Uninsured Motorist

52 guides on uninsured motorist for car accident victims.

National

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage

Uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage pays when the at-fault driver has no insurance or not enough, but how much it pays, whether it's required, and how claims get handled varies by state.

9 min read
Wyoming

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in Wyoming

Wyoming puts uninsured motorist coverage in every auto policy unless you reject it, but state law does not make it cover underinsured drivers. Here are Wyoming's exact rules, limits, and deadlines.

6 min read
District Of Columbia

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in the District of Columbia

When an uninsured, underinsured, or hit-and-run driver hits you in DC, your own UM/UIM coverage pays. Here are the District's exact limits, the $200 deductible, the 60-day settlement rule, and the 2026 reform that hasn't taken effect yet.

6 min read
West Virginia

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in West Virginia

West Virginia builds uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage into every auto policy. Here's how it works, how people lose it, and the deadlines that decide a claim.

6 min read
Wisconsin

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Wisconsin

Wisconsin makes uninsured motorist coverage mandatory at $25,000/$50,000 and bars you from rejecting it, but the reducing clause and optional UIM decide what you actually collect after a crash.

5 min read
Texas

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in Texas

In Texas, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage sits on every auto policy unless you rejected it in writing. Here is how the limits, the $250 property-damage deductible, the physical-contact rule for hit-and-runs, and the Brainard judgment requirement actually work.

6 min read
Utah

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in Utah

If an uninsured or underinsured driver hit you in Utah, your own UM/UIM coverage usually pays. Here are the state's exact rules, limits, and deadlines.

6 min read
South Dakota

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in South Dakota

If the driver who hit you in South Dakota had no insurance, too little, or fled, the coverage that pays is usually your own. Here are the state's exact UM and UIM rules, from the no-waiver mandate to the stacking bans and the UIM offset.

6 min read
Vermont

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Vermont

In Vermont, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is built into every auto policy and can't be waived below $50,000/$100,000. Here's exactly what the law requires, from the gap rule to the deadlines.

6 min read
Pennsylvania

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Pennsylvania

In Pennsylvania, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is optional to buy but must be offered, and strict rules decide whether you have it, how much, and how long you have to claim it.

6 min read
Oregon

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in Oregon

In Oregon, UM/UIM coverage is mandatory and defaults to your own liability limits. A 2015 law (SB 411) ended the old offset so your coverage now stacks on top of the at-fault driver's limits, and a separate two-year deadline governs the claim.

6 min read
Virginia

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Virginia

In Virginia, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is mandatory, can't be fully waived, and since July 2023 stacks on top of the at-fault driver's insurance. Here are the exact rules, limits, and deadlines.

6 min read
Tennessee

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Tennessee

In Tennessee, your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is what pays when the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little. The state's rules on written waivers, the gap rule, and the one-year deadline decide whether you actually collect.

6 min read
Oklahoma

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Oklahoma

What uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage actually requires in Oklahoma, from the written-rejection rule and the 2014 stacking change to the 60-day settlement notice and the two deadlines that govern your claim.

6 min read
Washington

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in Washington

If the driver who hit you had no insurance, carried too little, or drove off, your own Washington UM/UIM coverage can pay. Here are the state-specific rules, numbers, and deadlines.

6 min read
Ohio

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Ohio

Ohio does not require uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, and since 2001 insurers have not even had to offer it. Here is what that means for your claim, plus the setoff, deadlines, and exceptions unique to Ohio.

6 min read
North Carolina

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in North Carolina

North Carolina builds uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage into every auto policy. Here is what it pays, what the 2025 law changed, and the notice steps you have to follow to collect.

6 min read
Rhode Island

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Rhode Island

Rhode Island requires insurers to offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage equal to your liability limits. Here are the exact statutes, dollar figures, waiver rules, and recent court decisions that control UM/UIM claims in the state.

6 min read
South Carolina

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in South Carolina

In South Carolina, uninsured motorist coverage is mandatory and underinsured coverage must be offered. Here are the exact limits, conditions, and deadlines that decide whether you collect.

6 min read
New York

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in New York

In New York, uninsured motorist coverage is mandatory at 25/50 and can't be waived, while underinsured (SUM) coverage is optional and offsets what you collect from the at-fault driver. Here are the exact statutes, limits, and deadlines that decide whether you get paid.

6 min read
North Dakota

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in North Dakota

If an uninsured, underinsured, or hit-and-run driver hurt you in North Dakota, your own UM/UIM coverage pays. Here are the state's exact rules, limits, and deadlines.

6 min read
New Mexico

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in New Mexico

New Mexico has one of the highest uninsured-driver rates in the country, so UM/UIM coverage matters here. These are the state-specific rules: the offset that can make minimum-limits coverage worthless, stacking, valid rejections, and the deadlines to file.

6 min read
Mississippi

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in Mississippi

Mississippi has the highest uninsured-driver rate in the country, which makes UM/UIM coverage essential here. These are the state's actual rules, from the written-rejection requirement to stacking and the three-year deadline.

6 min read
New Jersey

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in New Jersey

If the driver who hit you was uninsured or underinsured, New Jersey shifts protection onto your own policy. Here are the state's exact UM/UIM rules: the 2026 minimum limits, the deadlines, the steps before you settle, and your remedies if the insurer stalls.

6 min read
Nebraska

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in Nebraska

Nebraska makes uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage mandatory on every auto policy and won't let you reject it. Here are the state's limits, triggers, stacking ban, notice rules, and the deadlines that decide whether a claim survives.

6 min read
Nevada

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in Nevada

What Nevada law actually says about uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, from your insurer's offer requirement to the physical-contact rule and how long you really have to file a claim.

