Uninsured motorist coverage and underinsured motorist coverage address different gaps: an at-fault driver may have no applicable insurance, or may have too little to cover the loss. Your own liability insurance is intended for claims against you; it is not a substitute for reviewing these protections.
Available coverages and selection rules vary by state. Treat a quote as a starting point and ask the insurer which options apply at your address, which were selected, and whether any rejection form is part of the application.
Distinguish injury from property damage
Uninsured motorist bodily injury and uninsured motorist property damage are separate concepts. A proposal that includes injury protection may not include damage to your vehicle. Ask how collision coverage and any property-damage option interact, whether either has a deductible, and whether the policy restricts when property-damage coverage applies.
Read the limits as carefully as liability limits
A split limit may set one maximum for each injured person and another for the entire accident. A combined limit uses a different structure. Ask the provider to show the applicable limit in a written example involving several injured passengers. Limits for different coverage parts should be recorded in separate rows of your comparison.
Ask about hit-and-run situations
Requirements may depend on whether the other vehicle can be identified, whether there was physical contact, and how promptly the loss is reported. Do not assume every parking-lot incident or unidentified driver qualifies. Record police-report and insurer-notification instructions before a loss rather than trying to reconstruct them afterwards.
Clarify offsets and stacking
Some policies or state rules affect how the other driver's available liability payment is counted and whether limits from more than one vehicle or policy can be combined. Ask for an explanation of your particular proposal. The word stacking on an internet comparison is not enough to establish that your household has it.
Review the household, not just the car
Ask who qualifies as an insured and whether protection may apply while walking, riding in another car, or occupying a rental vehicle. The answer comes from the definitions and exclusions. A multi-car household should understand whether its chosen options differ among vehicles and whether that difference is intentional.
Questions readers ask
Is this coverage required everywhere?
Requirements and opt-out procedures differ by state. Check your state insurance department and the insurer's application documents.
Is underinsured motorist coverage the same as medical payments coverage?
No. They have different purposes, triggers, and limits. Ask the insurer to describe each on the proposal.
Sources and further reading
General educational information. Policy wording, state requirements, and provider decisions control actual coverage. These guides are research-assisted and have not been reviewed by a licensed insurance professional. Examples use hypothetical figures. Report a correction.
Use our worksheet to compare premiums, deductibles, and coverage differences. Your entries stay in this browser tab.
Open the quote comparison worksheet