For the Delaware Personal Lines exam, the Personal Auto Policy (PAP) is tested two ways: the national policy structure and the Delaware auto laws layered on top of it. This standalone guide walks through the lettered parts every PAP uses, then focuses on the Delaware rules an agent applies every day—financial-responsibility minimums, the at-fault legal system, mandatory PIP, uninsured/underinsured-motorist coverage, and how a claim is handled. Spend your study time on the Delaware overlay; that is where the state questions live.

The national fundamentals (quick version)

The Personal Auto Policy insures individuals and families for the vehicles they own and drive. It is divided into clearly labeled parts:

• Part A — Liability Coverage: pays for bodily injury (BI) and property damage (PD) the insured is legally responsible for, with a duty to defend and defense costs generally paid on top of the limit.
• Part B — Medical Payments: pays reasonable medical and funeral expenses for the insured and passengers regardless of fault.
• Part C — Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists (UM/UIM): pays your injuries when the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little.
• Part D — Coverage for Damage to Your Auto: Collision and Other Than Collision (Comprehensive), each with a deductible (the amount you pay before the insurer pays the rest), paid at Actual Cash Value (ACV).
• Part E — Duties After an Accident or Loss and Part F — General Provisions set the rules.

An insured generally includes the named insured, resident family members, and anyone using the covered auto with permission. A temporary substitute vehicle used while the covered auto is being repaired is generally treated as a covered auto. Eligible vehicles are private passenger autos, pickups, and vans not used primarily for business. That skeleton is the same nationwide; Delaware changes the dollar limits and the legal environment around it.

Delaware is an at-fault (tort) state

Delaware follows a tort (at-fault) system. Whoever causes the crash is financially responsible, and the injured person recovers from that driver's liability insurance—or sues. Crucially, Delaware also mandates PIP, yet it remains a tort state: an at-fault driver can still be held liable for damages. Don't let the required PIP fool you into calling Delaware "no-fault."

When both drivers share blame, Delaware uses modified comparative negligence, commonly described as a 51% bar. Picture the cutoff this way: an injured person who is more at fault than the other party (roughly 51%+) generally recovers nothing, while a claimant who is 50% or less at fault can still collect, with the payout trimmed by their own share of fault. Verify the exact threshold, but learn the headline.

Financial responsibility: the 25/50/10 minimums

Delaware drivers must demonstrate financial responsibility, almost always by buying liability insurance that meets the state's minimum split limits commonly cited as 25/50/10:

• $25,000 bodily injury per person
• $50,000 bodily injury per accident
• $10,000 property damage per accident

Agents say this aloud as "25/50/10" (verify the current figures). In split limits, the middle number ($50,000) is the total bodily injury per accident available for everyone hurt, and the last number ($10,000) is property damage per accident. After certain serious violations, a driver may be ordered to file an SR-22 to prove they are maintaining required coverage.

Mandatory PIP and the UM/UIM coverages

• Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is required on Delaware personal auto policies. It pays certain medical and related expenses regardless of fault for the insured, passengers, and certain pedestrians.
• Uninsured Motorist (UM) protects you when the at-fault driver carries no insurance (and typically for hit-and-run).
• Underinsured Motorist (UIM) applies when the at-fault driver has some liability insurance but not enough to cover your injuries.

Delaware auto policies must include or offer UM/UIM—verify the current mandate and limits.

Physical damage and the optional coverages

• Comprehensive (Other Than Collision) pays for fire, theft, hail, vandalism, and animal strikes; Collision pays for impact with another vehicle or object or overturning.
• Towing and labor reimburses roadside labor at the place of disablement, up to a limit.
• Transportation expenses (rental reimbursement) helps pay for a rental car while the covered auto is repaired after a covered loss.
• Supplementary payments under liability can include bail bonds and certain legal expenses, paid in addition to the liability limit.

Exclusions and the insured's duties

• The PAP excludes intentional damage caused by the insured (insurance covers fortuitous, not deliberate, losses).
• It generally excludes livery use—carrying persons or property for a fee.
• After a loss, the insured must promptly notify the insurer and cooperate in the investigation.

Required vs. optional coverages in Delaware

Key Delaware numbers to memorize

Common exam traps

• Delaware is at-fault, not no-fault—even though PIP is mandatory, an at-fault driver is still liable.
• 25/50/10—don't transpose the $10k property-damage figure into a bodily-injury slot.
• Split-limit order—middle number is BI per accident; last number is PD per accident.
• Modified comparative negligence—a claimant more at fault than the other party generally recovers nothing (the ~51% bar; verify wording).
• Hitting an animal is Comprehensive, not Collision.
• Liability defense costs and supplementary payments are paid on top of the limit.
• Verify the limits and the UM/UIM mandate—treat statutory figures as subject to change.

Quick recap

• The PAP keeps its national Parts A–F structure; Delaware changes the limits and legal context.
• Delaware is a tort/at-fault state using modified comparative negligence (a ~51% bar), where a claimant more at fault than the other party recovers nothing (verify).
• Financial-responsibility minimums are commonly 25/50/10, and Delaware requires PIP on top of the tort system.
• UM/UIM must be included or offered; the at-fault driver must be legally liable.
• Med Pay, Collision, and Comprehensive are optional; livery and intentional acts are excluded.
• After a loss, notify the insurer promptly and cooperate—and verify any specific figure.