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Insurance
Term 648 of 1038
1 min readTwo voicesInsurance

No-fault insurance.

No-fault insurance has your own auto policy pay your medical costs after a crash regardless of who caused it, rather than the other driver's insurer.
Verified July 2026 · Source: NAIC
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No-fault insurance
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In plain English

No-fault insurance is an auto system used in some states where, after a crash, each driver's own policy pays their medical bills and certain losses regardless of who was at fault. It runs through a coverage called personal injury protection, or PIP. The goal is faster payment and fewer lawsuits over who caused minor injuries. In exchange, no-fault states limit when you can sue the other driver for pain and suffering. It applies to injuries, not vehicle damage, which is still handled by fault-based collision and property coverage.

Most useful ages
18 to 75

01Why it matters

Whether you live in a no-fault state changes which policy pays your injury bills and your right to sue, so it directly affects the coverage you need and how a claim plays out.

02The math, step by step

In a no-fault state, you are hurt in a crash the other driver caused. Your own PIP coverage pays your medical bills quickly, rather than waiting to collect from the at-fault driver's insurer.

03What this is NOT

Do not confuse with Meaning no one is at fault

No-fault does NOT mean fault is ignored. It means your own insurer pays your injury costs regardless of fault; fault still matters for vehicle damage and for serious-injury lawsuits.

04Receipts

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Plain-English answers from our glossary. Receipts included. Never advice.

Educational tool. Answers come only from ClearMoneySchool's published glossary and are not advice. Why we never give advice

Last reviewed July 13, 2026 · Reviewer Joseph Citizen, Founder