PIP (Personal Injury Protection)

Personal injury protection, or PIP, is first-party auto insurance: it pays you and your passengers, not the other driver. After a crash, PIP covers a share of medical expenses, lost wages, and sometimes funeral costs and household help, no matter who was at fault. That speed is the point, because injured people can get bills paid without waiting for a fault fight to end.

PIP is mandatory in no-fault states and optional in some others, and limits vary widely. Florida is a clear example. Florida's PIP statute, section 627.736, requires coverage of $10,000 in medical and disability benefits and $5,000 in death benefits, and limits medical benefits to people who receive initial care within 14 days of the accident. Florida benefits generally pay 80 percent of reasonable medical expenses. Proposals to repeal Florida's PIP system have been introduced but, as of September 2026, the requirement remains in the statute.

PIP shows up in class actions when insurers are accused of underpaying claims in a systematic way, for example by applying fee schedules the policy did not properly adopt, cutting bills using flawed software, or denying benefits for a category of treatment across the board. PIP also interacts with other coverages. If your injuries exceed your PIP limits, you may need to turn to the at-fault driver's liability coverage or your own uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.

See our pages on underinsured motorist stacking, the Progressive UM/UIM stacking settlement, and total loss car payouts.