Arkansas’s ordinary minimum liability limits are $25,000 for one person’s injury or death, $50,000 across people in one accident and $25,000 for others’ property damage. Injury benefits and damage to your own vehicle need separate coverage decisions.
Key takeaways
- 25/50/25 describes three separate liability ceilings, not one shared fund.
- Keep PIP and UM offers and elections with the actual policy.
- Vehicle value, loan balance and optional gap protection are different questions.
On this page
Coverage requirements at a glance
| Coverage | Amount or rule | Scope and exceptions |
|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability | Ordinary liability minimums for injury or death to others: separate person and accident ceilings.
| Ordinary liability framework; special TNC/commercial requirements and qualifying alternatives must be checked separately. Amounts reproduced in enacted Act 1046 of 2011 and corroborated by agency material; reviewed 2019/2025 amendments do not change numeric subsection b. Original commencement date is not independently established. Sources inspected October 12, 2026. |
| Property damage liability | Ordinary minimum for covered damage to others’ property in one accident.
| The unlabeled DFA 75,000 post-accident summary is not adopted as the property minimum. Amounts reproduced in enacted Act 1046 of 2011 and corroborated by agency material; reviewed 2019/2025 amendments do not change numeric subsection b. Original commencement date is not independently established. Sources inspected October 12, 2026. |
Arkansas’s ordinary minimum liability limits are $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident and $25,000 property damage. Shopping still requires separate decisions about injury benefits, uninsured-motorist protection and damage to your own car. These are not interchangeable parts of one universal coverage package.
Arkansas’s minimum liability requirements
Arkansas Code 27-22-104(b), reproduced in enacted Act 1046, specifies 25/50/25. The Insurance Department’s accessible brochure and DFA’s March 2025 fiscal explanation agree. The reviewed 2019 proof amendment and 2025 insurer-eligibility amendment do not change those numeric limits.
The operation requirement addresses both the vehicle and the person’s operation. The 2025 enacted wording recognizes a qualifying certificate of self-insurance or a policy from an insurer authorized or eligible to do business in Arkansas. A personal cash reserve is not a certificate of self-insurance.
| Liability limit | What it addresses |
|---|---|
| $25,000 per person | Covered injury or death damages to one other person |
| $50,000 per accident | Covered injury/death damages across people, subject to the person ceiling |
| $25,000 property damage | Covered damage to other people’s property |
Hypothetical: Assume covered responsibility for $32,000 of damage to another vehicle, no other damaged property and a $25,000 property limit. The limit leaves $7,000 beyond the illustrated insurer payment. Unused injury capacity does not increase property capacity. This is arithmetic under stated assumptions, not an Arkansas claim prediction or limit recommendation.
PIP and UM need their own selection records
The brochure describes PIP as three parts: medical payments, lost wages and death benefits. It describes written rejection for unwanted protection. It also describes an UM offer, inclusion unless rejected by signed statement, and separate injury/property coverage. The precise current statutory forms, benefit conditions and exceptions still require review.
Keep each offer and completed election next to the declarations. A signed PIP rejection does not establish an UM rejection. A liability card does not explain the benefits retained for injured household members. Ask the insurer to identify the applicable form rather than trying to reconstruct a decision from the premium total.
Car damage and the loan are separate
The brochure distinguishes collision and comprehensive and notes that a vehicle’s value can be less than the loan balance. Obtain the lender’s actual requirements and the selected deductibles. Gap protection needs its own contract; its existence should not be assumed from financing alone.
Hypothetical: Assume an eligible total-loss settlement of $13,500 after applicable adjustments and a $16,000 loan payoff. The difference is $2,500. That is a debt comparison, not proof that any gap product pays it. Check whether a product exists, which balance it uses and which exclusions or limits apply.
Compare proposals with a completed worksheet
| Question | Record for each insurer |
|---|---|
| Application | Household drivers, vehicles, garaging and actual use |
| Liability | Person/accident/property amounts |
| PIP | Selected parts, benefit amounts and any rejection |
| UM/UIM | Actual injury/property selections and forms |
| Own vehicle | Collision/comprehensive deductibles |
| Financing | Required protection and separate gap contract, if any |
| Cost | Same term, whole-term amount and payment charges |
If ordinary-market coverage is unavailable, the brochure identifies an assigned-risk route through an agent. That is an access option to investigate, not a promise of eligibility, price or identical optional protections. Retain refusal and application records when asking about it.
Before changing policies
Obtain accepted coverage, exact start date and current proof before ending an existing arrangement. Review each selected benefit and driver detail, not just a familiar three-number label. For questions or complaints, use the brochure’s Consumer Services information with the policy, election forms and written insurer response.
Use the coverage needs checklist to organize questions and the deductible calculator to compare your own values. Neither supplies an insurance quote or certifies that your actual policy meets every applicable requirement.
Sources and limitations
Source text and enacted amendments were inspected on October 12, 2026. The minimum-limit explanation follows the enacted numeric provision and corroborating agency material. Specialized vehicle use, actual benefit elections and qualifying financial-responsibility alternatives require their own applicability checks. No premium, legal remedy or individual claim outcome is promised.
Sources & references
Use these references to verify the information in this guide.
Policy terms and state requirements can change. Verify details with official sources and a licensed professional. Read our editorial standards.