DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA AUTO INSURANCE & CRASH LAW
District of Columbia Auto Insurance & Crash Law
A practical public-interest guide to local automobile insurance, crash claims, coverage, fault, damages, deadlines and settlement.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA RESEARCH LIBRARY
Current 23-Topic Library
Use these issue pages as the current VictimsGuide navigation for District of Columbia.
01
Required Auto Insurance, 25/50/10 Liability, 25/50/5 UM & the October 1, 2027 D.C. Limit Increase
09
D.C. Pre-Litigation Insurance Disclosure, Required Documentation & 30-Day Policy-Limit Response
16
D.C. Rideshare/Private Vehicle-for-Hire, 50/100/25 Logged-On & $1 Million Ride Coverage
18
D.C. Contributory Negligence, Last Clear Chance & Vulnerable-User Comparative-Fault Exception
District of Columbia Auto Insurance & Crash Law
VictimsGuide’s District of Columbia library organizes the rules that matter after a serious motor-vehicle crash: compulsory liability insurance, optional personal-injury protection, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, pre-litigation insurance disclosure, claims handling, employer and commercial coverage, District-government claims, contributory negligence, vulnerable-road-user exceptions, damages, settlement and controlling case authority.
D.C. rules to identify early
- Current minimum liability: through September 30, 2027, minimum liability remains 25/50/10. D.C. Law 26-155 raises the limits to 50/100/20 effective October 1, 2027.
- Mandatory UM: current uninsured-motorist minimums are 25/50/5; optional higher limits are available. The 2026 modernization law also raises UM minimums effective October 1, 2027.
- Underinsured motorist coverage: UIM is currently optional and may include anti-stacking provisions. The 2026 law adds enhanced UIM options effective October 1, 2027.
- Optional PIP: D.C. requires insurers to offer personal-injury protection, and choosing PIP can affect tort remedies and deadlines.
- Fault: D.C. generally follows contributory negligence, but pedestrians and other vulnerable road users receive a statutory comparative-fault protection unless their negligence is greater than the defendants’ combined negligence.
Preserve the complete policy, PIP election, UM/UIM endorsements, crash report, photographs, video and electronic evidence, and investigate employer, commercial, umbrella and excess coverage before signing a release.
Current-law review: September 17, 2026. D.C. Law 26-155 is enacted but its principal motor-vehicle insurance limit changes apply October 1, 2027.
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