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Uninsured motorist coverage protects you when the driver who hits you has no insurance, or too little of it. A noticeable share of drivers on US roads are uninsured, and plenty more carry only the state minimum. If one of them hits you, your own medical bills and car repairs have to come from somewhere. This coverage makes sure the answer is not your savings account.
What it covers
Uninsured motorist coverage usually comes in two parts. Uninsured motorist bodily injury pays for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering when an uninsured driver injures you or your passengers. Underinsured motorist coverage kicks in when the at-fault driver has insurance, but not enough to cover your losses. Your policy pays the difference up to your own limits.
Uninsured motorist property damage is the second part. It pays to repair or replace your car when an uninsured driver damages it. Some states offer it, some fold it into collision coverage instead, and a few do not offer it at all. Hit-and-run drivers are typically treated as uninsured, so this coverage also matters when the other driver flees the scene.
Do you need it
In about half the states, the answer is decided for you: uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage is required by law, at least at minimum limits. In the rest, it is optional, which is where the real decision lives.
Think about what happens without it. If an uninsured driver hits you and you carry only liability insurance, your policy pays the other driver nothing (they were at fault, not you), and it pays you nothing either. You would be left chasing the at-fault driver in court, and uninsured drivers rarely have assets worth chasing. Your health insurance would cover medical bills up to its own limits, but car repairs, lost income, and the rest would be yours to absorb.
It is one of the cheapest coverages on a typical policy, often adding only a modest amount per month. For what it covers, most drivers get solid value from it. Our guide to full coverage car insurance explains how it fits alongside collision, comprehensive, and liability.
How much to carry
The limits you pick for uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage usually have to match your liability limits, or at least cannot exceed them in many states. A common approach is to match them exactly. If you carry 100/300 liability limits, carry 100/300 uninsured motorist limits too. The logic is simple: your protection against other drivers should be as strong as your protection against claims from them.
Pay attention to stacking rules in your state. In some states, if you insure two cars with 50/100 uninsured motorist limits each, you can stack them into 100/200 of coverage after an accident. In others, stacking is not allowed. It is worth asking your insurer which rule applies to you, because it changes how much protection you actually have.
Common situations where it pays off
Hit-and-runs are the classic case. The other driver is gone, the police may never find them, and without uninsured motorist coverage you would be filing on your collision coverage, paying your deductible, and taking the hit on your claims history. With it, the claim goes through your uninsured motorist coverage instead.
Underinsured drivers are the other big one. State minimum liability limits are low in many places, and a serious accident can produce medical bills far beyond them. Underinsured motorist coverage bridges that gap. Given how little it typically costs to add, skipping it is one of the riskier ways to save on a policy. If you are reviewing your whole policy, our list of ways to lower your car insurance premium shows which cuts are safe and which ones leave you exposed.
What to check on your policy
Pull up your declarations page and look for two lines: uninsured motorist bodily injury and uninsured motorist property damage (or underinsured equivalents). Check the limits, confirm they match your liability limits, and check whether your state allows stacking. If the coverage is missing entirely and your state does not require it, get a quote for adding it before your next renewal. It is one of those coverages you never think about until the day you need it, and on that day nothing else substitutes.
