Pennsylvania combines low minimum limits with a choice most states do not offer: full tort or limited tort. The decision affects what you can recover after an injury, and it interacts with the uninsured and underinsured motorist coverages that sit on top of a non-owner policy.
The minimum requirement
Pennsylvania requires $15,000 per person and $30,000 per accident in bodily injury liability, plus $5,000 in property damage liability. Medical benefits coverage of $5,000 is also required on private passenger policies.
A non-owner policy follows the same structure. The medical benefits piece is the Pennsylvania equivalent of PIP-lite: it pays your own medical bills after a crash, regardless of fault, up to $5,000.
Full tort versus limited tort
Limited tort saves roughly 15–25% on premium but restricts the right to sue for non-economic damages such as pain and suffering unless the injury meets a serious-injury threshold. Full tort preserves that right.
For a non-owner policyholder, the calculation is different from an owner’s: without a vehicle to repair, the premium saving from limited tort is smaller, while the exposure after an injury is the same. Most buyers with any assets choose full tort.
| Coverage | Pennsylvania minimum | Choice |
|---|---|---|
| Bodily injury per person | $15,000 | Required |
| Bodily injury per accident | $30,000 | Required |
| Property damage | $5,000 | Required |
| Medical benefits | $5,000 | Required on passenger policies |
| Tort option | Full or limited | Limited saves 15–25% |
UM and UIM stacking
Pennsylvania requires uninsured motorist coverage at the liability limits and offers underinsured motorist coverage, which pays when the at-fault driver’s limits are too low. Both can be stacked across multiple vehicles — irrelevant for a non-owner policy, which has one exposure.
UIM matters in Pennsylvania because the state minimum of 15/30 is quickly exhausted by a serious injury. Without UIM, the gap is yours.
Filing and reinstatement
Pennsylvania verifies coverage electronically through PennDOT. A lapse leads to a registration and licence suspension with a $50 reinstatement fee per vehicle plus a $50 licence fee, and three months of required coverage before reinstatement is processed.
Cost in 2026
A Pennsylvania non-owner policy at minimum limits runs $400–$900 a year. Philadelphia is the most expensive territory in the state by a wide margin; suburban counties and western Pennsylvania are 30–40% cheaper.
- Pennsylvania minimums are 15/30/5 plus $5,000 medical benefits.
- Limited tort saves premium but restricts pain-and-suffering claims.
- UIM is optional and important because 15/30 is exhausted quickly.
- PennDOT verification is electronic with a $50 reinstatement fee.
On a non-owner policy the limited-tort discount is small in absolute terms because the base premium is already low. Trading the right to sue for $80 a year is usually a bad trade.
Key takeaways
- Pennsylvania non-owner policies require liability plus $5,000 medical benefits.
- Full tort preserves non-economic damages; limited tort saves 15–25%.
- UIM closes the gap left by the low 15/30 minimum.
- Philadelphia territory pricing is the highest in the state.
