Required Coverage

• Unlike many other states, which require only liability car insurance, Massachusetts mandates that all drivers also purchase coverage against uninsured drivers and PIP, or personal injury protection. Uninsured driver coverage will protect you against any costs after a collision with a driver who cannot pay your damages, and PIP will cover any medical and work-loss costs for yourself and passengers in your vehicle after an accident. Liability coverage pays for any damage your car causes to other vehicles or persons on the road.
  
  

Minimum Limits

• Massachusetts drivers are required to purchase a minimum of 20/40/5 liability car insurance coverage, which means that each vehicle must be insured for up to $20,000 if the driver injures one person; $40,000 if he injured multiple persons; and $5,000 if he damages another vehicle or property on the road. Liability does not cover any damages to the policy-holder's own vehicle or passengers, which is where state-mandated PIP and uninsured driver coverage comes in. To drive in Massachusetts, you must be covered for up to $8,000 in PIP coverage, and a respective $20,000 and $40,000 for an accident with an uninsured driver that injures one or multiple persons in your car.
  
  

Deferred Operators

• Under Massachusetts law, you are not required to add every member of your family to your insurance policy, which is helpful in the case of high-risk drivers in your home driving up premium costs. Instead, you must add the member to the policy as a deferred operator, which means that this person will not be driving your vehicle and is therefore not covered by your policy. You also do not need to add a family member with a learner's permit to your policy.
  
  

Considerations

• Your auto insurance premium is based on a host of factors besides the state's minimum requirements, such as your age, sex, credit history, type of car being insured and your driving, claim and accident history. When deciding to go with the state's minimum requirements, weigh the amount of deductible you can afford with the type of coverage your vehicle may require. For a list of factors that may affect your premium and further ways to keep your premiums down, see Resources.