Oregon Minimum Car Insurance Requirements (2026)
Oregon requires every registered driver to carry at least 25/50/20 liability insurance: 25,000 dollars for bodily injury per person, 50,000 dollars per crash, and 20,000 dollars for property damage. Oregon also mandates 15,000 dollars in Personal Injury Protection and uninsured motorist coverage, so a compliant policy is more than liability alone.
Oregon's minimum liability limits explained
Oregon law sets the floor for auto liability coverage at what the industry writes as 25/50/20. Those three numbers stand for the most your insurer will pay after a crash you cause: 25,000 dollars for bodily injury to any one person, 50,000 dollars total for bodily injury when two or more people are hurt, and 20,000 dollars for damage you do to someone else's property, such as their vehicle, fence, or building. This requirement comes from ORS 806.010, which makes it illegal to operate a motor vehicle on Oregon roads without liability coverage in place.
Liability coverage does not pay for your own injuries or repairs to your own car. It exists to protect other people from the costs you impose on them. If your at-fault crash causes more damage than your limits, you are personally responsible for the difference, which is why the state minimum is best understood as a legal floor rather than a recommendation. Oregon has held these liability minimums steady for years, and they remain in effect in 2026.
How fault works in Oregon
Oregon is an at-fault (tort) state. That means the driver who causes a crash, and that driver's insurer, is financially responsible for the resulting injuries and property damage. An injured party can pursue the at-fault driver's liability coverage, use their own coverage, or file suit. Oregon follows a modified comparative negligence rule, so an injured person can still recover if they were partly at fault, as long as their share of fault is not greater than the other party's, with any award reduced by their percentage of blame.
What makes Oregon unusual among tort states is that it layers a mandatory Personal Injury Protection (PIP) requirement on top. PIP is first-party, no-fault-style medical coverage: after a crash, your own policy pays your reasonable, accident-related medical bills, and certain wage loss and funeral costs, no matter who caused the collision. So while liability is settled on a fault basis, your immediate medical expenses are handled quickly through PIP without waiting to prove blame.
Key data
| Factor | Filed value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon minimum property damage liability | $20,000 | Oregon DMV (ODOT) · Jul 2026 |
| Oregon minimum Personal Injury Protection (PIP) | $15,000 | Oregon DMV (ODOT) · Jul 2026 |
| SR-22 filing period for driving-uninsured-only convictions on or after Jan 1, 2026 (reduced from 3 years under SB 840) | 1 year | Oregon Division of Financial Regulation, SB 840 guidance · Jul 2026 |
The coverages Oregon actually requires
A legal Oregon policy includes more than liability. State law requires four things: bodily injury and property damage liability at 25/50/20, Personal Injury Protection (PIP) of at least 15,000 dollars per person, uninsured motorist (UM) bodily injury coverage of at least 25,000 dollars per person and 50,000 dollars per crash, and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage.
UM and UIM protect you when the other driver is at fault but has no insurance or not enough to cover your injuries. Because roughly one in eight Oregon drivers is estimated to be uninsured nationally, this coverage does real work. PIP steps in first for your medical costs and can coordinate with UM/UIM and health insurance. None of these mandatory pieces pay to repair your own vehicle after a crash you cause; that requires optional collision and comprehensive coverage, which Oregon does not mandate but lenders and lessors usually do.
Penalties for driving without insurance
Driving uninsured in Oregon violates ORS 806.010 and is treated as a serious traffic offense. A conviction can bring a fine of up to 1,000 dollars and, critically, suspension of your driving privileges. If you are caught driving uninsured, or are involved in a crash while uninsured, the DMV can suspend your license and registration until you meet reinstatement conditions.
Reinstatement typically requires paying a fee, and filing an SR-22 certificate through an insurer to prove you now carry the required coverage. Being uninsured at the time of a crash is more costly still: you can be held personally liable for every dollar of the other party's injuries and property damage, with no insurer to absorb the loss. That personal exposure, plus the license suspension and multi-year proof requirement, makes going without coverage far more expensive than a minimum policy.
SR-22 filings and the 2026 SB 840 change
An SR-22 is not insurance; it is a certificate your insurer files with the Oregon DMV confirming you carry at least the required liability coverage. Oregon requires an SR-22 after events such as a driving-uninsured conviction, a DUII conviction, being in a crash while uninsured, or when you apply for a hardship permit. You must keep the filing active continuously; if the policy lapses, your insurer notifies the DMV and your privileges are suspended.
The big recent change is Senate Bill 840. For convictions on or after January 1, 2026, a driver whose only offense is driving uninsured (with no crash involved) must maintain the SR-22 for one year instead of the previous three years. A driver convicted of driving uninsured while involved in a crash still faces a three-year filing, and DUII-related suspensions continue to require three years. There is no Oregon form called SR-22A; the state issues owner, operator, or on-behalf-of versions of the standard SR-22.
