For every coverage the law requires, and what is optional, see Michigan car insurance laws.
What PLPD includes
| Coverage | What it pays |
|---|---|
| Personal injury protection (PIP) | Your medical care up to the PIP limit you chose, 85% of lost wages up to $7,455 per 30 days for up to three years, household help and attendant care, regardless of fault. |
| Property protection insurance (PPI) | Up to $1 million for damage your car does in Michigan to other people’s property, such as buildings, fences and properly parked cars. |
| Bodily injury liability | Injuries you cause to others, when they can sue you. The default is $250,000 per person and $500,000 per crash; you can choose as little as $50,000 and $100,000 by signing a state form. |
| Property damage liability | Damage you cause to other people’s property in crashes outside Michigan. |
What PLPD doesn’t include
- Collision coverage, which pays to repair your car after a crash.
- Comprehensive coverage, for theft, fire, deer hits, hail and vandalism.
- Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, which pays you when the at-fault driver has little or no insurance. It’s optional in Michigan, and often the only way to recover for serious injuries caused by an uninsured driver. See uninsured motorist claims.
If you’re hurt in a crash with PLPD
Your PIP coverage works just as it would under a full-coverage policy: apply in writing to your own insurer within one year. What matters is the PIP medical level you chose after the 2019 reform, which can range from unlimited down to $250,000 or less, or opting out with qualifying Medicare coverage. Check your declarations page. See PIP medical benefits and limits and reading your declarations page.
If the other driver caused the crash, you can still sue them for pain and suffering if your injury meets Michigan’s threshold, and for medical costs above your PIP limit.
If your car is damaged with PLPD
Nothing in a PLPD policy pays to fix your own car. If the other driver was more than 50% at fault, you can recover up to $3,000 from them through a mini-tort claim. If you caused the crash, the repair cost is yours.
If you caused the crash
Your liability coverage defends you and pays, up to its limits, if someone you injured can sue. Damage your car does to buildings and parked cars in Michigan is paid by your property protection coverage. Damage to the other moving car is not covered by PLPD; the other driver’s collision coverage, or a mini-tort claim against you, handles that.
If you were hurt, the label on your policy doesn’t decide your claim; the PIP level and limits on your declarations page do. Apply for no-fault benefits in writing within one year, and call us if the insurer says your coverage doesn’t apply.
Sources: MCL 500.3101; MCL 500.3107; MCL 500.3107c; MCL 500.3121; MCL 500.3131; MCL 500.3135(3)(e); MCL 500.3009. General information, not insurance advice; ask your agent about your own policy.
Questions people ask us
What is PLPD insurance in Michigan?
PLPD, short for “personal liability and property damage,” is the everyday name for a Michigan policy with only the coverages the law requires: no-fault personal injury protection (PIP), property protection insurance, and liability coverage for injuries and damage you cause. It does not include collision or comprehensive coverage for your own car.
Does PLPD cover my injuries?
Yes. PLPD includes no-fault PIP, so it pays your medical care up to the PIP limit you chose, plus wage loss and household help, regardless of fault.
Does PLPD cover my car if someone hits me?
Not directly. Without collision coverage, your only route to repair money is a mini-tort claim against the at-fault driver for up to $3,000, or a claim against them for more if your damages exceed that and the law allows it.
Is PLPD enough?
It meets the legal minimum, but the choices inside it matter more than the label. Low PIP medical limits can leave serious injuries uncovered, and low liability limits can expose you to a lawsuit if you injure someone badly.
