U.S. Virgin Islands Auto Insurance & Crash Law

VictimsGuide’s U.S. Virgin Islands library organizes the rules that matter after a motor-vehicle crash: compulsory liability insurance, permissive-driver coverage, vehicle-class minimums, uninsured and underinsured motorist protection, claims handling, employer and commercial coverage, government claims, comparative negligence, damages, settlement, liens, subrogation and controlling case authority.

U.S. Virgin Islands rules to identify early

• Compulsory insurance: private-passenger vehicles generally require at least $10,000 bodily injury per person, $20,000 per accident and $10,000 property damage.
• Vehicle class matters: taxis, rental vehicles, heavier trucks and buses are subject to different minimum limits.
• Permissive use: the statutory owner’s policy extends liability protection to the named insured and permissive users, subject to the policy and territorial law.
• Comparative negligence: a claimant may recover unless the claimant is more at fault than the defendant or combined defendants, with damages reduced proportionally.
• Noneconomic damages: although 20 V.I.C. § 555 still appears in the code with a $100,000 cap, the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands held that cap unconstitutional in Balboni v. Ranger American of the V.I., Inc., 2019 VI 17. The statutory text should therefore not be presented as an operative cap without addressing that decision and any later authority.

Preserve the complete policy, proof of insurance, crash report, photographs, video and electronic evidence, and investigate employer, commercial, rental, umbrella and excess coverage before signing a release.

Current-law review: September 17, 2026. Verify current Virgin Islands Code provisions, regulatory guidance, Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands authority, federal appellate authority and the policy actually issued before relying on this educational guide.