What Is Uninsured Motorist Coverage?

Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage is a type of car insurance that can cover medical expenses and property repairs if you are struck by a driver who doesn’t have auto insurance. This coverage type is mandatory for drivers in several states and it may be sold alongside underinsured motorist coverage.

Read below to find out more about uninsured motorist coverage including what situations it covers and why it will likely be worth adding to your car insurance policy.

Key Takeaways Uninsured motorist coverage insures you against bodily injury and property damage in case you are struck by a driver who doesn’t have liability car insurance. The District of Columbia and 19 states require drivers to carry uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage, while six of them plus D.C. also require uninsured motorist property damage coverage. There are 10 states that require both uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, with the latter providing coverage in case the driver who strikes you does not have enough liability insurance to fully cover your claim. Drivers paid about $78 on average for both uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage in 2016.

How Does Uninsured Motorist Coverage Work?

While the at-fault driver’s liability insurance will normally take care of your medical expenses or repair bills if you are injured or your property is damaged in a car crash, uninsured motorist coverage steps in if the at-fault driver was driving without car insurance. In some states, uninsured motorist insurance also covers you if you are the victim of a hit-and-run.

Some states allow you to stack your UM coverage, which means you can multiply your coverage limits by the number of vehicles on your policy.^[1] For example, if your UM coverage provides up to $15,000 for property repairs but you have three vehicles on the same policy, you may be able to claim up to $45,000 for property damage inflicted on one vehicle in a single accident by stacking your coverage.

What Types of Uninsured Motorist Coverage Are There?

There are two main subsets of uninsured motorist coverage: uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage and uninsured motorist property damage coverage.

Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury (UMBI)

UMBI coverage takes effect if you are injured by an uninsured driver whether you are driving in your car or walking on the sidewalk when they hit you. If the injuries occur during a car accident, your passengers and anyone you have given permission to drive your car will also be covered.

Specifically, UMBI insurance can cover medical treatments, lost wages, pain and suffering damages and death benefits. Whenever you file a claim on your UMBI coverage, you generally won’t have to pay a deductible.^[2]

Uninsured Motorist Property Damage (UMPD)

Meanwhile, UMPD insurance covers car repairs if your vehicle is struck by a driver who doesn’t have property damage liability coverage. In addition, UMPD coverage may extend to other types of property damaged by an uninsured driver including your home.^[3]

Unlike UMBI claims, UMPD claims usually require a deductible.^[2] However, you may be able to buy UM coverage that instead acts as a collision deductible waiver (CDW). This means your collision insurance will cover repairs to your vehicle but your UM coverage will take care of your collision insurance deductible if the at-fault driver was uninsured.^[4]

How Much Does Uninsured Motorist Coverage Cost?

In 2016, drivers paid an average combined premium of around $78 per covered vehicle for both uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage.^[5] Keep in mind that the average cost is likely higher now on account of inflation and the fact that the average rate of uninsured drivers nationwide has risen since then.^[6]

You will likely pay more for coverage if you live in an area with a high number of uninsured drivers since there is a greater chance that you will need to file an uninsured motorist claim.

As a result, you should expect to pay more for coverage in the District of Columbia than in Maine because about a quarter of drivers in D.C. drove a car without liability insurance at some point in 2022, while only 6.2% of drivers did so in Maine.^[6]

Is Uninsured Motorist Coverage Required?

UMBI coverage is required by law in several states, with a handful of these states also requiring UMPD coverage. See the below table for a breakdown of how much UM insurance drivers must carry.^[7]

