Miami car insurance: PIP, storms and Florida's rules

What Florida requires on a Miami policy

Florida is a no-fault state built around PIP. The rules have three pieces worth knowing before you compare car insurance quotes in Miami.

1. Personal injury protection. Every registered car needs $10,000 of PIP. It pays 80% of necessary and reasonable medical costs after a crash, up to the limit, whoever was at fault. Our PIP guide explains what it does and does not cover.
2. Property damage liability. You also need $10,000 of property damage liability, which pays for damage you cause to other people's cars and property. A combined limit of $30,000 can satisfy this rule.
3. Bodily injury liability only in some cases. The state requires $10,000 per person and $20,000 per crash of bodily injury coverage only when its financial responsibility law applies to a driver. Drivers convicted of DUI, for example, must carry much higher FR-44 limits of 100/300/50 (in thousands of dollars).

If you buy bodily injury liability, uninsured motorist coverage comes with it at the same limits unless you reject it in writing on an approved form. With 20.6% of Florida drivers estimated to be uninsured in 2023, that choice deserves a careful look; see uninsured motorist coverage. The Florida guide covers the statewide rules in more detail.

Hurricanes, flooding and your car

Storms are the risk that sets Miami apart. Liability coverage and PIP never pay to repair or replace your own car. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners lists fire, severe weather, vandalism, floods and theft among the losses paid by comprehensive coverage. Without it, a flooded or wind-damaged car is your own loss.

Before hurricane season, it helps to check four things:

• Comprehensive on every car. Your declarations page lists coverage car by car, so check each vehicle.
• Your comprehensive deductible. It is the amount you pay before coverage starts. For example, with a $1,000 deductible and $6,000 of flood damage, the insurer would pay $5,000.
• Rental reimbursement. Repairs after a big storm can take time; rental reimbursement helps pay for a car meanwhile.
• Photos and papers. Recent photos of your car and a copy of your declarations page make a claim easier.

Florida law also says deductibles do not apply to windshield damage under comprehensive, so a covered windshield claim carries a $0 deductible. See windshield and glass claims and our guide to hail, flood and hurricane damage.

Driving in Miami

Miami had 489,812 residents in 2025, according to the Census Bureau. Commuters spend an average of 27.3 minutes getting to work, and 17.9% of households have no vehicle. People in car-free homes who borrow or rent cars can look at non-owner car insurance.

Statewide, Florida recorded 3,138 crash deaths in 2024, or 13.4 per 100,000 people. Only 21% of those deaths happened on rural roads, so most occurred on urban roads.

How your Miami ZIP code and theft affect the price

Insurers price car insurance by where the car is kept overnight. The NAIC notes that urban areas have more claims than rural ones and that repair costs tend to be higher in more populated places. Our guide to how ZIP codes affect car insurance explains territory rating.

Theft is part of that picture. In NICB's 2025 figures, Florida ranked No. 4 among states with 27,142 vehicle thefts, though that was 10,929 fewer than the year before. NICB's latest list of the metro areas with the most thefts does not include the Miami area. Theft, like storm damage, is a comprehensive claim.

Ways to pay less in Miami

• Compare quotes every renewal. Give each insurer the same coverage details so the prices are comparable. See shopping at renewal.
• Ask about a safety course discount. Florida requires insurers to give a discount to drivers aged 55 or older who complete an approved accident prevention course; it lasts 3 years. See defensive driving courses.
• Consider non-stacking uninsured motorist coverage. Florida law requires a premium cut of at least 20% for the non-stacking form, which pays less in some multi-car claims. Read about stacking first.
• Set deductibles you could afford after a storm. A higher deductible lowers the premium, but in a hurricane year you might pay it on more than one car.
• Check every discount. Our discounts guide lists the common ones.