Car insurance in Pennsylvania — coverage by county

Every Pennsylvania auto policy has to include a $5,000 medical benefit (75 Pa.C.S. § 1711(a)). It is a first-party benefit: it pays reasonable and necessary medical treatment from your own policy first, rather than waiting on the other driver's insurer (§ 1713 sets the order of policies). Insurers also have to offer higher medical limits and optional income-loss, accidental-death and funeral benefits (§ 1712). Motorcycles are excluded from the required medical benefit.

Limited tort keeps your right to recover medical bills and other out-of-pocket losses. It blocks a claim for pain and suffering unless the injury is a "serious injury": death, serious impairment of a body function, or permanent serious disfigurement (75 Pa.C.S. § 1702). Under § 1705(d) you are also treated as full tort if the at-fault driver is convicted of, or accepts ARD for, DUI in that crash; is driving a vehicle registered in another state; intended to cause the injury; or had no insurance. You also keep full tort rights if you are hurt while riding in a vehicle that isn't a private passenger vehicle, such as a bus. If you don't return the tort form, the law treats you as having chosen full tort (§ 1705(a)).

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is optional in Pennsylvania, but insurers must offer it and you can turn it down only by signing a written rejection form (75 Pa.C.S. § 1731). If you insure more than one vehicle, stacking adds the UM/UIM limit for each vehicle together, so two cars with $100,000 each give you $200,000 (§ 1738(a)). You can waive stacking in writing, and the insurer must lower the premium if you do (§ 1738(b)–(c)). Stacking matters most in households with several vehicles and limited health or disability coverage.

PennDOT suspends the vehicle's registration for three months if it finds the vehicle wasn't insured, and suspends the owner's driving privilege for three months if the uninsured vehicle was driven (75 Pa.C.S. § 1786(d)). Instead of serving the registration suspension, you can pay a $500 civil penalty plus the restoration fee and show proof of insurance, no more than once in 12 months. The suspension doesn't apply if the lapse was shorter than 31 days and you can show the vehicle wasn't driven during the gap. Tell us before you cancel a policy so the replacement starts the same day.

PennDOT enforces insurance through vehicle registration: you certify coverage when you register, and a lapse leads to the suspension described above. PennDOT's published insurance guidance doesn't call for an SR-22 filing. An SR-22 usually comes up only when another state's DMV asks for one on your personal driving record. Our SR-22 page explains how that works for a Pennsylvania driver.

PennDOT gives new residents 20 days from establishing residency to title and register their vehicles in Pennsylvania, and 60 days to get a Pennsylvania driver's license. To register, you need proof of Pennsylvania insurance for each vehicle, such as an insurance ID card or declarations page showing the effective and expiration dates. See PennDOT's new-resident page. We can bind a Pennsylvania policy with a future start date so there is no gap between the old policy and the new one.

No. Pennsylvania requires liability coverage of at least 15/30/5 and the $5,000 medical benefit. Collision and comprehensive are optional under state law, but a lender or leasing company will usually require them on a financed or leased vehicle. On an older car that is paid off, compare the cost of the coverage with what the car is worth before you decide.

There isn't one. Price depends on the driver record, the vehicle and the ZIP code, and the carrier that is cheapest for a clean-record commuter in Lancaster County is often not the one that is cheapest for a Philadelphia driver with a recent at-fault claim. Carriers also change their rates over time, so ask us to re-shop at renewal.

Often not. Many personal auto policies exclude driving for a ride-hailing or delivery app, and a claim during app time can be denied without the right endorsement. Some carriers offer a rideshare endorsement; others don't. Tell us which apps you drive for before renewal. Our rideshare and delivery insurance page explains where the apps' own coverage stops.