What is Personal Injury Protection Insurance?

Personal injury protection insurance - also known as PIP insurance - is a type of supplemental car insurance to protect drivers from medical expenses and expensive personal injury costs resulting from car accidents. Some states require all drivers to carry limited personal injury protection, and most car insurance companies offer some form of personal injury protection insurance. Enter your ZIP code below to compare PIP insurance rates in your area.

UPDATED: Nov 17, 2020

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Our insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare cheap car insurance quotes from many different companies please enter your ZIP code on this page to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.

UPDATED: Nov 17, 2020Fact Checked

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Tonya Sisler

Insurance Writer

Tonya Sisler has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of South Carolina in Journalism and has worked for 15+ years in management. She has also completed a proofreading certification and is currently a professional writer.

Insurance Writer

Brad Larsen

Licensed Auto Insurance Agent

Brad Larson has been in the insurance industry for more than a dozen years. He started out as a claims adjuster for a national carrier. He has since switched to the agency side of the business. Brad is licensed in all P&C lines.

Licensed Auto Insurance Agent

UPDATED: Nov 17, 2020

Advertiser Disclosure

It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right cheap car insurance coverage choices.

Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident car insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one car insurance company and cannot guarantee quotes from any single company.

Our insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare cheap car insurance quotes from many different companies please enter your ZIP code on this page to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about car insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything car insurance-related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by car insurance experts.

UPDATED: Nov 17, 2020

Advertiser Disclosure

It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right cheap car insurance coverage choices.

Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident car insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one car insurance company and cannot guarantee quotes from any single company.

Our insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare cheap car insurance quotes from many different companies please enter your ZIP code on this page to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.

UPDATED: Nov 17, 2020Fact Checked

Personal Injury Protection Insurance is a very common form of supplemental car insurance. Although not required by most states drivers who live in areas with no fault insurance laws often are obligated to carry a minimal amount of personal injury protection insurance.

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What does Personal Injury Protection Insurance Cover?

PIP is a type of supplemental car insurance to protect drivers from medical expenses and personal injury costs occurring from the result of car accident. This type of auto insurance also extends coverage beyond just the policyholder and includes coverage for passenger and family member who were also hurt from the same accident.

In addition to medical expenses PIP insurance also provides limited coverage for items like lost wages, funeral costs and other items but what is covered will depend on your state laws and personal car insurance policy details.

Am I obligated to carry Personal Injury Protection Insurance?

This depends on where you live. Some states require all drivers to carry limited personal injury protection insurance usually with $5,000 or $10,000 in coverage however more states do not require drivers to carry any PIP insurance. This is a topic of hot debate and when shopping for auto insurance you need to understand the state minimum requirements however these limits are always far less than what you need. Whether or not you are required to carry insurance should only be one question to ask when trying to understand what type of car insurance you must have to comply with the law. It’s always in your best interest to purchase coverage well beyond the state minimum requirements.

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Who can benefit from Personal Injury Protection Insurance?

PIP insurance is beneficial for many drivers especially those who lack personal health insurance. The rising cost of healthcare can easily jeopardize your financial security after a car accident and personal injury protection provides some coverage for many healthcare related expenses from injuries sustained in a car accident. The cost of PIP insurance is extremely affordable, especially compared to the financial risk you expose yourself to without primary health insurance coverage.

For drivers with health insurance personal injury protection can help cover deductibles and other expenses that may or may not be covered under your primary health insurance plan. Regardless of your insurance status personal Injury Protection is valuable coverage to have for any driver when injuries are sustained from a car accident.

Does Filing a PIP insurance claim depend on who was at fault in a car accident?

Personal Injury Protection coverage is issued similar to no fault insurance laws where it doesn’t matter who was at fault and you submit injury claims to your own car insurance company. This helps avoid delays in getting claims processed and expedites the care you need after a car accident injury.

Who is covered under Personal Injury Protection?

This will depend on your policy details however most personal injury protection insurance policies extend coverage to many more people than just the named policyholder. It’s common for a PIP insurance policy to cover the policyholder and:

  • Family Members
  • Authorized Drivers
  • Passengers in the Vehicle

You also don’t have to be driving a vehicle to be insured under PIP coverage. If you (or a family member) are injured in a car accident while travelling as a passenger in another car or even a victim of an accident while a pedestrian personal injury protection may cover the cost of injuries.

What car insurance companies offer Personal Injury Protection?

Almost all car insurance companies offer some form of personal injury protection insurance even in states where it’s not required by law. Much like shopping for typical liability, collision or comprehensive insurance you should always do the same for personal injury protection. The downfall is its typically issued alongside your main car insurance policy so buying a stand alone policy is not easy to do but most drivers just one car insurance company for all their auto insurance needs anyway.

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Tonya Sisler

Insurance Writer

Tonya Sisler has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of South Carolina in Journalism and has worked for 15+ years in management. She has also completed a proofreading certification and is currently a professional writer.

Insurance Writer

Brad Larsen

Licensed Auto Insurance Agent

Brad Larson has been in the insurance industry for more than a dozen years. He started out as a claims adjuster for a national carrier. He has since switched to the agency side of the business. Brad is licensed in all P&C lines.

Licensed Auto Insurance Agent

Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about car insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything car insurance-related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by car insurance experts.

Compare Cheap Car Insurance Quotes

Compare quotes from the top car insurance companies and save

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