Maine's Mandatory Coverage Stack
You are comparing car insurance quotes in Maine and the premiums look higher than you expected, even when you ask for the state minimum. The reason is structural: Maine does not allow a liability-only policy. Every policy must include personal injury protection and uninsured motorist coverage on top of the liability minimums, and that coverage stack costs more than the bare-bones policies available in most other states.
The state minimum liability limits are $50,000 per person for bodily injury, $100,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $25,000 for property damage. But those three numbers are not the full requirement. Maine law also mandates personal injury protection to cover your own medical expenses regardless of fault, and uninsured motorist coverage to protect you when the other driver has no insurance. Every carrier writing in Maine prices all five coverages into the base policy, so the cheapest quote you receive still includes PIP and UM.
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Get Your Free QuoteMaine Liability Minimums
$50,000/$100,000/$25,000
Bodily injury per person, bodily injury per accident, and property damage per accident. These are the floor, not the full requirement—PIP and uninsured motorist coverage are mandatory additions.
Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles
Why Maine Quotes Cost More Than Liability-Only States
Most drivers shopping for cheap insurance expect to find a liability-only option that covers damage to the other party and nothing else. Maine does not offer that option. The mandatory PIP coverage pays your medical bills, lost wages, and funeral expenses up to the policy limit, regardless of who caused the accident. The mandatory uninsured motorist coverage pays your medical bills and lost wages when the at-fault driver has no insurance or insufficient coverage.
These two coverages add cost to every policy. A carrier cannot legally sell you a policy without them, so the cheapest quote you receive in Maine will always include five coverages: bodily injury liability per person, bodily injury liability per accident, property damage liability, personal injury protection, and uninsured motorist coverage. The total premium reflects all five.
When you compare Maine quotes to quotes from a state that allows liability-only policies, you are comparing a five-coverage stack to a three-coverage stack. The Maine policy costs more because it covers more. That does not mean Maine is expensive—it means the state requires a different baseline.
Maine does not allow liability-only policies. Every quote includes mandatory PIP and uninsured motorist coverage, which raises the floor for the cheapest policy you can buy.
How to Compare Carriers in Maine
Start by requesting quotes from at least three carriers writing in Maine. The data layer above lists 16 carriers licensed in the state, including Geico, Progressive, State Farm, Allstate, Nationwide, and several non-standard carriers that specialize in high-risk drivers. Each carrier uses its own formula to price the five mandatory coverages, so the cheapest option for a 25-year-old driver in Portland may not be the cheapest for a 55-year-old driver in Bangor.
When you request a quote, confirm that the carrier is pricing all five mandatory coverages: the three liability limits, PIP, and uninsured motorist. Some comparison tools display only the liability portion of the premium and add the PIP and UM cost later, which makes early quotes look cheaper than they actually are. Ask for the total premium that includes all required coverages before you compare.
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What Drives Premium Differences in Maine
Carriers price Maine policies based on factors that predict claim frequency and severity. Your age, driving record, credit score (where lawful), vehicle type, and garaging address all affect the premium. A driver with a clean record in a low-theft county will pay less than a driver with a recent at-fault accident in a high-density area, even when both carry the same coverage limits.
The mandatory PIP and uninsured motorist coverages respond to different risk factors than liability coverage. PIP pays your own medical bills, so carriers price it based on your age, health costs in your region, and the likelihood you will file a claim. Uninsured motorist coverage pays when the other driver has no insurance, so carriers price it based on the uninsured motorist rate in your county. Maine's uninsured motorist rate is 5.7 percent, which is lower than the national average, but the rate varies by county.
Vehicle type also matters. A car with high repair costs or a high theft rate will cost more to insure for property damage and comprehensive coverage, but those factors do not affect PIP pricing. A driver switching from an older sedan to a newer SUV may see a larger premium increase for collision and comprehensive than for PIP or liability.
Maine Uninsured Motorist Rate
5.7%
The percentage of Maine drivers who carry no insurance. This is below the national average, but uninsured motorist coverage is still mandatory on every policy.
Insurance Research Council, 2023
When to Add Coverage Beyond the Minimum
The state minimum liability limits protect the other party in an accident, but they may not cover the full cost of a serious injury or a totaled vehicle. Maine's $25,000 property damage limit will not cover the replacement cost of most new vehicles, and the $50,000 per-person bodily injury limit may not cover medical bills and lost wages for a severe injury. If you cause an accident that exceeds your liability limits, you are personally liable for the difference.
Collision and comprehensive coverage are optional in Maine, but they protect your own vehicle. Collision pays to repair or replace your car after an accident, regardless of fault. Comprehensive pays for theft, vandalism, weather damage, and animal strikes. If you own your car outright and it is worth less than a few thousand dollars, you may choose to drop collision and comprehensive and accept the risk of paying out of pocket. If you are financing or leasing, the lender will require both coverages.
Compare Carriers Writing Maine Policies
The cheapest policy for your situation depends on how each carrier prices the five mandatory coverages for your specific risk profile. Request quotes from multiple carriers, confirm that each quote includes PIP and uninsured motorist coverage, and compare the total premium. Carriers licensed in Maine include both standard and non-standard writers, so drivers with recent violations or lapses in coverage can still find coverage—it will cost more than a clean-record policy, but it will meet the state's requirements and keep you legal.