Massachusetts Car Accident Laws | Accident Claim Map

At the scene and reporting a crash in Massachusetts

Always stop and help anyone who is hurt. Leaving the scene of a crash is a crime in every state.

When to call the police: If anyone is hurt or killed, or damage to any one vehicle or property is over $1,000, send a copy of your written crash report to the police department where the crash happened. (Police must also accept a report from you if your car was damaged by a hit-and-run driver.)
Damage amount: $1,000
Report to the state: Within 5 days, send a written Motor Vehicle Crash Operator Report to the Registrar (RMV) and a copy to the local police.
Deadline for your report: 5 days
Law: M.G.L. c. 90, § 26
Official text: Read the official text

First 24 hours after a crash in Massachusetts

Tick the boxes as you go, or print the list and keep it in your glove box.

Insurance system in Massachusetts

Massachusetts is a no-fault state for injuries: your own personal injury protection (PIP) pays your first medical bills and lost income, whoever caused the crash. You can sue the other driver for injuries only in some cases, described below.

System: No-fault
PIP, benefits and when you can sue: Every policy must include $8,000 of personal injury protection (PIP) per person. It pays medical bills, up to 75% of lost wages and replacement services, whoever caused the crash (Division of Insurance). You can sue the other driver for pain and suffering only if your reasonable medical expenses are over $2,000, or the injury causes death, loss of a body part, permanent and serious disfigurement, loss of sight or hearing, or a fracture. You still claim damage to your car from the driver who caused the crash (or their insurer).
Law: M.G.L. c. 90, §§ 34A, 34M; c. 231, § 6D
Official text: Read the official text

Compare every state in the no-fault states table.

Who pays: comparative fault in Massachusetts

Rule: Modified (51% bar)
What it means: In Massachusetts, your damages are reduced by your share of the fault, and you can't recover at all if you were more than 50% at fault (51% or more).
Law: M.G.L. c. 231, § 85: you can recover if your negligence was not greater than the total negligence of those you sue; your damages are reduced by your share

Compare every state's rule in the comparative negligence table.

Who pays in Massachusetts: fault and payout explainer

If both drivers share the blame, your state's comparative-fault rule decides whether you can recover and how much. Enter your share of the fault and your total damages to see what the rule means. This is an illustration, not a prediction: insurers, juries and judges decide the percentages.

Minimum insurance in Massachusetts

Liability minimum: 25/50/30 (policies written or renewed on or after July 1, 2025; previously 20/40/5), plus $8,000 PIP
Uninsured / underinsured motorist (UM/UIM): Required: bodily injury caused by an uninsured auto, at least $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident. Underinsured motorist coverage is optional.
Official text: Read the official text

Numbers like 25/50/25 mean $25,000 for injury to one person, $50,000 for all injuries in one crash and $25,000 for property damage. Compare every state in the minimum insurance table.

Getting the police report in Massachusetts

Request a copy of the police crash report from the RMV online through the myRMV Online Service Center ('Request Crash Report'). There is a $20 non-refundable search fee, and processing takes about 4 weeks. You must be someone involved in the crash, or an authorized recipient. https://www.mass.gov/how-to/request-a-copy-of-a-police-crash-report

You can also ask by mail with our free police report request letter.

Filing a claim and insurer deadlines in Massachusetts

How fast insurers must act: M.G.L. c. 176D, § 3(9) makes it an unfair claim settlement practice to fail to acknowledge and act reasonably promptly on claim communications, or to fail to affirm or deny coverage within a reasonable time after proof of loss. It also covers failing to make prompt, fair and equitable settlements when liability is reasonably clear. The statute sets no fixed number of days.

Put your claim in writing. Our free insurance claim letter lists your damages and asks for a written answer.

If the other driver has no insurance in Massachusetts

Your policy must include Bodily Injury Caused by Uninsured Auto, which covers you, household members and passengers if an uninsured or hit-and-run driver injures you. Damage to your car from an uninsured driver is covered only if you have collision or other optional coverage.

Read what to do if you are hit by an uninsured driver.

