roughly one in three drivers are uninsured or underinsured combined. The Bottom Line Utah's minimum car insurance requirements went up for a real reason: the old numbers hadn't kept pace with what accidents actually cost. But a legal minimum was never designed to be a personal financial plan. Check your declarations page, confirm your uninsured motorist coverage is actually in place, and talk to an agent who can tell you what coverage your specific situation calls for instead of just what the law requires. Ready to see where your coverage actually stands? Call The Insurance Center at (801) 622-2626 or reach out to our Farr West or Heber Valley office. We'll review your policy, check your limits against the new Utah minimums, and shop your coverage across multiple carriers if it makes sense. About the Author: Jett Iverson is the Director of Marketing at The Insurance Center, an independent insurance agency serving Northern Utah since 1995. He works alongside licensed agents to help Utah families and businesses understand their coverage options and make confident insurance decisions.
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