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There is no single uninsured motorist (UM) limit that fits every U.S. driver. Start with your state’s rules and the limits available on your policy, then choose protection with a serious injury loss in mind and compare insurer quotes at identical coverage limits. State minimums may not fully protect you or your assets.

What uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage pays for

Uninsured motorist coverage can protect insured people injured in a qualifying crash caused by a driver with no bodily-injury liability insurance. Depending on state law and policy wording, it may also apply to certain hit-and-run crashes, or when the at-fault driver’s insurer denies coverage or becomes insolvent. Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage addresses a different situation: the at-fault driver has insurance, but the available limits are inadequate for the injury loss.

UM and UIM may have bodily-injury and property-damage components. They are not interchangeable: a bodily-injury limit does not automatically include damage to your car. UM property-damage coverage, where offered, has its own terms and may have a deductible. The policy and state definitions determine what qualifies and how coverage applies.

How these coverages differ from other auto insurance

  • Liability coverage pays for covered harm you cause to other people or their property.
  • UM/UIM coverage can protect you and other insured people in qualifying situations caused by another driver who is uninsured or inadequately insured.
  • Collision and comprehensive cover specified damage to your own vehicle; they are separate from UM/UIM. A lender’s requirement for physical-damage coverage does not determine an appropriate UM limit.

Check your state’s rules before choosing limits

Requirements, rejection procedures, available coverage types, and minimum limits vary by state. The NAIC’s 2025 auto insurance database places 23 states in a category requiring UM coverage and 19 additional states in a category requiring it unless rejected in writing. Those are the database’s categories, not a substitute for checking current law where you live; state-specific exceptions and differences apply.

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Confirm your state’s current requirements and available options with its insurance department and your insurer. The actual policy controls, including how your state defines UIM and when hit-and-run coverage applies.

How to decide how much coverage to buy

Because the available NAIC guidance does not establish a universal dollar recommendation or personal formula, use your state’s options and your household’s circumstances to make the choice. Consider whether a selected limit would provide meaningful protection if an uninsured or underinsured driver caused a serious injury to you or another covered household member.

  1. Find your current limits. Check your declarations page and policy wording for UM bodily-injury, UIM, and UM property-damage limits. Note whether bodily-injury limits are stated per person and per accident; do not assume a format without checking the policy.
  2. Check the terms that affect a claim. Review who is insured, the policy’s definitions and exclusions, any hit-and-run requirements, property-damage deductibles, and coordination with collision or health-related coverages.
  3. Consider the potential financial impact. Think about the consequences of a serious injury and what protection your household has from other sources. Health insurance, disability coverage, personal injury protection (PIP), or medical payments coverage (MedPay) may serve different purposes; their existence alone does not establish that UM/UIM is unnecessary.
  4. Ask for prices at more than one limit. Ask your insurer or agent what higher limits cost, then compare quotes with the same coverage types and limits. The NAIC shopping tool advises consumers to note each quote’s coverage limits so they are comparing the same coverage.
  5. Verify state-specific details. Use your state insurance department’s information or consumer assistance if you are unsure whether coverage is required, may be rejected, or is available in a particular form.

Compare quotes on an equal basis

A lower premium is not a like-for-like comparison if it comes with lower UM/UIM limits or omits a coverage component. Use the policy declarations and quote documents to compare the same terms across insurers.

What to compare What to verify
State status Whether UM/UIM is required, optional, or rejectable in your state, and what rejection procedure applies.
UM bodily-injury limits The limits offered and how the policy states them, including any per-person and per-accident structure.
UIM limits and definition The limits and the state- and policy-specific definition of an underinsured driver.
UM property damage Whether it is available, its limit, and any deductible; do not infer it from the bodily-injury limit.
Price The premium for the same limits and coverage types, rather than for a thinner package.
Conditions Covered people, hit-and-run rules, exclusions, and coordination with other coverage.

The NAIC reports that 15.4% of motorists—about one in seven—were uninsured in 2023, citing the Insurance Research Council. Its reported state estimates ranged from 5.7% in Maine to 28.2% in Mississippi. These figures describe population-level estimates, not your individual chance of a crash and not a way to calculate your coverage limit.

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Where to confirm the final choice

Use your declarations page to identify what you have now, but use the full policy wording to understand when it applies. Ask your insurer or agent to explain any unclear limit, deductible, exclusion, or coordination provision, and confirm current state rules with your state insurance department. This is general U.S. consumer information, not an individualized coverage recommendation; the law where you live and your policy language control.

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