🤕 Bodily injury costs are quietly driving up your car insurance cost

Most people assume their car insurance is going up because of tariffs, repair costs, or weather. And yeah, those are all true.

But there's a quieter one that doesn't get much attention: bodily injury liability costs are rising even as property damage claims have started to level off. From 2023 to mid-2025, property damage claims dropped 7.3% while bodily injury claims climbed 11%.

Bodily injury (BI) coverage is the part of your policy that pays for the medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering of other people if you cause an accident. It doesn't cover you, it covers them. And those payouts have been growing, driven by rising medical costs, longer rehabilitation timelines, and higher legal settlements.

If you cause a serious accident and your bodily injury coverage is too low, you're personally on the hook for the gap.

The general guidance is to carry at least $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident if you can afford the premium difference, which is often not as much as people expect.

Zebras that stray from the herd take on exposure the group doesn't. Carrying minimum BI limits in a high-cost claims environment is that same kind of exposed position. 🦁 🦓

Do you know what your current BI limits are without looking them up?