Deadlines to sue in Massachusetts

Property damage (your car): 3 years
Injury: 3 years
Notes, including claims against a government: Before suing a Massachusetts public employer (state, city or town) for negligence, you must first give a written claim to its executive officer within 2 years (for a city or town, for example the mayor, town manager or city/town clerk; for the state, the Attorney General). If it isn't denied in writing within 6 months, it counts as denied. You must still sue within 3 years of the crash (M.G.L. c. 258, § 4).
Law: M.G.L. c. 260, § 2A

The deadline is the statute of limitations. Insurance claims and talks with an adjuster don't stop it. Compare every state in the deadlines table.

Deadline to sue in Massachusetts

Every state limits how long you have to file a lawsuit after a car crash. This is the statute of limitations. Choose your state, the type of claim and the date of the crash to see the usual deadline and the last day to file. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

Small claims for property damage in Massachusetts

Small claims limit: $7,000; no dollar limit for property damage caused by a motor vehicle (confirmed in M.G.L. c. 218, § 21).

Massachusetts small claims guide on Small Claims Map

Small claims court can be a way to recover the cost of repairs from the driver who caused the crash. Read how to use small claims for car damage.

Insurance complaints in Massachusetts

If an insurer delays, underpays or denies a claim without a good reason, you can file a complaint with the state insurance regulator:

Massachusetts Division of Insurance, Consumer Services · (617) 521-7794

Free help in Massachusetts

Good to know in Massachusetts

Small claims court has no dollar limit for property damage caused by a motor vehicle (M.G.L. c. 218, § 21).
Minimum limits rose on July 1, 2025, to 25/50 bodily injury and $30,000 property damage (Ch. 275 of the Acts of 2024; Division of Insurance).
You have only 5 days to send your crash report to the RMV and police (M.G.L. c. 90, § 26).

Changes in 2024–2026

Ch. 275 of the Acts of 2024: for policies written or renewed on or after July 1, 2025, the minimum limits rose to $25,000/$50,000 bodily injury to others, $25,000/$50,000 bodily injury caused by an uninsured auto, and $30,000 property damage. PIP stays at $8,000.

Free letters

Insurance claim letter

Ask the other driver's insurer to pay your damages, in writing.

Police report request letter

Ask the police agency for a copy of the crash report by mail.

Questions about car accidents in Massachusetts

When do you have to report a car accident in Massachusetts?

If anyone is hurt or killed, or damage to any one vehicle or property is over $1,000, send a copy of your written crash report to the police department where the crash happened. (Police must also accept a report from you if your car was damaged by a hit-and-run driver.) Within 5 days, send a written Motor Vehicle Crash Operator Report to the Registrar (RMV) and a copy to the local police.

Is Massachusetts a no-fault state?

Yes. Massachusetts is a no-fault state for injuries: your own personal injury protection (PIP) pays your first medical bills and lost income, whoever caused the crash. You can sue the other driver for injuries only in some cases, described below. Every policy must include $8,000 of personal injury protection (PIP) per person.

Can I get money if I was partly at fault in Massachusetts?

In Massachusetts, your damages are reduced by your share of the fault, and you can't recover at all if you were more than 50% at fault (51% or more).

What is the minimum car insurance in Massachusetts?

25/50/30 (policies written or renewed on or after July 1, 2025; previously 20/40/5), plus $8,000 PIP Required: bodily injury caused by an uninsured auto, at least $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident.

How long do you have to sue after a car accident in Massachusetts?

3 years for property damage and 3 years for injury (M.G.L. c. 260, § 2A).

How do I get a police report in Massachusetts?

Request a copy of the police crash report from the RMV online through the myRMV Online Service Center ('Request Crash Report'). There is a $20 non-refundable search fee, and processing takes about 4 weeks. You must be someone involved in the crash, or an authorized recipient. https://www.mass.gov/how-to/request-a-copy-of-a-police-crash-report

What if the other driver has no insurance in Massachusetts?

Your policy must include Bodily Injury Caused by Uninsured Auto, which covers you, household members and passengers if an uninsured or hit-and-run driver injures you. Damage to your car from an uninsured driver is covered only if you have collision or other optional coverage.

Where can I complain about a car insurance company in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts Division of Insurance, Consumer Services: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/filing-an-insurance-complaint · (617) 521-7794

Sources

Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.

Car accidents in Massachusetts: what to do and who pays