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Minnesota · State edition

Minnesota Car Accident Settlement Calculator

Estimate a car accident settlement under Minnesota law. The calculator applies this jurisdiction's own comparative fault rule and damages ceilings, and every figure below is the one our verified data holds, with the statute behind it and the date we checked it.

Car Accident Settlement Calculator
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Economic damages
What you've lost in dollars
$
$
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Injury
Used to select a pain & suffering multiplier
Injury severity
Expected recovery
Case specifics
Liability & coverage
These can cap or reduce your recovery
$
Live estimate
Case #3160
Estimated Net Take-Home
$56,160
Likely range $39,312 to $78,624
Breakdown
Economic damages$64,500
Pain & suffering (×2.85)$183,825
Property damage$11,200
Comparative fault (−15%)−$38,929
Coverage / policy cap−$120,596
Attorney fees (33.3%)−$33,300
Case costs−$5,500
Medical liens−$5,040
Net to client$56,160
In Minnesota, a claim for pain and suffering against the at-fault driver is limited unless the injury meets a threshold the law sets (Minn. Stat. § 65B.51, subd. 3). The pain-and-suffering figure above is not reduced for it, because this calculator cannot tell whether an injury meets that threshold. Minnesota's car insurance section quotes the threshold in its own words.
Your case value exceeds the at-fault party's $100,000 policy limit. The estimate here is capped at that limit. Recovery above it would have to come from another source, such as another policy (including Underinsured Motorist coverage) or the at-fault party directly.
Statute of limitations in Minnesota: 6 years to file this claim.
This estimate is for informational and planning purposes only. It is not legal advice, financial advice, or a guarantee of any outcome. Every case is different. Consult a licensed attorney in your state for advice specific to your situation.
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Verified state law

What Minnesota law does to your claim

Three things in state law open a gap between two identical injuries in two different states: how long you have to file, what happens if you were partly at fault, and whether the state puts a ceiling on what a jury can award. Here is what we hold for this one.

Personal injury
6 years

Minnesota's 6 years comes from Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1, which opens “Except where the Uniform Commercial Code otherwise prescribes, the following actions shall be commenced within six years:” and lists, at clause (5), “(5) for criminal conversation, or for any other injury to the person or rights of another, not arising on contract, and not hereinafter enumerated;” A shorter section sits beside it. Minn. Stat. § 541.07 opens “Except where the Uniform Commercial Code, this section, section 541.05, 541.073, 541.076, or 604.205 otherwise prescribes, the following actions shall be commenced within two years:” and its clause (1) reads “(1) for libel, slander, assault, battery, false imprisonment, or other tort resulting in personal injury,” The Minnesota Supreme Court has written about both sections. D.M.S. v. Barber, No. C8-00-2227, decided June 13, 2002, was about when the delayed-discovery period for a sexual-abuse claim begins to run. The part of the opinion that begins “We first consider whether D.M.S.’s negligence claims are barred by the statute of limitations.” goes on: “Generally, personal injury actions grounded on negligence must be commenced within the six-year period of limitation provided in Minn. Stat. § 541.05(5) (2000).” Sipe v. STS Manufacturing, Inc., No. A11-2082, decided July 31, 2013, was about a wrongful-discharge claim created by a Minnesota statute. The court wrote that “section 541.07(1) is limited to common law causes of action not created by statute.” and referred to “our interpretation of the phrase “other tort resulting in personal injury” as being limited to common law intentional torts.” Neither case was about an ordinary negligence or product claim, and neither says which period governs yours. Ask a licensed Minnesota attorney which period applies to your claim.

Minn. Stat. 541.05, subd. 1(5)·Last reviewed 2026-07-28

Comparative fault rule
modified comparative negligence with a 51% bar

Minnesota bars recovery if plaintiff is 51% or more at fault.

Minn. Stat. § 604.01·Source retrieved 2026-07-27

Non-economic damages (pain and suffering)
None on record
Punitive damages
None on record

Minn. Stat. § 549.20·Source retrieved 2026-07-27

None on record means our verified data holds no figure of this kind for this state. It is not a finding that no limit could apply to your claim.

Car insurance law

Minnesota car insurance law: minimums, PIP and uninsured motorist coverage

What Minnesota's provisions say about the insurance behind a car accident claim, in their own words, with the copy read named under each.

Minnesota: Minimum liability coverage

“Each plan of reparation security shall also contain stated limits of liability, exclusive of interest and costs, with respect to each vehicle for which coverage is thereby granted, of not less than $30,000 because of bodily injury to one person in any one accident and, subject to said limit for one person, of not less than $60,000 because of injury to two or more persons in any one accident, and, if the accident has resulted in injury to or destruction of property, of not less than $10,000 because of such injury to or destruction of property of others in any one accident.”
Minn. Stat. § 65B.49, subd. 3(1), read from the Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes page, read 2026-09-28.

A minimum is a floor on what a policy must carry. It is not a limit on what a claim is worth, and it does not tell you what the at-fault driver carries.

