If you’re looking for the best auto insurance quotes and coverage, then you have to know a thing or two about the market as well as the various forms of auto insurance on it. Each type of coverage is designed for a specific circumstances, and you don’t want to end up wasting money on car insurance that you won’t even end up using, or the opposite - not having car insurance coverage for a specific situation you are facing.
To that end, we’re going to take a deep look at uninsured motorist coverage. We’ll discuss what is uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, and when does uninsured motorist coverage apply. We’ll also cover how much uninsured motorist coverage you may need based on the state that you live in with the help of a table that covers the minimum coverage for each of the 20 states in which it’s mandated.
Uninsured motorist coverage, or uninsured motorist clause, is an auto insurance policy extension that covers any injuries caused to you from uninsured drivers.
1/8 drivers on the road are uninsured, and the uninsured rate continues to rise.
So if an uninsured driver gets in to an auto accident with you, and the collision injures you in any level, he or she may not have any insurance and may not be able to afford your medical costs coverage.
Uninsured motorist insurance coverage, also known as uninsured motorist clause, may be your safest option to protect yourself from the recklessness of others on the road.
This is particularly important if you live in a state where many people are uninsured, which are usually the ones where accidents are less frequent.
Uninsured motorist insurance is actually two different kinds of car insurance merged into one. It consists of the aforementioned uninsured coverage, but it also comprises underinsured motorist coverage. Since these two are functionally identical, they’re always merged into the same policy.
As you would expect from the name, this kind of car insurance is designed to kick in when the driver at fault for the accident is uninsured or underinsured. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the other driver was in the wrong, as the term “underinsured” also encompasses drivers who have reached their policy limits.
In case the other driver doesn’t have car insurance that can pay out for your bodily injuries or the damage to your vehicle, this form of car insurance will kick in and provide you with the required amount of coverage. This amount will come from your own car insurance company instead of the at-fault driver’s.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage will ensure that you’re never left in dire financial straits because you ended up getting into an accident with someone who was driving uninsured. It is also popular in states where insurance coverage is not mandatory, such as Virginia.
There are two forms of uninsured motorist coverage that you can opt for, and some states may require one or both of them, depending on their insurance legislation. The two varieties are uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage and uninsured motorist property damage coverage.
As the name suggests, this form of insurance is designed to cover your medical bills and related expenses if you end up getting injured in a collision with someone who doesn’t have car insurance. In no fault states with PIP (Personal Injury Protection) insurance plans, UMBI may be required to make up for your PIP insurance.
UMBI is still used in no fault states because it typically offers higher payout limits for a lower price than comparable PIP plans. This is because you’re less likely to need UMBI coverage than PIP coverage in no fault states, so it’s less of a risk for insurers to charge lower rates for this type of coverage.
This is about as self-explanatory as UMBI, as this form of uninsured motorist insurance is used to ensure that you have enough money to repair your vehicle after you get into a crash with an uninsured motorist. Along with your repairs, UMPD can also be used to cover rental car expenses and collision deductibles.
Depending on the state, UMPD may automatically apply to each vehicle on the policy. However, if you’re in a state where UMPD isn’t legally mandated, then you may need to add this kind of coverage individually for each vehicle that you own.
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Uninsured motorist insurance is designed for more severe situations in which the driver at fault for the accident doesn’t have any form of liability car insurance coverage. While it’s typically illegal to drive without car insurance, certain states don’t have mandatory car insurance, so it is slightly more common than you may think.
On the other hand, underinsured motorist insurance is used when someone doesn’t have enough of a policy limit to cover all of the damages that they caused. In these cases, your underinsured motorist policy will kick in and cover any expenses exceeding the other driver’s limit, up to the limit of the underinsured policy.
If you’re asking yourself how much uninsured motorist coverage you should get, that depends on the state that you’re living in. Since some states mandate uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage, you’ll need to make sure that you have at least the minimum level of coverage required to legally drive in your state.
If you’re caught without the minimum amount of uninsured motorist coverage, then you’re accepting the risk that you may lose your license at any time. This is because driving underinsured can get your license instantly taken away from you and you may even require SR22 insurance to get it back.
