Car-insurance requirements in North Carolina (2026)
North Carolina raised its minimums to 50/100/50 in the usual shorthand partway through last year after a delay, putting it among the highest floors in the country. Published tables that were not revisited after the delayed date still show the old figures.
- Minimum liability limits
- 50/100/50
- Fault system
- At-fault (tort)
- Tort threshold
- not applicable
- Restricted rating factors
- 1
What the statute requires
| Coverage | Amount | Status | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability, per person | $50,000 | required | N.C.G.S. §20-279.21(b)(2) (S.L. 2023-133 as amended by S.L. 2024-29) |
| Bodily injury liability, per accident | $100,000 | required | N.C.G.S. §20-279.21(b)(2) (S.L. 2023-133 as amended by S.L. 2024-29) |
| Property damage liability | $50,000 | required | N.C.G.S. §20-279.21(b)(2) (S.L. 2023-133 as amended by S.L. 2024-29) |
Source of record: the legislature’s own statute text, corroborated against the state insurance department or motor-vehicle agency. Verification status: primary text confirmed.
How old is this minimum?
North Carolina’s $50,000 property-damage minimum took effect in 2025. $50,000 in July 2025 corresponds to $51,688 at the June 2026 price level, measured on the Bureau of Labor Statistics all-items index (CUUR0000SA0). The limit has not moved; what it buys has.
What the property-damage minimum leaves exposed
A $42,000 property-damage claim against North Carolina’s minimum of $50,000 leaves $0 above the limit. That difference is the at-fault driver’s own exposure. The claim figure is an illustration; the limit is the statute.
Rating rules in North Carolina
| Factor | Status | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Credit information | No restriction found | — |
| Gender | Not verified Claimed by public lists but the primary text was unreachable at ingest. Held out until confirmed. | — |
| ZIP code | No restriction found | — |
| Rating territory | No restriction found | — |
| Age | No restriction found | — |
| Marital status | No restriction found | — |
| Occupation | No restriction found | — |
| Education | No restriction found | — |
The same factor across every jurisdiction: credit-based rating by state, gender rating by state, age rating by state, marital-status rating by state, occupation and education rating by state, zip code and territory rating by state.
Premium data for North Carolina
No regulator-published premium data exists for North Carolina
North Carolina’s insurance department does not publish a per-insurer premium comparison, so this site shows no premium figures for North Carolina at all. We will not substitute a figure from a quote engine, a trade body or a national aggregate: none of those is a published record of what insurers filed in North Carolina.
Coverage requirement checker
Pick a jurisdiction to see every coverage its statute requires, with the amount, the citation and whether it can be rejected.
North Carolina — minimum limits 50/100/50
| Coverage | Amount | Status | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury liability, per person | $50,000 | required | N.C.G.S. §20-279.21(b)(2) (S.L. 2023-133 as amended by S.L. 2024-29) |
| Bodily injury liability, per accident | $100,000 | required | N.C.G.S. §20-279.21(b)(2) (S.L. 2023-133 as amended by S.L. 2024-29) |
| Property damage liability | $50,000 | required | N.C.G.S. §20-279.21(b)(2) (S.L. 2023-133 as amended by S.L. 2024-29) |
Fault system: At-fault (tort).
General information, not insurance, financial or legal advice. Requirements change; verify with your state insurance department or the statute before acting.
Questions about North Carolina
- What is the minimum car insurance required in North Carolina?
- North Carolina requires liability limits of 50/100/50 under N.C.G.S. §20-279.21(b)(2) (S.L. 2023-133 as amended by S.L. 2024-29).
- Is North Carolina a no-fault state?
- North Carolina operates at-fault (tort).
- What does car insurance cost in North Carolina?
- No regulator publishes premium data for North Carolina, so this site shows no premium figures for North Carolina. We do not substitute a figure from a quote engine or a national aggregate.
Statutory records for North Carolina last verified against primary sources on 10 August 2026. Price level for the real-terms restatement: June 2026, all-items index 333.952. Every figure on this page is recomputed from committed data at build time.