Minnesota: No-fault, personal injury protection and the right to sue

“Each plan of reparation security shall provide for payment of basic economic loss benefits.”
Minn. Stat. § 65B.49, subd. 2, read from the Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes page, read 2026-09-28.
“Basic economic loss benefits shall provide reimbursement for all loss suffered through injury arising out of the maintenance or use of a motor vehicle, subject to any applicable deductibles, exclusions, disqualifications, and other conditions, and shall provide a minimum of $40,000 for loss arising out of the injury of any one person, consisting of: (1) $20,000 for medical expense loss arising out of injury to any one person; and (2) a total of $20,000 for income loss, replacement services loss, funeral expense loss, survivor's economic loss, and survivor's replacement services loss arising out of the injury to any one person.”
Minn. Stat. § 65B.44, subd. 1(a), read from the Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes page, read 2026-09-28.

The limit on a suit for pain and suffering:

“Limitation of damages for noneconomic detriment. In an action described in subdivision 1, no person shall recover damages for noneconomic detriment unless: (a) The sum of the following exceeds $4,000: (1) reasonable medical expense benefits paid, payable or payable but for any applicable deductible, plus (2) the value of free medical or surgical care or ordinary and necessary nursing services performed by a relative of the injured person or a member of the injured person's household, plus (3) the amount by which the value of reimbursable medical services or products exceeds the amount of benefit paid, payable, or payable but for an applicable deductible for those services or products if the injured person was charged less than the average reasonable amount charged in this state for similar services or products, minus (4) the amount of medical expense benefits paid, payable, or payable but for an applicable deductible for diagnostic x-rays and for a procedure or treatment for rehabilitation and not for remedial purposes or a course of rehabilitative occupational training; or (b) the injury results in: (1) permanent disfigurement; (2) permanent injury; (3) death; or (4) disability for 60 days or more.”
Minn. Stat. § 65B.51, subd. 3, read from the Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes page, read 2026-09-28.

Minnesota: Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage

“(1) No plan of reparation security may be renewed, delivered or issued for delivery, or executed in this state with respect to any motor vehicle registered or principally garaged in this state unless separate uninsured and underinsured motorist coverages are provided therein. Each coverage, at a minimum, must provide limits of $25,000 because of injury to or the death of one person in any accident and $50,000 because of injury to or the death of two or more persons in any accident.”
Minn. Stat. § 65B.49, subd. 3a(1), read from the Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes page, read 2026-09-28.
“(2) Every owner of a motor vehicle registered or principally garaged in this state shall maintain uninsured and underinsured motorist coverages as provided in this subdivision.”
Minn. Stat. § 65B.49, subd. 3a(2), read from the Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes page, read 2026-09-28.

Minnesota: Medical payments coverage

No medical payments coverage requirement was found in the provisions read for this page (Minn. Stat. §§ 65B.44, 65B.49 and 65B.51).

The personal injury protection benefits quoted above include medical expenses.

The fault rule, in dollars

What partial fault costs you in Minnesota

The same claim, fracture with surgery, several months of recovery, run through the calculator above four times, with nothing changed but the share of fault assigned to the claimant. The numbers are the engine's output, not an editorial claim about what these cases are worth.

0% at fault
$87,248
25% at fault
$55,940
50% at fault
$33,468
51% at fault
$0
Barred under this rule

One case, run through the calculator above four times with only the claimant's share of fault changed, under Minnesota law. No coverage ceiling is applied, because we would be inventing the at-fault party's policy. These shares illustrate the rule; they are not an estimate of your own fault.

Filing deadlines

Every Minnesota deadline we hold

A claim can be more than one kind of case, and the clock is different for each. These are the Minnesota periods in our verified data, with the statute behind each one. A deadline is the outside limit, never a target, and other rules can shorten it.

Personal injury
6 years

Minnesota's 6 years comes from Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1, which opens “Except where the Uniform Commercial Code otherwise prescribes, the following actions shall be commenced within six years:” and lists, at clause (5), “(5) for criminal conversation, or for any other injury to the person or rights of another, not arising on contract, and not hereinafter enumerated;” A shorter section sits beside it. Minn. Stat. § 541.07 opens “Except where the Uniform Commercial Code, this section, section 541.05, 541.073, 541.076, or 604.205 otherwise prescribes, the following actions shall be commenced within two years:” and its clause (1) reads “(1) for libel, slander, assault, battery, false imprisonment, or other tort resulting in personal injury,” The Minnesota Supreme Court has written about both sections. D.M.S. v. Barber, No. C8-00-2227, decided June 13, 2002, was about when the delayed-discovery period for a sexual-abuse claim begins to run. The part of the opinion that begins “We first consider whether D.M.S.’s negligence claims are barred by the statute of limitations.” goes on: “Generally, personal injury actions grounded on negligence must be commenced within the six-year period of limitation provided in Minn. Stat. § 541.05(5) (2000).” Sipe v. STS Manufacturing, Inc., No. A11-2082, decided July 31, 2013, was about a wrongful-discharge claim created by a Minnesota statute. The court wrote that “section 541.07(1) is limited to common law causes of action not created by statute.” and referred to “our interpretation of the phrase “other tort resulting in personal injury” as being limited to common law intentional torts.” Neither case was about an ordinary negligence or product claim, and neither says which period governs yours. Ask a licensed Minnesota attorney which period applies to your claim.