State/District	Minimum UMBI Coverage Limits	Minimum UMPD Coverage Limit
Connecticut	$25,000 per person $50,000 per accident	N/A
District of Columbia	$25,000 per person $50,000 per accident	$5,000
Illinois	$25,000 per person $50,000 per accident	N/A
Kansas	$25,000 per person $50,000 per accident	N/A
Maine	$50,000 per person $100,000 per accident	N/A
Maryland	$30,000 per person $60,000 per accident	$15,000
Massachusetts	$20,000 per person $40,000 per accident	N/A
Minnesota	$25,000 per person $50,000 per accident	N/A
Missouri	$25,000 per person $50,000 per accident	N/A
Nebraska	$25,000 per person $50,000 per accident	N/A
New Jersey	$25,000 per person $50,000 per accident	$25,000
New York	$25,000 per person $50,000 per accident	N/A
North Carolina	$30,000 per person $60,000 per accident	$25,000
North Dakota	$25,000 per person $50,000 per accident	N/A
Oregon	$25,000 per person $50,000 per accident	N/A
South Carolina	$25,000 per person $50,000 per accident	$25,000
South Dakota	$25,000 per person $50,000 per accident	N/A
Vermont	$50,000 per person $100,000 per accident	$10,000
West Virginia	$25,000 per person $50,000 per accident	$25,000
Wisconsin	$25,000 per person $50,000 per accident	N/A

Although car insurance isn’t legally mandatory in New Hampshire, drivers who do opt to purchase auto insurance must buy policies that include UM coverage.^[8] Meanwhile, you can only go without UM coverage in Rhode Island if your policy comes with the lowest bodily injury liability coverage limit that is legally allowed in the state.^[9]

What Happens if You Don’t Have Uninsured Motorist Coverage?

If you live in a state that requires uninsured motorist coverage, then going without it could be punishable by license suspension, fines and potentially even imprisonment. However, if your state doesn’t require UM coverage, your medical expenses or property repairs may be covered by your collision coverage, personal injury protection (PIP) or medical payments coverage (Medpay) instead.

If you don’t have any of the above coverage types, you could be totally on the hook for your own expenses after an accident even if you weren’t responsible for it. Alternatively, you could be forced to take the at-fault driver to court and wait for a lengthy legal process to be resolved before being reimbursed.

You should note that 14% of drivers across the United States operated a personal motor vehicle without liability insurance in 2022, so it’s important to make sure you have uninsured motorist coverage with sufficient coverage limits.^[6]

Is Underinsured Motorist Coverage the Same as Uninsured Coverage?

Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage is not the same as uninsured motorist coverage, although the two coverage types have similar functions and are often sold alongside each other. In fact, the following states require drivers to carry underinsured motorist coverage in addition to UM coverage:^[7]

• Connecticut
• Kansas
• Maine
• Maryland
• Minnesota
• Nebraska
• New Jersey
• North Dakota
• Oregon
• South Dakota
• Vermont

In addition, auto insurance policies in Illinois and North Carolina are required to include underinsured motorist coverage if they come with higher liability coverage limits than the state-mandated minimum amounts.^[10][11]

What Is Underinsured Motorist Coverage?

UIM coverage protects you in case you are struck by a driver who has liability insurance but doesn’t have high enough coverage limits to fully cover your expenses. Like UM insurance, UIM insurance can cover both bodily injury and property damage claims.

UIM coverage is important because state-mandated liability coverage limits are fairly low. Experts often recommend buying about four to six times more liability insurance than the amount that is most commonly required around the country.^[12] As a result, it is quite likely that someone who only has minimum coverage won’t be able to completely reimburse you after a serious accident.

How Does Underinsured Motorist Coverage Work?

Some UIM policies will not pay out up to your coverage limit after a covered claim, instead paying out the difference between your UIM coverage limit and the at-fault driver’s liability coverage limit. For example, if you have $50,000 worth of UIM bodily injury coverage per person and are struck by a driver with $20,000 worth of bodily injury liability coverage per person, your insurer may contribute up to $30,000 toward your medical expenses.

How To File an Uninsured Motorist Claim

If you have been hit by a driver who doesn’t have auto insurance, you should take the following steps to file a car insurance claim:

1. Pull over to a safe spot and call 911 so first responders can tend to anyone who is injured and fill out a police report.
2. Take pictures of the damaged parts of your vehicle and, if it was not a hit-and-run, talk to the at-fault driver to exchange information and determine whether they have liability insurance.
3. Submit photos, police reports and other relevant documentation to your car insurance company.
4. Make sure you know what your coverage limits are and whether the claim will require a deductible so you can get an idea of how much money to expect from your insurance settlement.
5. If you are filing a property damage claim, contact a mechanic to get an estimate of how much repairs will cost.
6. Use your insurance payout to cover your medical expenses and repair costs or, if you believe the payout is too low, contest it.