Colorado Minimum Full Coverage Auto Insurance Requirements

Colorado requires the owner of a motor vehicle to carry at least a basic level of auto insurance.Crash on the street. German auto model 2007. image by Dariusz Kopestynski from Fotolia.com

Colorado, like most states, requires that registered owners of motor vehicles insure their vehicles. The state mandates a basic level of liability coverage, but you may want to carry additional auto insurance to more fully protect you and your family against the tremendous financial loss the hazards of driving can bring. While Colorado doesn't require you to buy full coverage, the state does require insurance companies to offer full coverage options.

Liability Mandate

Colorado law requires that you as the registered owner of a motor vehicle carry a minimum level of liability insurance to protect other parties involved in an auto accident. If you were determined to be at fault in a wreck, the required basic liability insurance would pay the other parties' claims for medical expenses; lost wages; pain and suffering, and property damage up to the required minimum amount per person. However, it would pay nothing of your own injury expenses or property damages.

According to the Colorado Division of Insurance website, the required minimum bodily injury liability coverage is $25,000 per person and $50,000 total per accident. You also must carry property damage liability coverage of $15,000 per accident. Insurance companies must offer additional liability coverage that you can elect to buy. Automobile finance, leasing and rental companies may require that you carry higher amounts of bodily injury and property damage liability coverage.

Full motor vehicle insurance coverage includes three types of insurance that can cover your damages from an auto accident. Colorado law doesn't require you to carry full coverage, but does require insurance companies to offer the components of full coverage as options, according to the Colorado Insurance Division website. Motor vehicle finance and leasing companies may require that you carry some or all components of full coverage.

A full coverage policy includes collision insurance, which pays to repair or replace your vehicle after collision with another vehicle or a stationary object. Full coverage also includes comprehensive insurance, which pays to repair or replace your vehicle or auto glass, if damaged by miscellaneous causes such as fire, theft, vandalism, animals, or severe weather. Lastly, uninsured motorist insurance pays your medical costs if you are injured by a hit-and-run driver or by a driver who has no auto insurance or whose insurance is insufficient to pay all of your damages.