State guide

Ohio Car Insurance

By YesWeSure EditorialReviewed October 3, 2026Editorial standardsReport an errorSources

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Ohio drivers must carry at least 25/50/25 liability coverage under ORC § 4509.51¹. Ohio is a traditional tort state: no PIP is required⁶. UM and UIM must be offered under ORC § 3937.18 but can be rejected in writing³. The Ohio BMV runs random-selection electronic verification under ORC § 4509.101 and OAC 4501-7-08; a failure to verify can lead to license, plate, and registration suspension²⁵. SR-22 reinstatement under ORC Chapter 4509 is a 3-year filing (longer for repeat offenses)⁴.

The 25/50/25 minimum: what it actually covers

ORC § 4509.51 compels every covered Ohio driver to maintain at least 25/50/25 liability coverage¹. The three numbers refer to:

• $25,000 bodily injury per person. The maximum your policy pays for one injured person's medical bills, lost wages, and related bodily-injury costs when you are at fault.
• $50,000 bodily injury per accident. The maximum your policy pays across all injured people in one accident when you are at fault.
• $25,000 property damage per accident. The maximum your policy pays to repair or replace someone else's vehicle or other property.

These are the amounts a policy owes to other people you harm. They do not pay to repair your own vehicle after an at-fault accident (that is collision coverage), to replace it after theft or a weather event (comprehensive), or to cover your medical bills (MedPay or your health insurance). Many Ohio drivers carry higher limits and add collision and comprehensive when they finance or lease a vehicle. The types of car insurance guide walks through every coverage line in one page.

PIP is not required (traditional tort state)

Ohio does not require PIP. If you are injured in a crash caused by someone else, you recover from the at-fault driver's liability coverage (bodily injury) or, if that driver is uninsured, from your own UM coverage. MedPay is an optional first-party add-on insurers typically offer; it does not substitute for liability⁶.

Uninsured / Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM)

ORC § 3937.18 requires every Ohio personal auto policy to offer UM and UIM. Purchase is optional; the named insured may reject the coverage in writing. Rejection must be signed and on file with the insurer³.

UM applies when the at-fault driver has no liability coverage. UIM applies when the at-fault driver has coverage but not enough to pay for the damage they caused. Ohio UM-UIM is commonly offered up to the policy's BI limits. For a general treatment of UM/UIM mechanics and stacking rules, see UM / UIM coverage explained and stacked vs unstacked UM.

Random electronic verification under ORC § 4509.101

ORC § 4509.101, together with Ohio Administrative Code 4501-7-08, authorizes the BMV to run random-selection electronic insurance verification²⁵. A randomly selected owner who cannot produce proof of coverage faces:

• Suspension of driver license, vehicle registration, and license plates.
• Reinstatement conditional on providing proof of coverage, filing an SR-22, and paying BMV reinstatement fees.
• Longer suspensions for repeat failures to verify.

Ohio's random-selection approach differs from the continuous-match programs run in Texas (TexasSure) and Florida (Florida Insurance Information Exchange). Random selection is lighter touch on the front end but equally serious at the back end: if your name is drawn and you cannot produce proof, the consequences follow.

SR-22 after suspension

Ohio requires an SR-22 filing from certain drivers reinstating licenses after suspension, including those suspended for driving uninsured or for OVI (operating a vehicle under the influence). The filing is a certificate from an authorized insurer, submitted to the Ohio BMV, confirming the driver carries at least the state minimum liability coverage⁴. Standard duration is 3 years from the date of reinstatement; repeat offenses carry longer filings.

If the SR-22 policy lapses, the insurer must notify the BMV, which triggers a re-suspension. Not every carrier files SR-22s; shoppers in SR-22 status often shop high-risk-friendly carriers. For the coverage mechanics, see SR-22 coverage explained.

Rating-factor landscape

Ohio does not maintain a headline statewide prohibition on credit-based insurance scoring, gender, or age as personal-auto rating factors. Rate changes are filed with the Ohio Department of Insurance and are subject to filing review⁶.

Insurance scores (credit-based) are permitted in Ohio and are weighted meaningfully in most carriers' filings. For how the score is computed and what moves it, see how insurance score works. For the general treatment of rating inputs, see how insurers calculate rates.

Ohio Automobile Insurance Plan (OAIP)

Drivers unable to obtain voluntary-market coverage can access the Ohio Automobile Insurance Plan, administered by AIPSO on behalf of participating Ohio insurers. Eligibility requires evidence of denial in the voluntary market⁸. The OAIP is the lender of last resort; its rates are typically higher than voluntary-market rates and its coverage menu is more restricted. For most high-risk drivers, a non-standard voluntary carrier (Bristol West, Dairyland, The General) is a less expensive path before the OAIP is necessary.

Where the Ohio situation rules live on YesWeSure

This State Guide owns the Ohio pricing and legal framework. Situation-specific Ohio mechanics live on the sibling Situation guides:

• After an accident. See our after-an-accident guide and the sibling at-fault accident page.
• After a DUI/OVI. Ohio SR-22 and reinstatement mechanics beyond the framework above are treated in our after-a-DUI guide.
• After a lapse. BMV random-verification consequences of a lapse and the SR-22 pathway are treated in our after-a-lapse guide.
• Moving into Ohio. New-resident registration is treated in our moving-to-another-state guide.
• Driving uninsured. The consequences-of-uninsured branch — including whether it is illegal and the specific state-by-state framework — is covered in is it illegal to drive without insurance? and what happens if you drive without insurance.

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