Colorado car insurance rates

Colorado requires liability limits of at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for bodily injury and $15,000 for property damage (C.R.S. 10-4-620). Two more coverages come on the policy by default: uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage and $5,000 of medical payments coverage, and each stays unless the named insured rejects it in writing.

Colorado has been an at-fault state since its no-fault law, Part 7 of Title 10, Article 4, was repealed effective July 1, 2003. The rules below come from the Colorado Revised Statutes 2024 printout, the Division of Insurance (DOI) and the Division of Motor Vehicles, all read in October 2026.

What a Colorado auto policy must carry or offer

The 25/50/15 floor applies to every owner who drives, or lets someone drive, a vehicle on Colorado public highways (C.R.S. 10-4-619). The DOI estimates that 15% to 20% of Colorado drivers are uninsured, which is why the default UM/UIM rule matters more than the liability floor for many households.

Rejecting UM/UIM or MedPay in Colorado

Under C.R.S. 10-4-609, UM coverage in Colorado also covers underinsured drivers: a vehicle counts as underinsured when it is insured for bodily injury but not enough to pay the damages. The coverage pays the gap between the at-fault driver's liability limit and your damages, up to your own UM limit, and it cannot be reduced by setoffs from MedPay, health insurance or other UM policies. Once you reject it or pick a limit, the insurer does not have to repeat the offer at renewal; you must ask in writing to add it back. See the UM/UIM coverage guide for how the two pieces work.

MedPay follows a similar pattern under C.R.S. 10-4-635. The insurer must keep proof of a rejection for at least three years. If it cannot produce that proof, the policy is presumed to include $5,000 of MedPay. When a claim is reported, the insurer holds back $5,000 of MedPay for trauma care, paying ambulance and air ambulance providers first. The DOI notes that MedPay pays before health insurance and can be applied to health plan deductibles and coinsurance.

One more optional line is specific to drivers without collision coverage: uninsured motorist property damage. The DOI describes it as paying for damage to your car caused by an at-fault uninsured owner, only when the vehicles actually touch, and capped at the lower of actual cash value or repair cost.

SR22 filings with the Colorado DMV

Colorado uses the SR22 form, which only an insurance company can file. The DMV's DR 2316 sheet (revised November 2025) explains the most common trigger: a suspension under the Financial Responsibility Act, C.R.S. 42-7-301, after an accident. The three-year clock depends on timing.

• Before the suspension takes effect: the driver can avoid it by showing a liability policy was in force at the time of the accident, by filing a notarized release (DR 2100), by showing a court found no liability, or by filing an SR22 kept continuously for three years from the filing date plus one of the listed agreements, a bond or deposit, or a bankruptcy filing.
• After the suspension takes effect: reinstatement takes Form DR 2870, the reinstatement fee, and an SR22 kept continuously for three years from the date driving privileges are restored.
• If the SR22 lapses: the insurer must tell the DMV the filing is no longer in effect, and the DMV page states the license will be suspended for that reason alone. A replacement SR22 from a new insurer has to be on file before the old one ends.

The SR22 can be uploaded through myDMV or mailed with the reinstatement application. Driver Control answers case questions at (303) 205-5613. The SR-22 guide covers how the filing works with an insurer.

No claim-response clock, but a penalty for unreasonable delay

Colorado does not set day counts for acknowledging or answering claim communications. The DOI's own FAQ says there are no timeframes in its laws, and that it takes up unreasonable delays with the company directly. The DOI also says no Colorado insurance law addresses diminished value claims.

What Colorado does have is a statutory remedy. C.R.S. 10-3-1115 bars an insurer from unreasonably delaying or denying payment of a covered first-party benefit, meaning one owed to or on behalf of its own insured, and defines unreasonable as acting without a reasonable basis. A first-party claimant whose claim was handled that way can sue under 10-3-1116 for two times the covered benefit plus reasonable attorney fees and court costs. Third parties claiming against someone else's liability policy are excluded from that definition. Separately, under C.R.S. 10-4-120 the insured chooses the repair shop, though the insurer pays reasonable market costs, not excessive storage or labor charges.

Assigned risk placement and DOI complaints

C.R.S. 10-4-412 lets the insurance commissioner approve a plan that spreads applicants who cannot buy coverage through ordinary methods among all insurers licensed to write auto insurance in Colorado, and every such insurer must take part. An applicant or insured under the plan can appeal a ruling by the plan's manager or committee to the commissioner. When an insurer cancels or declines to renew liability coverage for a reason other than nonpayment, C.R.S. 10-4-606 requires the notice to tell the driver about possible eligibility for the assigned risk plan and where to get details.

Complaints go through the DOI Consumer Portal, which requires an account, or by a printed complaint form sent by mail. Consumer Services takes calls at 303-894-7490 or 800-930-3745 from outside the Denver metro area. The DOI states it does not decide coverage or liability, but it reviews whether the company investigated reasonably and followed Colorado law.

Colorado questions