On the Connecticut Property & Casualty exam, the Personal Automobile Policy appears both as a standard ISO-style contract and as a set of Connecticut auto statutes you must apply. This standalone guide reviews the policy's coverage parts, then drills into the Connecticut overlay: the compulsory financial-responsibility minimums (commonly cited as 25/50/25), the at-fault (tort) system with modified comparative negligence, the mandatory uninsured- and underinsured-motorist rules, and cancellation/nonrenewal notice. The Connecticut-specific material is where most state credit is earned.

Policy structure (the national base)

The Personal Auto Policy (PAP) is a packaged contract organized into lettered parts:

• Part A — Liability: pays bodily injury (BI) and property damage (PD) the insured is legally liable for; the insurer provides a defense, and defense costs are paid in addition to the limit.
• Part B — Medical Payments: pays medical/funeral costs for occupants regardless of fault.
• Part C — Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists: pays the insured's injuries when the at-fault party is uninsured or underinsured.
• Part D — Coverage for Damage to Your Auto: Collision and Other Than Collision (Comprehensive), each with a deductible, settled at Actual Cash Value (ACV).
• Part E — Duties After an Accident or Loss and Part F — General Provisions.

Limits may be written as split limits (e.g., 100/300/50) or as a Combined Single Limit (CSL). Insureds include the named insured, resident spouse, resident relatives, and permissive users. Eligible vehicles are private passenger autos, pickups, and vans not used mainly for business. That framework is national; Connecticut governs the limits and the liability environment around it.

Connecticut uses a tort (at-fault) liability system

Connecticut is an at-fault / tort state, not a no-fault state. (Connecticut had a no-fault auto law decades ago, but it was repealed, and the state now operates on a tort basis.) The driver who causes a crash is financially responsible, and the injured party collects from that driver's liability coverage or by filing suit. This is why liability coverage and financial responsibility dominate Connecticut auto law.

Connecticut applies modified comparative negligence. The rule to remember is commonly described as a 51% bar (verify the current standard): a claimant who is more than 50% at fault is barred from recovering anything, while a claimant who is 50% or less at fault may recover, but the award is reduced by their own percentage of fault. (Contrast this with pure comparative states, where even a 90%-at-fault claimant recovers a sliver.)

Financial responsibility: commonly 25/50/25

Every Connecticut driver must show financial responsibility, usually by carrying liability insurance at or above the state minimum split limits, commonly cited as:

• $25,000 bodily injury per person
• $50,000 bodily injury per accident
• $25,000 property damage per accident

Shorthand: "25/50/25." Be careful with the third number—Connecticut's property-damage minimum has historically been listed as $20,000 (25/50/20), so verify the current statutory figures. These are statutory floors; producers routinely recommend higher limits. Driving without coverage brings fines, registration consequences, and reinstatement requirements.

Uninsured and underinsured motorist rules

This is a heavily tested Connecticut area:

• Uninsured Motorist (UM) bodily injury coverage is MANDATORY on every Connecticut auto policy, at limits at least equal to the BI minimums. UM also responds to hit-and-run drivers.
• Underinsured Motorist (UIM) is likewise required and is tied to the policy's liability limits. UIM pays the gap between the at-fault driver's lower BI limits and the insured's UIM limit.
• Connecticut also recognizes conversion (UIM conversion) coverage as an option in some policies—verify current availability.
• The other driver must be legally at fault for UM/UIM to respond.

Memorize the headline: in Connecticut, UM/UIM is mandatory (not merely offered), and it is tied to the policy's liability limits.

Optional and physical-damage coverages

• Medical Payments (Med Pay) is optional and pays medical/funeral costs regardless of fault. Connecticut does not mandate PIP/no-fault today.
• Collision and Comprehensive (Other Than Collision) are optional but typically required by a lender. Hitting an animal is Comprehensive, not Collision.

Cancellation and nonrenewal

Connecticut regulates how an insurer may end a personal auto policy. The timelines are commonly cited as:

• Mid-term cancellation generally requires advance written notice (often around 30 days, with a shorter window—about 10 days—for nonpayment of premium).
• Once a policy has been in force a set period, cancellation is limited to specific reasons such as nonpayment, license suspension/revocation, or fraud/material misrepresentation.
• Nonrenewal at the end of the term generally requires advance written notice (commonly around 30 days) so the insured can find replacement coverage.

Keep the shorter nonpayment-cancellation notice distinct from the longer ordinary cancellation / nonrenewal notice, and verify the current day counts.

Required vs. optional coverages

Key Connecticut numbers to memorize

Common exam traps

• Connecticut is at-fault (tort), not no-fault—the old no-fault law was repealed, and there is no mandatory PIP today.
• The third number in 25/50/25 is property damage—and the property-damage figure has historically been $20,000, so verify.
• UM and UIM are mandatory in Connecticut, not just "offered."
• Modified comparative negligence: more than 50% at fault = barred (the 51% bar—watch the exact wording).
• UIM fills the gap up to your UIM limit minus the other driver's BI payment; it is not a separate full payout.
• Hitting an animal is Comprehensive, not Collision (national rule still applies).
• Liability defense costs are paid on top of the limit (national rule that still applies in Connecticut).

Quick recap

• The PAP's Parts A–F structure is national; Connecticut sets the limits and legal framework.
• Connecticut is a tort/at-fault state using modified comparative negligence—a claimant more than 50% at fault recovers nothing (commonly the 51% bar).
• Minimum liability is commonly 25/50/25 (verify; historically 25/50/20).
• Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist coverage are mandatory, tied to the policy's liability limits.
• Connecticut has no mandatory no-fault/PIP today; Med Pay and physical damage are optional.
• Cancellation for nonpayment uses a shorter (~10-day) notice; ordinary cancellation/nonrenewal uses a longer (~30-day) notice—verify the current figures.