Vermont’s ordinary highway-operation liability amounts are 25/50/10. Its uninsured/underinsured-motorist injury minimum is a separate 50/100 requirement. Compare those coverage lines separately and check property-loss coordination and actual policy terms.
Key takeaways
- Liability and UM/UIM have different minimum injury amounts.
- Higher liability limits raise a separate UM-limit and policyholder-direction question.
- UM property protection and collectible collision coverage have coordination conditions.
On this page
Coverage requirements at a glance
| Coverage | Amount or rule | Scope and exceptions |
|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability | Ordinary highway-operation liability amounts under the currently effective Section 800.
| Current versus contingent text, special vehicle scope and qualifying alternatives require their own applicability checks. Currently displayed Sections 800/941 compared with regulator testimony dated February 14, 2020 and reviewed 2024/2025 amendments. Initial commencement and later-enactment applicability are not inferred; check at publication. Sources inspected October 12, 2026. |
| Property damage liability | Ordinary highway-operation amount for others’ property damage.
| Currently displayed Sections 800/941 compared with regulator testimony dated February 14, 2020 and reviewed 2024/2025 amendments. Initial commencement and later-enactment applicability are not inferred; check at publication. Sources inspected October 12, 2026. |
| Uninsured/underinsured-motorist injury | Separate minimum injury amounts under the regulator’s UM/UIM explanation and Section 941.
| Higher liability and policyholder directions affect selected UM limits; actual eligibility and later enactments must be checked. Currently displayed Sections 800/941 compared with regulator testimony dated February 14, 2020 and reviewed 2024/2025 amendments. Initial commencement and later-enactment applicability are not inferred; check at publication. Sources inspected October 12, 2026. Official source 1 for Uninsured/underinsured-motorist injury Official source 2 for Uninsured/underinsured-motorist injury |
| Uninsured-motorist property | Up to $10,000 for a qualifying claim, with conditional deductible and other direct-damage coordination.
| The $150 deductible is conditional; collectible collision/direct-damage protection changes coordination. Not every property expense qualifies. Currently displayed Sections 800/941 compared with regulator testimony dated February 14, 2020 and reviewed 2024/2025 amendments. Initial commencement and later-enactment applicability are not inferred; check at publication. Sources inspected October 12, 2026. |
Vermont’s liability and uninsured/underinsured-motorist requirements use different minimum injury limits. Liability addresses covered harm you cause to others; UM/UIM addresses eligible losses involving uninsured or underinsured motorists. Reading the two lines separately avoids treating 25/50/10 as the whole policy.
Read the currently effective provision
Section 800(a) identifies $25,000 for one person, $50,000 for two or more killed or injured and $10,000 property damage in a crash for its highway-operation scope. The statute separately identifies a filed self-insurance alternative. Eligibility and prescribed evidence require confirmation.
Do not confuse current and contingent wording
The official page displays a currently effective paragraph and a contingently amended paragraph. Use the current labeled text and ask about any future triggering condition; do not silently combine versions.
Electronic proof has a limited purpose
Section 800(c) permits proof using a portable electronic device and says that use does not itself consent to access to other contents. Prepare the relevant proof before driving; this statement is not advice about a particular enforcement dispute.
Liability and UM/UIM use different minimums
Section 941 addresses uninsured, underinsured and hit-and-run protection. Vermont DFR’s legislative explanation, slides 2–3, explicitly separates ordinary liability from the UM/UIM injury requirement.
| Protection | Minimum amount in the cited framework | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Liability injury/death | $25,000 per person; $50,000 per accident | Covered responsibility to others |
| Liability property | $10,000 per accident | Covered damage to others’ property |
| UM/UIM injury/death | $50,000 per person; $100,000 per accident | Eligible losses involving an uninsured/underinsured motorist |
| UM property | Up to $10,000 per qualifying claim | Separate deductible/coordination conditions below |
The UM/UIM figures should not be presented as a general increase in the ordinary liability minimum. Section 941(c) also connects UM limits to liability above 50/100 unless the policyholder directs otherwise. Keep the selected limits and actual direction with the policy.
The regulator explanation is dated February 2020. It was compared with the currently displayed statutes and enacted 2024 and 2025 amendments: those reviewed amendments concern subsection (g) and subsection (a), respectively, rather than a change to the injury-limit amounts. That provenance is retained rather than relabeling the older explanation as a new publication.
Separate UM property protection from ordinary collision
Section 941(a) describes up to $10,000 per claim of qualifying property protection, with a $150 deductible and special coordination when other direct-damage insurance is valid and collectible. The existence of collision coverage changes the deductible analysis under that wording; do not apply $150 to every loss without checking the conditions.
Hypothetical, simplified case: Assume a qualifying $2,000 property claim, no other valid and collectible direct-damage coverage, a $10,000 limit and the $150 deductible. Payment would be $1,850 before other adjustments. If collision coverage also applies, stop and examine the coordination provisions instead of reusing that result.
| Review question | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Was the other vehicle uninsured, underinsured or unidentified? | Eligibility depends on the statutory definition and facts |
| What property loss qualifies? | Not every expense is a direct-damage claim |
| Is collision valid and collectible? | Deductible coordination may change |
| What policy term is involved? | New/renewed-policy wording and current requirements need checking |
| Was a higher UM amount changed? | Keep the actual policyholder direction and selected amount |
Build a useful Vermont policy file
Keep proof for the current term, the declarations, UM/property endorsement and any instruction changing higher UM limits. For a claim, keep photos, identity information, insurer findings and an itemized amount sought. A screenshot of an insurance card proves neither the complete coverage selections nor the value of a damaged car.
For an alternative financial-responsibility arrangement, retain actual state acceptance and scope. Do not compare a proposed self-insurance arrangement with an issued policy as though both were already operative. For price comparisons, use matched protections only after the current legal requirements and applicable policy selections are established.
Ask the insurer to identify liability, UM/UIM injury and UM property selections individually. For a qualifying claim, establish the applicable protection and coordination before calculating a payment. A required minimum is a legal starting point, not a household-specific recommendation.
Sources and review scope
Vermont General Assembly: 23 VSA 800. 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.
- Vermont General Assembly: 23VSA800
- Vermont General Assembly: 23 VSA 941: insurance against uninsured, underinsured or unknown motorists
- Vermont Department of Financial Regulation; hosted by Vermont General Assembly: Financial Responsibility and Insurance: Motor Vehicles—Vermont
- Vermont General Assembly: 23 VSA 800: maintenance of financial responsibility
- Vermont General Assembly: Act 85 of 2024
- Vermont General Assembly: Act 18 of 2025
Policy terms and state requirements can change. Verify details with official sources and a licensed professional. Read our editorial standards.