Split Limits
Three buckets of money, written like 25/50/25. Bucket one: up to $25k for each individual person’s injuries. Bucket two: up to $50k for all injuries in the crash combined. Bucket three: up to $25k for property you damage. When a bucket runs dry, you pay the difference.
Split limits are the three numbers you see written like 25/50/25 on the liability line of a car insurance declarations page. They are not one pot of money that gets divided up. They are three separate buckets, and each one has its own ceiling.
The first number is the most the policy pays for any single injured person. The second is the most it pays for everyone injured in one crash, added together. The third is the most it pays for property you damage — the other car, a fence, a storefront. All three are written in thousands, so 25/50/25 means $25,000, $50,000 and $25,000.
The part that surprises people is that the buckets do not help each other. If two people are hurt and the per-person bucket is $25,000, neither of them can draw more than $25,000 even though the per-accident bucket holds $50,000. And if three people are hurt, the $50,000 ceiling still applies to all three combined — it does not grow with the number of people involved.
When a bucket runs dry, the policy stops paying and the rest of the bill belongs to the driver. That difference can be pursued through the courts, and in many states a judgment can reach wages and assets for years. This is the reason the same limits can look adequate on paper and thin in a serious crash: medical costs for one badly injured person routinely pass $25,000, and newer vehicles often total well above the property bucket.
Some policies replace split limits with a combined single limit instead — one pool that covers injuries and property in any mix. Neither format is inherently the right one; they are different ways of describing where the ceilings sit.
In real life
Two people are hurt in a crash on the way home from work. One has $60,000 in medical bills, the other has $12,000. On a 25/50/25 policy, the first person's claim stops at $25,000 — the per-person bucket — even though the per-accident bucket has room. The second person's $12,000 is paid in full. The policy has now paid $37,000 of a $72,000 bill, and the remaining $35,000 sits with the driver.
Common questions
What does 25/50 mean on car insurance?
It means the policy pays up to $25,000 for any one person's injuries, and up to $50,000 for all injuries in a single crash combined. Both numbers are in thousands. A 25/50 policy has no third number because it is describing bodily injury only — property damage is listed separately.
Is the third number in 25/50/25 for my own car?
No. The third number is property damage liability, which covers damage to other people's property. Damage to your own vehicle is covered by collision and comprehensive, which are separate coverages with their own deductibles, and a policy can carry liability without carrying either of them.
What happens if a claim is larger than my split limits?
The policy pays up to the bucket ceiling and stops. The unpaid balance remains the driver's responsibility and can be pursued as a civil claim. Some households carry an umbrella policy, which sits on top of the auto and home limits and covers liability beyond them.
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Definitions describe how these terms are generally used across the U.S. market. Wording, limits and exclusions vary by insurer, policy form and state — the policy you hold is what controls. See the full Insurance Glossary.