By Thomas Whitfield · Contributing Writer
Published · Updated
Answer in brief
"Full coverage" in Florida usually means PIP and property damage liability (required), bodily injury liability, uninsured motorist, and collision and comprehensive for your own vehicle. Lenders require collision and comprehensive on any financed or leased car. For an owned car, the rule of thumb is to keep them while the car's value is meaningfully more than the annual premium for those two coverages plus the deductible. In Florida, comprehensive has an extra role: it is the coverage that pays for hurricane, flood and falling-debris damage.
What "full coverage" actually includes
Full coverage is not a product. It is shorthand for a policy that protects your own car as well as meeting your obligations to others. In Florida that typically means:
- PIP $10,000 — required.
- Property damage liability — required at $10,000; $25,000–$100,000 common.
- Bodily injury liability — optional for most drivers; 25/50 to 100/300 common.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist — strongly recommended in Florida given the uninsured-driver rate.
- Collision — repairs your car after a crash, regardless of fault, minus the deductible.
- Comprehensive — theft, vandalism, fire, flood, hail, hurricane debris, animal strikes and glass.
Choosing deductibles
Deductibles of $500 and $1,000 are the common choices. Moving from $500 to $1,000 typically cuts the collision and comprehensive portion of the premium by 15–25%. Because Florida base premiums are high, the dollar saving is larger here than in most states. Choose the highest deductible you could pay tomorrow without borrowing.
When to drop collision and comprehensive
Once a car is paid off, compare the car's actual cash value with what you pay each year for collision and comprehensive. If the premium is more than about 10% of the car's value, dropping collision is often reasonable. Many Florida drivers keep comprehensive longer than collision because it is cheaper and because storm damage is a real risk even to a parked car.
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Hurricane season and binding restrictions
When a named storm is approaching Florida, insurers suspend new policies and coverage additions in affected counties. You cannot add comprehensive the day before landfall. If you want storm protection, it needs to be in place before the season's first watch. The hurricane and flood coverage guide explains the details.
Questions & answers
Does full coverage in Florida include uninsured motorist?
Not automatically. UM must be selected; insurers are required to offer it and you reject it in writing. Given Florida's uninsured-driver rate, most advisers recommend carrying it.
Is flood damage covered by full coverage?
Yes—by comprehensive. Flood is excluded from home insurance but included in auto comprehensive.
How much more is full coverage than minimum in Florida?
Commonly two to three times the minimum premium, depending on the vehicle and your deductible.
Terms used in this guide
- Full coverage
- Informal term for a policy that includes liability and PIP plus collision and comprehensive for your own car.
- Collision coverage
- Pays to repair or replace your car after a crash, regardless of fault, minus your deductible.
- Comprehensive coverage
- Pays for non-crash damage to your car: theft, vandalism, fire, flood, hurricane debris, hail, animal strikes and glass. The coverage that responds to Florida storm damage.
- Deductible
- The amount you pay before collision or comprehensive pays. Higher deductibles lower premiums, with larger dollar savings on Florida's high base rates.
- Actual cash value (ACV)
- What your car was worth immediately before a loss—replacement cost minus depreciation. Total loss settlements are paid at ACV.
Sources and references
Legal figures on this page (minimum limits, filing periods, statutory benefits) are checked against the primary law or the state insurance regulator listed below. Links and figures last verified Nov 2026.
- Fla. Stat. § 627.736 — required personal injury protection benefits — Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine), Fla. Stat. § 627.736Primary lawPIP: $10,000 medical and disability benefits, $5,000 death benefit; 80% of reasonable medical expenses, 60% of lost income; initial care within 14 days; $2,500 cap without an emergency medical condition.
- Fla. Stat. § 324.022 — property damage liability requirement — Florida Legislature (Online Sunshine), Fla. Stat. § 324.022Primary lawEvery owner must maintain at least $10,000 property damage liability (or a $30,000 combined single limit with PIP).
- Facts + Statistics: Highway safety — Insurance Information InstituteStatistical dataCrash, injury and fatality trends used to explain why liability and injury coverages cost what they do.
- What is covered by a basic auto insurance policy? — Insurance Information InstituteConsumer guidanceDefines bodily injury and property damage liability, MedPay, PIP, uninsured/underinsured motorist, collision, comprehensive and glass coverage.
- How much auto coverage do I need? — Insurance Information InstituteConsumer guidanceWhy state minimums are a floor; choosing liability limits that protect assets; when collision and comprehensive are worth keeping.
- Nine ways to lower your auto insurance costs — Insurance Information InstituteConsumer guidanceShop at least three quotes; raising a deductible from $200 to $500 can cut collision/comprehensive cost 15–30%, $1,000 can save 40%+; drop physical damage on cars worth under 10× the premium; bundling, low-mileage and good-student discounts.
- How to file an auto insurance claim — Insurance Information InstituteConsumer guidanceSteps after a crash: document the scene, notify the insurer promptly, understand the adjuster's role.
- What determines the price of an auto insurance policy? — Insurance Information InstituteConsumer guidanceRating factors: driving record, mileage, location, age, gender, vehicle, credit-based insurance score, coverage choices. Notes ZIP-code rating is prohibited in California and Michigan and gender rating is prohibited in seven states.
Practical guidance on this page is original editorial work. Cited sources support factual statements and do not endorse this site. Dollar ranges described as typical or illustrative are editorial estimates, not figures from these sources.
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