The structure of the personal auto policy (Parts A through F, insured definitions, exclusions) is covered in the national personal auto guide. Kansas adds a no-fault layer on top of it: the Kansas Automobile Injury Reparations Act (K.S.A. 40-3101) requires every policy to carry personal injury protection (PIP), limits pain-and-suffering suits with a tort threshold, and sets the liability minimums. Separate statutes require uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage (K.S.A. 40-284) and limit when an insurer can cancel or nonrenew. This guide covers those Kansas rules.

Compulsory insurance and minimum limits

• Every owner of a vehicle subject to the act must carry motor vehicle liability coverage unless self-insured or exempt (40-3104(a)). A vehicle can't be registered without it, and coverage must be continuous through the registration period (40-3118(a)).
• Minimum liability limits: 25/50/25 — $25,000 bodily injury per person, $50,000 per accident, and $25,000 property damage (40-3107(e)).
• The policy must insure the named insured and anyone driving with express or implied consent, for use in the United States and Canada (40-3107(b)).
• Exempt vehicles (40-3105) include government vehicles, implements of husbandry and special mobile equipment used only incidentally on highways, and vehicles merely crossing a highway.
• Every insurer writing auto liability in Kansas files a form promising that its policies, wherever issued, give Kansas-required coverage while the vehicle is in Kansas (40-3106(b)).

Proof and penalties (40-3104):

• Drivers must show evidence of insurance on an officer's demand. A phone or other electronic device is acceptable.
• A driver cited for no proof isn't convicted if valid insurance is shown in court within 10 days.
• A first violation is a class B misdemeanor with a $300–$1,000 fine. A second within three years is a class A misdemeanor with an $800–$2,500 fine.
• A registration revoked for lapsed insurance is reinstated with proof and a $100 fee, or $300 if it is a second revocation within a year (40-3118(f)).

Filings after serious violations. After a conviction listed in K.S.A. 8-285, the insurer keeps evidence of insurance on file with the Division of Vehicles for one year. It notifies the Director immediately if that policy ends (40-3118(d)). Kansas law calls this evidence of insurance; the statute doesn't use the term "SR-22."

Personal injury protection (PIP)

PIP is required in every policy (40-3107(f)) and pays the injured person's own losses regardless of fault. It includes six benefits (40-3103):

Rules to know:

• PIP is primary, but workers' compensation benefits are credited against it (40-3110(a)).
• When several policies apply, the policy on the vehicle occupied is primary. Total recovery is capped at the highest single policy limit (40-3109(b)).
• The owner's PIP covers the owner as a pedestrian struck by a motor vehicle (40-3109(a)).
• Claims must be made within two years of the injury (40-3110(a)).
• Benefits are overdue after 30 days and then bear 18% simple interest. Disability benefits are paid at least every two weeks (40-3110(b)).
• An insurer-requested medical exam is at the insurer's expense (40-3115).
• PIP may be excluded for:
  • someone intentionally converting (stealing) the vehicle
  • the named insured injured in another owned vehicle that isn't insured under the policy (40-3108)
• A motorcycle owner may reject PIP in writing for injuries while riding it (40-3107(f)).
• A person with no available PIP may claim through the assigned claims plan. Every auto liability insurer must participate. An owner who failed to insure a required vehicle can't use the plan (40-3116).

Subrogation (40-3113a):

• If the injured person doesn't sue the at-fault driver within 18 months, the tort claim is assigned to the PIP insurer to the extent of duplicate benefits.
• The insurer's recovery is reduced by the injured person's share of fault.

The tort threshold (40-3117)

An injured person can sue for pain and suffering only if one of these applies:

• medical treatment reaches a reasonable value of $2,000
• the injury is a listed serious one, such as a fracture of a weight-bearing bone, a compound or comminuted fracture, permanent disfigurement, permanent injury, or death

Suits for economic loss beyond PIP are not restricted.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist (40-284, 40-285)

• UM coverage must be included with limits equal to the policy's bodily injury liability limits. It must include an underinsured motorist provision.
• The named insured may reject in writing only the UM/UIM above the 25/50 minimum. The rejection binds everyone insured under the policy, and renewals needn't include the coverage unless the insured asks in writing.
• UIM pays to the extent the insured's UM/UIM limits exceed the at-fault driver's BI limits.
• When an insured gives certified-mail notice of a tentative settlement with an underinsured driver, the UIM insurer has 60 days to substitute its own payment and preserve subrogation.
• No stacking. Total UM recovery is limited to the highest limits of any single policy.
• A hit-and-run with no physical contact may be excluded unless a disinterested witness supplies reliable evidence.
• A vehicle whose insurer is insolvent counts as uninsured (40-285).
• UM isn't required in umbrella or excess policies.

Cancellation and nonrenewal

• Termination notice (40-3118(b)). Except for nonpayment or at the insured's request, an insurer must give at least 30 days' notice by certified or registered mail, certificate of mailing or another approved method. The notice must say that driving without continuous insurance is a class B misdemeanor.

• Cancellation limits (40-276, 40-277). After a private auto policy has been in force 60 days, or immediately on a renewal, the insurer may cancel only for listed reasons, including:

  • nonpayment or fraud
  • a driver's license suspended or revoked during the policy period
  • a third moving violation within 18 months

  A policy may not be cancelled solely because of age. These limits don't apply to policies covering more than four autos, assigned-risk policies, or garage risks.

• Nonrenewal needs at least 30 days' written notice from the insurer or a licensed agent. A policy continuously in force five years may be nonrenewed without another listed cause (40-276a).

• Cancellation and nonrenewal notices must tell the insured about the Kansas Automobile Insurance Plan (40-278).

• If an insurer declines an application after taking premium, the refund goes out with the notice or within 10 days (40-3118(k)).

Other Kansas auto rules

• Kansas Automobile Insurance Plan (40-2102). This is the residual market for drivers entitled to coverage who can't get it normally. Coverage can begin immediately once the application and premium are mailed to the plan. Since January 1, 2026, its board has five members.
• Accident prevention course discount (40-1112a):
  • The course must last at least four hours.
  • The discount runs three years and applies to liability, PIP and collision.
  • It is not available for a court-ordered course.
  • The insurer may require no at-fault accidents and no more than one moving violation.
• Glass repair (40-2,155). An insurer may not require a particular glass shop. If the insured goes elsewhere, it may ask for up to three bids.
• Total-loss settlements (K.A.R. 40-1-34). Comparable vehicles come from within 50 miles, and the cash settlement includes taxes and title fees. If the insured can't buy a comparable car and says so within 30 days, the insurer reopens the file within five business days.

Common exam traps

• Kansas is a no-fault state with 25/50/25 limits and mandatory PIP.
• PIP medical is $4,500, and disability is $900 a month for one year.
• The tort threshold is $2,000 of medical treatment or a listed serious injury.
• UM must equal BI limits unless the excess over 25/50 is rejected in writing. There is no stacking.
• A late PIP payment bears 18% interest after 30 days.
• After 60 days, cancellation is limited. Nonrenewal needs 30 days' notice.
• Kansas fault law (comparative negligence, equal-or-greater bar) is covered in the Kansas property and casualty basics guide.