Rachel Bodine graduated from college with a BA in English. She has since worked as a Feature Writer in the insurance industry and gained a deep knowledge of state and countrywide insurance laws and rates. Her research and writing focus on helping readers understand their insurance coverage and how to find savings. Her expert advice on insurance has been featured on sites like PhotoEnforced, All...

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Leslie Kasperowicz holds a BA in Social Sciences from the University of Winnipeg. She spent several years as a Farmers Insurance CSR, gaining a solid understanding of insurance products including home, life, auto, and commercial and working directly with insurance customers to understand their needs. She has since used that knowledge in her more than ten years as a writer, largely in the insurance...

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Reviewed by Leslie Kasperowicz
Former Farmers Insurance CSR

UPDATED: Nov 12, 2020

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Massachusetts state flagKnown as the Bay State and home to the second permanent English settlement in North America, Massachusetts has a long and storied history as one of the first areas populated as our new country was formed. The area is now the most populous state in New England, home of sports teams that never seem to want to stop winning championships and the sixth-highest GDP of any state in the country. Let’s take a look at auto insurance in Massachusetts and some key details that may help you.

Massachusetts Auto Insurance Minimum Requirements

In Massachusetts, the state liability coverage minimums are:

  • Bodily Injury Liability Coverage – $20,000 per person
  • Bodily Injury Liability Coverage – $40,000 per accident
  • Property Damage Coverage – $5,000 per accident

Take a look at how Massachusetts’ minimum rates compare with surrounding states.

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Uninsured Motorist coverage minimums:

  • Bodily Injury Coverage – $20,000 per person
  • Bodily Injury Coverage – $40,000 per accident

Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage minimums:

  • $8,000 per person in an accident

Optional coverage options in Massachusetts:

  • Comprehensive Coverage
  • Collision Coverage
  • Medical Payments Coverage
  • Rental Car Reimbursement Coverage
  • Towing and Labor Coverage

Auto insurance in Massachusetts follows what is referred to as a “no fault” system, which means that should you get in an accident, your insurance company will pay for any claims you make up to your limits. State law requires that drivers have a minimum amount of insurance coverage in four different areas: Bodily Injury Liability, Property Damage Liability, Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury Liability, and finally Personal Injury Protection. Let’s take a quick look at each of these.

Bodily Injury Liability insurance essentially covers you for any injury that is caused to others in an automobile accident. This extends to medical treatment costs, rehabilitation costs, lost wages and the like. The minimum coverage required by state law is $20,000 per person in a single accident and $40,000 in total claims per accident (for all people involved).

Property Damage Liability insurance covers you for any damage that is done to someone else’s property, whether it’s their car, their fence, or a city lamp post. The minimum required coverage amount is $5,000 in Massachusetts. This is considered somewhat low – a high-speed collision will cause much more than this amount in body work alone – and drivers may want to consider getting a higher amount if they can afford it.

Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury Liability covers bodily injuries to you and your passengers in the event that you’re in an accident with someone who doesn’t have automobile insurance. Again, this pays medical treatment costs and other associated costs stemming from injuries. The minimums are the same $20,000 per person, per accident and $40,000 for all parties in a single accident.

Personal Injury Protection insurance is coverage that covers you and those in your automobile in the event of an accident where no one is at fault. For instance, if you happen to swerve to avoid a deer and end up in a crash, PIP insurance will cover the costs associated with your injuries. The minimum required coverage is $8,000 per person, per accident.

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Massachusetts Average Auto Insurance Rates

It’s worth noting that Massachusetts drivers have a watchful state government to thank for decreasing auto insurance rates over the past few years. In 2008, the administration of Governor Patrick and State President Murray worked to get “managed competition” auto insurance installed to ensure that drivers were able to choose from a wider variety of auto insurance companies and insurance packages. This was considered a success; since 2008, there have been over a dozen new insurance companies that have entered the Massachusetts marketplace to offer policies to drivers, which has driven prices down through increased competition.

Average insurance rates in Massachusetts are considered to be pretty fair. Drivers can expect to pay a little over $1100 per year for auto insurance, which works out to around $96 per month. In the first six months of 2011, this put Massachusetts at 17th overall out of the 50 states when ranking by median auto insurance premium.

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Thanks to incomes that are mostly higher than average when compared to the rest of the country, Massachusetts actually ranks first for auto insurance affordability in the nation, with just 2.5% of the average household income dedicated to auto insurance.

Let’s take a closer look at the ZIP codes within the state to see how rates changed based on different areas.

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There are a lot of factors that auto insurance companies take into consideration when determining your rates. Take a look at our overview here.

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While many of these factors are simply based on your own driving record, two things that affect even the safest of drivers are age and gender. Unlike most states, Massachusetts has outlawed insurance companies from adjusting their rates based on gender alone.

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Massachusetts Auto Insurance Rates by Company

Though the state boasts very cheap auto insurance rates overall, let’s take a look at how rates vary between some of the largest companies.

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But which companies are the largest, holding the most market share percentage in the region?

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Car Accident And Theft Statistics

In regards to crash statistics and traffic accident fatalities, Massachusetts drivers have been greatly improving and have a lot to be proud of. In 2008 (the most recent year for which data are available), the state saw a total of 136,384 automobile crashes and 363 fatalities as a result of these accidents. Compare this to the numbers in 2006 – 149,860 crashes and 429 fatalities – and it’s clear that driving is becoming much safer in the state. This is likely due to both increased driver care, and more stringent enforcement of driving laws and policing of roads and highways.

Auto theft rates have also seen an incredible drop in the past decade in all areas throughout the state. In 2009 there was 11,735 instances of grand theft auto reported, which is quite low considering 2001 saw 27,828 vehicle thefts. This is a drop of nearly 60 percent in just under a decade, which is a remarkable turnaround from how things were going. Again, this is likely due to increased law enforcement, harsher penalties for those who engage in auto theft, and better use of anti-theft devices by vehicle owners.

To find some of the best Massachusetts auto insurance rates available, simply scroll to the top of this page and enter in your ZIP code. It’s that easy!

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Auto Insurance Information By City/Town In MA

Massachusetts Auto Insurance Agents

Massachusetts Auto Insurance Agents

State of Massachusetts auto insurance resources