6 min read
Michigan

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Michigan

Michigan doesn't require uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, and because it's purely a matter of contract, your policy's fine print sets the deadlines, limits, and conditions. Here's what the statutes and Michigan Supreme Court cases actually say.

6 min read
New Hampshire

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in New Hampshire

New Hampshire is the only state that doesn't make drivers buy insurance, which is exactly why your own uninsured motorist coverage matters here. A statute-by-statute look at the NH rules, limits, and deadlines.

6 min read
Montana

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Montana

Montana requires your insurer to offer uninsured motorist coverage, but underinsured coverage is optional. Here's how the limits, stacking rules, subrogation, and deadlines work, with the statutes behind them.

6 min read
Louisiana

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Louisiana

Louisiana doesn't force you to carry uninsured motorist coverage, but it forces your insurer to offer it, and a single blank on the waiver form can hand it back to you. Here's how UM/UIM actually works after a Louisiana crash.

6 min read
Massachusetts

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in Massachusetts

Uninsured motorist coverage is mandatory in Massachusetts and rose to a 25/50 minimum on July 1, 2025. Here are the state's UM and UIM rules, from required limits to arbitration, offsets, consent-to-settle, and the three-year deadline.

6 min read
Missouri

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Missouri

Missouri requires uninsured motorist coverage on every auto policy and won't let you waive it. Here's what it pays for, how stacking works, and the deadlines on a UM claim against your own insurer.

6 min read
Iowa

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in Iowa

When the driver who hit you has no insurance, too little, or fled, your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage becomes the case. Here is how that coverage actually works in Iowa, including the fine print that quietly ends claims.

6 min read
Kentucky

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in Kentucky

Kentucky builds uninsured motorist coverage into your policy by default but leaves underinsured coverage optional, and one notice step decides whether the claim survives.

6 min read
Minnesota

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Minnesota

Minnesota is one of the few states that makes uninsured motorist coverage mandatory on every auto policy. Here is what the No-Fault Act's rules mean for your claim: the required limits, the hit-and-run and no-stacking rules, and the six-year deadline that starts on the crash date.

6 min read
Maryland

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Maryland

Maryland puts uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on every auto policy, but the gap rule, the July 2024 EUIM change, and a 60-day consent step decide whether you actually collect.

6 min read
Connecticut

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Connecticut

Connecticut requires uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on every auto policy, set to your own liability limits unless you sign a state-approved form. Here is how the coverage, the conversion option, and the deadlines actually work.

6 min read
Indiana

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Indiana

In Indiana, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is built into your policy unless you rejected it in writing. Here are the exact rules, dollar limits, and deadlines that decide what your own insurer owes you.

6 min read
Kansas

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in Kansas

Kansas requires uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on every auto policy. Here are the state's actual rules: the 25/50 floor, how the UIM gap pays, the no-stacking cap, and the certified-mail notice that can make or break your claim.

6 min read
Maine

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Maine

Maine builds uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage into every auto policy by default. Here are the exact limits, the offset math, the deadlines, and the rejection rules that decide what you can collect.

6 min read
Illinois

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in Illinois

In Illinois, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is mandatory on every auto policy. Here are the exact limits, the setoff that shrinks payouts, and the deadlines that apply.

6 min read
Florida

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in Florida

Florida makes uninsured motorist coverage optional, so many drivers who buy only the state minimum have no protection when an uninsured or hit-and-run driver hurts them. Here's what the coverage does, how stacking works, and the deadlines and settlement rules that decide whether a claim survives.

6 min read
Georgia

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Georgia

In Georgia, uninsured motorist coverage is added to your auto policy automatically unless you reject it in writing. Here are the state's exact rules on add-on versus reduced limits, hit-and-run claims, and deadlines.

6 min read
Delaware

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Delaware

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is built into every Delaware auto policy unless you reject it in writing. Here are the exact limits, the underinsured trigger, stacking rules, and deadlines that govern a Delaware UM/UIM claim.

6 min read
Idaho

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Idaho

How Idaho requires uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, the minimum limits, the Pena v. Viking rule that killed offset at minimum limits, and the deadline that actually applies to a UM claim.

6 min read
Arkansas

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in Arkansas

If an uninsured or underinsured driver hits you in Arkansas, your own policy pays. Here are the state's actual rules on what your insurer must offer, how the underinsured trigger works, and the deadline to file.

6 min read
Hawaii

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Hawaii

Hawaii makes uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage optional, so a written rejection can leave you exposed. This guide covers the state's rules on offers, stacking, coverage limits, the no-fault threshold, and the deadlines that apply to a UM/UIM claim.

6 min read
California

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in California

In California, your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage usually pays when the at-fault driver had no insurance or too little. These are the state's specific rules, deadlines, and the coverage gap most drivers don't expect.

5 min read
Colorado

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in Colorado

Colorado makes every insurer offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage on your auto policy. Here are the state's exact rules, limits, and deadlines.

6 min read
Alabama

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in Alabama

In Alabama, uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is built into every auto policy unless you rejected it in writing. Here is how the state's setoff, stacking, notice, and deadline rules decide what you can actually collect.

6 min read
Alaska

Uninsured motorist coverage rules in Alaska

In Alaska, uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage is optional, and a written rejection can stay on your policy for years. Here are the exact rules on what it pays and what can block a claim.

6 min read
Arizona

Uninsured Motorist Coverage Rules in Arizona

Arizona doesn't require you to buy uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, but the rules on offers, deadlines, stacking, and payouts are specific. Here's what governs a UM or UIM claim in the state.

5 min read