Updated July 2026
What Is Personal Injury Protection Insurance?
Personal Injury Protection pays medical expenses, lost wages, and death benefits for you and your passengers after a car accident, no matter who caused the crash. Florida law requires every driver to carry at least $10,000 in PIP coverage. The coverage activates immediately after an accident and pays claims before your health insurance processes anything, which means you get treatment without waiting for fault determination or liability settlements.
- You swerve to avoid debris on I-95 and hit a guardrail. You have whiplash and miss three days of work. Your PIP coverage pays your $3,200 emergency room bill and $840 in lost wages immediately, without requiring you to prove the debris caused the accident or wait for any investigation.
- You rear-end another car at a stoplight. You break your wrist and the other driver has neck pain. Your PIP pays your $6,500 in medical bills and $1,200 in lost wages. The other driver's PIP pays their bills. Your liability coverage handles their vehicle damage and any costs exceeding their PIP limit, but PIP covers your injuries even though you caused the crash.
- Your friend is riding with you when another driver runs a red light and T-bones your car. Your friend suffers a concussion with $8,000 in medical costs. Your PIP coverage pays those bills immediately. If their injuries exceed your $10,000 PIP limit, they can file a claim against the at-fault driver's liability coverage, but your PIP pays first.
Who Needs Personal Injury Protection Insurance?
Every Florida driver must carry PIP by law, but it's particularly valuable if you don't have health insurance, work an hourly job where missing shifts means lost income, or frequently drive passengers. PIP pays immediately without requiring fault determination, which means you get medical care and wage replacement within days instead of waiting months for a liability settlement.
If you lack health insurance or work a job without paid sick leave, keep full PIP coverage with a low or zero deductible. If you have employer-sponsored health insurance and disability coverage, compare your health plan's car-accident provisions against the cost of full PIP — the medical exclusion may make sense. Never exclude PIP medical coverage without confirming your health plan covers accident-related treatment with no coordination-of-benefits delays.
How Much Does Personal Injury Protection Insurance Cost?
Florida PIP coverage typically adds $60 to $110 per month to your premium, or $720 to $1,320 annually, for the state-required $10,000 minimum.
- Your ZIP code — Miami-Dade and Broward counties have the highest PIP rates in Florida due to fraud history and claim volume.
- Your age and driving record — drivers under 25 or with recent accidents pay 20 to 40 percent more for PIP than clean-record drivers over 30.
- Deductible selection — choosing a $1,000 PIP deductible instead of $0 can reduce your premium by $15 to $30 per month.
- Coverage limit — increasing from the $10,000 minimum to $25,000 PIP typically adds $20 to $40 per month.
- Medical payment exclusion — opting out of PIP's medical coverage if you have qualifying health insurance can cut your PIP premium in half, but you lose wage-loss protection.