Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage

What it generally means

Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage can help when you are hurt by a driver who has no liability insurance. Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage can help when the at-fault driver's liability limits are too low to cover the harm they caused.

The idea is simple: the at-fault driver's insurance is inadequate, so your own policy can step in, up to your UM/UIM limits. States differ on whether UM/UIM is required and which parts are mandatory, so check your state regulator's current rules.

What it generally covers

• Injury-related costs such as medical bills and lost income, up to your UM/UIM limits, when the at-fault driver is uninsured (UM) or underinsured (UIM)
• In many policies, compensation the at-fault driver would have been liable for, such as pain and suffering, up to your limits
• Hit-and-run injuries, in some states and policies — confirm how yours treats them
• In some states, optional uninsured motorist property damage for your vehicle, often with its own rules and deductible

What it generally does not cover

• Damage to your own vehicle in most states, unless your state and policy include a property-damage UM component
• Losses above your UM/UIM limits
• Injuries or damage caused by you to other people — that is what liability is for
• Losses the policy excludes, and situations such as some listed-driver or vehicle-use exclusions

Every policy is different. Exclusions, limits, and definitions live in the policy itself, so treat any summary — including this one — as a starting point, not as your policy.

A simple example

Example only — not a rate, a recommendation, or an estimate of any real claim: You are stopped at a light when another driver runs the red light and injures you. They carry only the lowest liability limits and their insurance would not come close to covering your medical costs. Your UIM coverage is the part of your policy that may help bridge that gap, up to your own limits. How it applies depends on your policy and state rules.

How state rules fit in

Illinois requires uninsured motorist bodily-injury coverage at minimum limits. See our Illinois requirements guide for the current sourced figures.

Questions to ask an insurer or licensed agent

Bring these to any quote or policy conversation:

• Is UM/UIM required in my state, and which parts — bodily injury, property damage — are mandatory?
• What UM/UIM limits do I carry now, and what higher limits are available?
• How does a UM/UIM claim work, and what documentation would I need?
• Do the drivers in my household have UM/UIM protection as passengers in other vehicles?
• Can UM/UIM limits be reduced or rejected in my state, and what would that mean?

Keep reading

• Liability: Helps pay for injuries or property damage you cause to others, up to the policy limits.
• Collision: Helps with damage to your own car from a crash, usually after a deductible.
• Comprehensive: Helps with many non-crash losses, such as theft, weather, or animal damage.