New York’s liability summary distinguishes injury from death limits. Basic no-fault and mandatory UM serve separate purposes and have scope restrictions.
Key takeaways
- Do not stop at 25/50/10
- Basic no-fault is an injury-benefit framework
- Mandatory UM has a geographic boundary
On this page
Coverage requirements at a glance
| Coverage | Amount or rule | Scope and exceptions |
|---|---|---|
| State-specific coverage rule: Mandatory UM has a geographic boundary | DFS describes mandatory UM bodily injury for New York accidents and says it does not cover car-body or other property damage. Ask about additional protection and geographic scope rather than treating mandatory UM as nationwide vehicle coverage. | Injury/death limits differ; geographic scope and exceptions control; spousal paragraph not adopted without current amendment review. Existing official material inspected 2026-10-12. Original commencement date is not established by this metadata; the source’s scope and exceptions remain applicable. Official source 1 for State-specific coverage rule: Mandatory UM has a geographic boundary |
New York’s liability summary distinguishes injury from death limits. Basic no-fault and mandatory UM serve separate purposes and have scope restrictions.
Do not stop at 25/50/10
DFS lists $25,000 per person/$50,000 per accident for injury not resulting in death, but $50,000/$100,000 for injury resulting in death, subject to person limits. Property damage is $10,000. A simple 25/50/10 label omits that distinction.
Basic no-fault is an injury-benefit framework
DFS describes basic PIP up to $50,000 per person for eligible economic injury losses, regardless of fault, with specific expense rules and exceptions. That is not a payment for damage to your car or permission to disregard claim procedures.
Mandatory UM has a geographic boundary
DFS describes mandatory UM bodily injury for New York accidents and says it does not cover car-body or other property damage. Ask about additional protection and geographic scope rather than treating mandatory UM as nationwide vehicle coverage.
Keep the policy and claim instructions
Collect the declarations, endorsements, application and applicable claim forms. Check deadlines promptly with the insurer; none is generalized here. The resource page’s spousal-liability wording also needs current-law review before it can be used, so no spouse exclusion is asserted.
Put New York’s different injury limits on separate rows
The DFS summary distinguishes injury not resulting in death from injury resulting in death. Keep that difference visible when checking the selected liability amounts; a shorthand 25/50/10 label leaves out material information.
Hypothetical nonfatal injury case: Two people have covered damages of $30,000 and $15,000. At the summary’s $25,000 person/$50,000 accident limits for nonfatal injury, the first person exceeds the person ceiling by $5,000. The illustrated $40,000 within the person limits remains under the accident ceiling. This is not a fatal-injury example and should not reuse that category’s figures.
An interstate trip exposes a geographic question
Required UM described by DFS concerns New York accidents and injury protection, not repair of your car. Before a trip, inspect any supplementary protection and its territory rather than assuming the liability territory and UM territory match.
| Document | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Liability endorsement | Injury/death units and territory |
| PIP instructions | Eligible expenses, people and claim procedure |
| UM/SUM endorsement | Accident territory and selected limits |
| Vehicle-damage schedule | Collision/comprehensive selections |
| Rental provision | Its own conditions and limits, if selected |
A policy’s geography and an expense’s eligibility are separate issues. A medical bill incurred after a trip is not automatically paid merely because PIP appears on the declarations.
Make the claim file useful from the beginning
Retain the accident date and location, identities, insurer contacts, bills and actual claim instructions. Ask promptly for applicable submission requirements. This guide does not promise an extension or substitute a generalized deadline for the relevant procedure.
For household and spousal protection, obtain current wording and an explanation. The source page’s spousal discussion has not been cleared against current amendments, so no older exclusion is adopted. When comparing proposals, match the actual endorsements as well as limits. An offer described as “full coverage” is insufficient unless you can identify the chosen protections and exceptions.
Sources and review scope
New York Department of Financial Services: Auto Insurance Information for Consumers. Source access/inspection: October 12, 2026. The coverage needs checklist can organize the policy discussion; it does not establish legal compliance.
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.