How much coverage you really need
The 25/50/20 minimum satisfies the law, but it can fall short fast. A single serious injury crash routinely produces medical bills, lost wages, and vehicle damage well above 25,000 or even 50,000 dollars. Once your limits are exhausted, the injured party can come after your personal assets, wages, and savings.
Many Oregon drivers step up to something like 100/300/100, which pays up to 100,000 dollars per person, 300,000 dollars per crash, and 100,000 dollars in property damage. The premium difference between state minimums and a 100/300 policy is often smaller than people expect, because the first dollars of coverage are the most expensive. It is also worth raising UM and UIM limits to match your liability limits, since those protect you and your passengers directly. If you have meaningful assets, an umbrella policy adds a further layer above your auto limits at relatively low cost.
How to compare Oregon policies the smart way
When you shop, compare identical coverage limits across insurers so the quotes are truly apples to apples. Confirm each quote includes the four mandatory Oregon pieces, liability, PIP, UM, and UIM, then adjust deductibles on optional collision and comprehensive to see how they move the premium. Ask each insurer about discounts for bundling home and auto, safe-driving or telematics programs, paid-in-full billing, and good-student status.
Check the insurer's financial strength and its complaint record. The NAIC publishes a Complaint Index and consumer information that let you see how often an insurer draws complaints relative to its size, and Oregon's Division of Financial Regulation can help resolve disputes. Read the declarations page carefully before you buy, verify the limits and named drivers, and keep proof of insurance in the vehicle, since you must provide your policy number when you register a car in Oregon.
Proof of insurance and registration
Oregon ties insurance verification directly to vehicle registration. You must provide your insurance policy number every time you register a vehicle or buy a light-vehicle trip permit, and the state runs an Automobile Liability Insurance Reporting program that lets the DMV confirm coverage electronically with insurers. If the DMV cannot verify that a registered vehicle is insured, it can require you to certify coverage or face suspension.
Carry proof of insurance in your vehicle at all times, because you must show it to law enforcement on request and after any crash. Acceptable proof includes an insurance card or an electronic version on your phone. Keeping continuous coverage matters beyond compliance: a lapse can raise your future premiums, trigger an SR-22 requirement, and interrupt your registration. Treating your policy as something to maintain without gaps is the simplest way to stay on the right side of Oregon law.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum car insurance required in Oregon?
Oregon requires at least 25/50/20 liability coverage, meaning 25,000 dollars for bodily injury per person, 50,000 dollars per crash, and 20,000 dollars for property damage. On top of that, Oregon mandates 15,000 dollars in Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and uninsured motorist coverage of at least 25,000 dollars per person and 50,000 dollars per crash, plus underinsured motorist coverage.
Is Oregon a no-fault state?
No. Oregon is an at-fault (tort) state, so the driver who causes a crash is financially responsible for the resulting damages. However, Oregon does require Personal Injury Protection (PIP), a no-fault-style coverage that pays your own accident-related medical bills regardless of who caused the crash. That PIP requirement is layered on top of the tort system, not a substitute for it.
Does Oregon require uninsured motorist coverage?
Yes. Oregon law requires uninsured motorist (UM) bodily injury coverage of at least 25,000 dollars per person and 50,000 dollars per crash, along with underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage. This protects you and your passengers when an at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough coverage to pay for your injuries. It is a mandatory part of every Oregon auto policy, not an optional add-on.
How long do I need an SR-22 in Oregon?
It depends on the offense. Under Senate Bill 840, for convictions on or after January 1, 2026, a driving-uninsured-only conviction with no crash requires an SR-22 for one year, reduced from the previous three years. A conviction for driving uninsured while involved in a crash still requires three years, and DUII-related suspensions continue to require a three-year filing that must be kept active without any lapse.
What happens if I drive without insurance in Oregon?
Driving uninsured violates ORS 806.010 and can bring a fine of up to 1,000 dollars plus suspension of your license and registration. To reinstate, you generally must pay a fee and file an SR-22 certificate proving you now carry the required coverage. If you are uninsured during a crash, you can also be held personally liable for all of the other party's injuries and property damage.
Is the Oregon minimum enough coverage?
It meets the law but often is not enough. A single serious crash can generate medical bills and vehicle damage well beyond 25,000 or 50,000 dollars, and once your limits are exhausted your personal assets are exposed. Many drivers raise their limits to 100/300/100 and match their uninsured and underinsured motorist limits, because the added protection usually costs far less than people expect.
Sources cited
- Oregon DMV (ODOT) — captured Jul 2026
- Oregon Division of Financial Regulation, SB 840 guidance — captured Jul 2026
- Insurance Information Institute Financial Responsibility Laws by State — captured Jul 2026
- Oregon Revised Statutes ORS 806.010 — captured Jul 2026
- NAIC Auto Insurance Consumer Information — captured Jul 2026