To make sure that you always have the right level of uninsured motorist coverage, the following table will contain the minimum coverage levels for each state that mandates uninsured motorist insurance:
State | Minimum amount of uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage required |
---|---|
Connecticut | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
Illinois | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
Kansas | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
Maine | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
Maryland | $30,000 per person, $60,000 per accident |
Massachusetts | $20,000 per person, $40,000 per accident |
Minnesota | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
Missouri | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
Nebraska | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
New Hampshire | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
New York | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
North Carolina | $30,000 per person, $60,000 per accident |
North Dakota | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
Oregon | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
South Carolina | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
South Dakota | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
Vermont | $50,000 per person, $100,000 per accident |
Virginia | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
West Virginia | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
Wisconsin | $25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident |
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State | Average UM insurance cost |
---|---|
California | $99 |
Florida | $253 |
Massachusetts | $16 |
Maine | $21 |
Ohio | $42 |
Texas | $108 |
Oregon | $46 |
I was hopeful about going with Travelers. My cousin oversees the building of large hotels (the W and Virgin in Nashville) and told me that is who he had used commercially. But after having roof damage from a storm, I have had a really bad experience. From the very first person I dealt with, it became quickly clear from my first dealings and was confirmed throughout the process, is how little they care about the people they insure and how they truly want to pay as little as possible. While my neighbors were having positive experiences with their insurance companies after the storm, mine has been terrible. I would highly recommend staying far away from Travelers Insurance and going with literally anyone else but them. —Jason McAnally
AAA is only good if you never have to use them. My daughter was borrowing my car and got hit by a hit-and-run driver who left the scene. AAA would not pay for damages on my car because she was not on the policy and I didn't have full coverage on my car I did have uninsured motorists but they still would not pay the claim so I have a wrecked car and now AAA is canceling my insurance What a waste of time and money. We reported to insurance board and still nothing was done. I'm going back to allstate, atleast they pay claims.
The quote they gave me was not the correct price. it turned out to be twice the amount they said. Plus the agency is in California 1500 miles away and I received bad customer service.
Horrible, we are DRIV3 Rentals a Car Rental Company in Los Angeles California. One of our clients purchased a Bonzah policy to rent a vehicle from us. An accident occurred where there has been significant damage to our 2021 BMW M4, we proceeded to file a claim with Bonzah. Let me just say the way this company handles claims is from the stone age. They do not contact you anywhere except emails. Our company has been in a 100+ email chain with Paul and Art from Bonzah for at least a month. They have confused our claim with other claims and at times just simply not responded back at all. We supplied all the necessary information needed for the claim and everything seemed ok. Fast forward to last week out of no where Paul stops answering so we call him over and over until he answers at this point he not once told us this by the way that they pulled the police report and our driver isn't listed, this is false as I immediately went to the LAPD police station and found out the report Paul pulled was filed online from one of the other drivers and not an official report from the officer on the scene, the officer on the scene made a statement in which debunks that whole claim and in fact our driver was the driver. I have never in my 20 years in the auto industry been accused of anything like this furthermore Paul stating that oh we don't know if your driver knows the other driver and they could have planned this. Insane really, Paul stated that if we could get a statement from the officer he would expedite our claim and damages check, Paul, Art and Bonzah has since started to ignore us. They don't answer calls, emails, text messages anything for almost 2 weeks now. How ironic that once we debunk their claim of our client not being the driver they stop responding. Don't use this company, stay far away.
We have been with progressive for 18+ but Have to give a one star with this experience. We hit a big rock on the highway. Randell Fergen repair rep . argued with me; claimed I was off roading in my car, which I have never done . Randell told me “this was not an isolated incident”. Because my other wheels had scratches according to him. The auto shop they picked and Randell told me it the wheel just needs a balance . Randell quoted me the price I would have to pay for the balance. I took the car to Discount Tire since the balance is covered. Discount told me “the wheel is bend badly” We called back to the rep Kiera Washington to update her and ask for a new repair rep. She said she could not and when I asked to speak to her supervisor she said “ I’m not dealing with you” and hung up on me ????