Minn. Stat. 541.05, subd. 1(5)·Last reviewed 2026-07-28

Open the personal injury calculator
Medical malpractice
4 years

Minn. Stat. § 541.076·Source retrieved 2026-07-27

Open the medical malpractice calculator
Wrongful death
3 years

Minn. Stat. § 573.02, subd. 1·Source retrieved 2026-07-27

Open the wrongful death calculator
Workers compensation
3 years

Minn. Stat. § 176.151·Source retrieved 2026-07-27

Open the workers compensation calculator
Slip and fall
6 years

Minnesota's 6 years comes from Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1, which opens “Except where the Uniform Commercial Code otherwise prescribes, the following actions shall be commenced within six years:” and lists, at clause (5), “(5) for criminal conversation, or for any other injury to the person or rights of another, not arising on contract, and not hereinafter enumerated;” A shorter section sits beside it. Minn. Stat. § 541.07 opens “Except where the Uniform Commercial Code, this section, section 541.05, 541.073, 541.076, or 604.205 otherwise prescribes, the following actions shall be commenced within two years:” and its clause (1) reads “(1) for libel, slander, assault, battery, false imprisonment, or other tort resulting in personal injury,” The Minnesota Supreme Court has written about both sections. D.M.S. v. Barber, No. C8-00-2227, decided June 13, 2002, was about when the delayed-discovery period for a sexual-abuse claim begins to run. The part of the opinion that begins “We first consider whether D.M.S.’s negligence claims are barred by the statute of limitations.” goes on: “Generally, personal injury actions grounded on negligence must be commenced within the six-year period of limitation provided in Minn. Stat. § 541.05(5) (2000).” Sipe v. STS Manufacturing, Inc., No. A11-2082, decided July 31, 2013, was about a wrongful-discharge claim created by a Minnesota statute. The court wrote that “section 541.07(1) is limited to common law causes of action not created by statute.” and referred to “our interpretation of the phrase “other tort resulting in personal injury” as being limited to common law intentional torts.” Neither case was about an ordinary negligence or product claim, and neither says which period governs yours. Ask a licensed Minnesota attorney which period applies to your claim.

Minn. Stat. 541.05·Last reviewed 2026-07-28

Open the slip and fall calculator
Dog bite
6 years

Minnesota's 6 years comes from Minn. Stat. § 541.05, subd. 1, which opens “Except where the Uniform Commercial Code otherwise prescribes, the following actions shall be commenced within six years:” and lists, at clause (5), “(5) for criminal conversation, or for any other injury to the person or rights of another, not arising on contract, and not hereinafter enumerated;” A shorter section sits beside it. Minn. Stat. § 541.07 opens “Except where the Uniform Commercial Code, this section, section 541.05, 541.073, 541.076, or 604.205 otherwise prescribes, the following actions shall be commenced within two years:” and its clause (1) reads “(1) for libel, slander, assault, battery, false imprisonment, or other tort resulting in personal injury,” The Minnesota Supreme Court has written about both sections. D.M.S. v. Barber, No. C8-00-2227, decided June 13, 2002, was about when the delayed-discovery period for a sexual-abuse claim begins to run. The part of the opinion that begins “We first consider whether D.M.S.’s negligence claims are barred by the statute of limitations.” goes on: “Generally, personal injury actions grounded on negligence must be commenced within the six-year period of limitation provided in Minn. Stat. § 541.05(5) (2000).” Sipe v. STS Manufacturing, Inc., No. A11-2082, decided July 31, 2013, was about a wrongful-discharge claim created by a Minnesota statute. The court wrote that “section 541.07(1) is limited to common law causes of action not created by statute.” and referred to “our interpretation of the phrase “other tort resulting in personal injury” as being limited to common law intentional torts.” Neither case was about an ordinary negligence or product claim, and neither says which period governs yours. Ask a licensed Minnesota attorney which period applies to your claim.

Minn. Stat. §§ 541.05, 347.22·Source retrieved 2026-07-27

Open the dog bite calculator
How this state compares

Minnesota against the rest of the country

Every count below is read from our state-law data across all 51 jurisdictions, so it moves when the data does. What you will not find here is an average settlement figure: the only one we could compute is a model, and a model presented as a measurement is not a fact.

  • 24 of the 51 jurisdictions we track apply modified comparative negligence with a 51% bar, and Minnesota is one of them.
  • Its 6 years to file is longer than the 2 years that 25 jurisdictions use. Across the 51 jurisdictions the deadline for this case type runs from 1 year to 6 years.
  • 7 of the 51 jurisdictions limit non-economic damages (pain and suffering) in our data and Minnesota is not among them, so an estimate here is not held down by a ceiling we hold.

Comparisons are drawn from the legal levers that actually move a case value, not from closed-case data, which we do not hold. See the full methodology

Minnesota Car Accident questions