Most people find out what Texas requires drivers to carry at the worst possible moment — after a wreck, when they learn the person who hit them had the bare minimum and it doesn’t come close to covering the damage. Here’s what the law actually requires, why those numbers are so low, and what to do when they run out.
The short answer
Texas requires every driver to carry liability insurance of at least $30,000 per injured person, $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage — the numbers you’ll hear called 30/60/25 (Texas Transportation Code § 601.072). That’s a legal floor, not a realistic one. A single ambulance ride, ER visit, and imaging can burn through $30,000 before anyone talks about surgery, lost income, or a totaled vehicle.
What each number actually means
$30,000 per person is the most the policy pays for bodily injury to any one person hurt in the crash.
$60,000 per accident is the total the policy pays for everyone’s injuries combined — so if three people in your car are hurt, they share $60,000, and no one gets more than $30,000.
$25,000 property damage covers your vehicle and other property. With the average price of a new vehicle well past that figure, a late-model car can be totaled and still leave you short.
Texas also requires proof of financial responsibility to drive at all (§ 601.051), and the state runs an electronic verification program, TexasSure, that lets law enforcement check coverage at a traffic stop.
Why minimum coverage runs out so fast
Do the arithmetic on a moderately serious Houston crash. Ambulance transport, an emergency room workup with a CT scan, a few weeks of orthopedic follow-up and physical therapy — that alone can approach or exceed $30,000. Add an MRI, injections, or an arthroscopic procedure and you’re well past it. Now add lost wages, and add the fact that nothing has yet been paid for what the injury actually did to your life.
When the at-fault driver carries 30/60/25, the practical ceiling on that part of your recovery is $30,000 — no matter how badly you’re hurt. The policy limit is a hard wall, and most drivers carrying the minimum don’t have assets worth chasing beyond it.
What happens when the limits aren’t enough
This is the situation where your own policy quietly becomes the most important document in the case.
Underinsured motorist coverage
UIM is the coverage that fills the gap between what the at-fault driver’s limits pay and what your claim is actually worth. Texas insurers are required to include uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage unless you rejected it in writing (Texas Insurance Code § 1952.101). A lot of people who assume they don’t have it actually do. Pull your declarations page and look — and read how uninsured and underinsured motorist claims work.
PIP and MedPay
Personal injury protection also has to be offered to you and can only be dropped by a written rejection (§ 1952.152), with a $2,500 minimum when it is included. PIP and medical payments coverage pay your medical bills regardless of who was at fault, which matters enormously in the first weeks. See PIP vs. MedPay in Texas.
Health insurance and other sources
Your health plan, a letter of protection with a treating provider, or an employer’s coverage may bridge the treatment gap while the claim develops. Our page on who pays your medical bills after a Texas crash lays out the order these usually get used in.
How to find out what the other driver had
You usually don’t get to see their declarations page. What you get is the insurer’s word on the limits, and the crash report’s insurance field, which is only as good as what the driver handed the officer. Here’s how to get your Houston crash report. In a lawsuit, policy limits are discoverable, and in practice an early demand often prompts a carrier to disclose limits when the claim clearly exceeds them.
What coverage should you actually carry?
I can’t tell you what to buy — that’s a conversation with an insurance agent, and it depends on your assets and budget. What I can tell you is what I see in these cases: the clients who come out whole after a serious crash are almost always the ones who carried liability well above the state minimum and, more importantly, kept uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage and PIP on their own policy. UM/UIM is usually inexpensive relative to what it does, because it’s the only coverage that protects you from the other driver’s decision to buy the minimum.
If the driver who hit you had no insurance at all
Roughly one in five or six Texas drivers is estimated to be uninsured, and it’s a common feature of hit-and-run and impaired-driving crashes. Driving without coverage carries fines and license and registration consequences, but none of that pays your bills. Your UM coverage is the realistic path, and an uninsured at-fault driver also affects how PIP subrogation works under § 1952.155. That’s worth having someone look at with your policy in hand.
One deadline to keep in mind
Coverage questions take time to untangle, and the clock doesn’t wait. In Texas the deadline to file a personal-injury lawsuit is generally two years from the date of the crash (Texas Civil Practice & Remedies Code § 16.003), and your own policy carries separate, often much shorter notice requirements for UM/UIM and PIP claims. Read your policy or have someone read it for you early.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum car insurance required in Texas?
Texas requires at least $30,000 of bodily injury coverage per person, $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage — known as 30/60/25 — under Texas Transportation Code § 601.072.
Is 30/60/25 enough coverage?
Often not. A single ER visit with imaging and follow-up care can approach or exceed $30,000 before lost wages or vehicle damage are considered, and $25,000 may not replace a late-model vehicle.
What if the driver who hit me only had minimum coverage?
The at-fault policy pays up to its limit and stops. Your own underinsured motorist coverage is designed to cover the difference between those limits and the true value of your claim, and PIP or MedPay can pay medical bills in the meantime.
Do I automatically have uninsured motorist coverage in Texas?
Texas insurers must include uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage unless you rejected it in writing (Texas Insurance Code § 1952.101). Many drivers who believe they don’t have it actually do — check your declarations page.
What happens if you drive without insurance in Texas?
Driving without proof of financial responsibility can bring fines, surcharges, and license and registration consequences. It also leaves anyone you injure dependent on their own uninsured motorist coverage to be made whole.
Not enough insurance to cover your injuries?
If the driver who hit you was uninsured or carried minimum limits that don’t cover what happened to you, call Blass Law at (713) 664-4000 or request a free case evaluation. We’ll read your policy, find every layer of coverage that applies, and pursue all of it. See also our Houston car accident lawyer page.
Reviewed by Jay Blass Cohen, founder of Blass Law PLLC — ACS-CHAL Forensic Lawyer-Scientist, certified Drug Recognition Expert, and SFST instructor, serving Houston since 2009. This article is general information, not legal or insurance advice for your situation. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.