Auto Insurance That Holds Up When You Actually Need It.

Michigan's no-fault system means that after a car accident, your own insurance pays for your medical bills and lost wages — regardless of who caused the accident. You don't have to sue the other driver to get paid. This is different from most other states, where the at-fault driver's insurance pays the injured person. The tradeoff is that Michigan requires every driver to carry Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage, which is part of why Michigan premiums are among the highest in the country.

Since Michigan's 2020 insurance reform, you can choose from six PIP levels: unlimited, $500,000, $250,000, $250,000 with a medical exclusion (if you have qualifying health insurance), $50,000 (Medicaid only), or a full opt-out (Medicare Parts A and B only). Lower levels mean lower premiums — but also more exposure. If your medical costs exceed your PIP limit after a serious accident, you pay the rest. We'll look at your health coverage alongside your auto options before recommending a level.

Michigan consistently runs about double the national average. The main reasons: no-fault PIP benefits are comprehensive and expensive to fund, roughly one in five Michigan drivers is uninsured (insurers spread that cost to everyone else), Michigan requires $1 million in Property Protection Insurance unique to this state, and weather factors like 58,000 annual deer collisions add to claim costs. The 2020 reforms have brought some savings for drivers who chose lower PIP tiers, but the structural factors haven't gone away.

The Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA) is a state-created fund that reimburses insurers for medical costs exceeding $580,000 on a single claim — for drivers with unlimited PIP coverage. If you carry unlimited PIP, you pay an annual MCCA assessment (currently around $90/year per vehicle). If you've chosen any PIP level below unlimited, you don't pay it.

Michigan's standard no-fault insurance does not pay to repair or replace your vehicle — that surprises a lot of people. Mini-tort lets you recover up to $3,000 in vehicle damage from the at-fault driver, but only up to that cap and only if the other driver was at fault and insured. For damage beyond $3,000, or if the other driver has no insurance, you need collision coverage on your own policy.

It's not required by law, but we strongly recommend it. An estimated one in five Michigan drivers has no insurance. If an uninsured driver hits you, your PIP covers your medical bills — but not pain and suffering, or medical costs beyond your PIP limit. Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage fills that gap. Given the uninsured driver rate in Michigan, the premium cost is low relative to what it protects against.

Coordinated benefits means your health insurance pays first after an accident, with your auto insurance covering the rest. It costs less in premium but creates potential gaps — your health plan's deductibles and exclusions all apply. Uncoordinated benefits means your auto insurance pays first, covering 100% of allowable expenses regardless of your health plan. It costs more but provides more complete coverage. If you have a high-deductible health plan, uncoordinated is usually the safer choice.

A few things matter: document the scene thoroughly before leaving (photos of damage, road conditions, all vehicles involved); get contact information from every driver and witness; don't admit fault — even 'I'm sorry' can be used against you later; seek medical attention even if you feel fine, since adrenaline masks pain and gaps in care make it easier for insurers to dispute injury causation; report the accident promptly (Michigan law requires it for damage over $1,000); and don't give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurer.

More than people expect. Misrepresenting your garaging address, failing to list all household members aged 14 or older, not disclosing commercial or rideshare use, letting your policy lapse even briefly, and not updating your insurer when things change can all result in coverage denial. Michigan courts have upheld rescissions over a single undisclosed household member — even when that person never drove the car. If you're unsure whether something needs to be disclosed, ask us. We'd rather answer the question than see a claim denied over something avoidable.