Uninsured Motorist Coverage — Washington
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage pays for your injuries and vehicle damage when the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little to cover your losses.
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What Is Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Insurance?
Uninsured motorist coverage (UM) pays when the driver who hits you has no insurance. Underinsured motorist coverage (UIM) pays when their liability limits are too low to cover your full damages. Both come as a package—you can't buy one without the other. The coverage applies to bodily injury and, if you add the property damage endorsement, to vehicle repair costs your collision coverage doesn't handle.
Who Needs Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Insurance?
It's especially valuable if you carry liability-only coverage and skip collision—UM property damage becomes your only way to recover repair costs when an uninsured driver hits you. If you have passengers regularly—kids, carpool riders, elderly parents—UM bodily injury protects them when the other driver's limits run out.
Compare the annual UM/UIM premium to your collision deductible plus your health insurance out-of-pocket maximum. If it costs more, and you already have collision and health coverage, you're paying for overlapping protection.
How Much Does Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Insurance Cost?
- Whether you add UM property damage coverage as an endorsement—bodily injury UM/UIM is standard, but property damage is optional and priced separately.
- Your ZIP code's uninsured driver rate—King County and Spokane County have different uninsured motorist percentages, and carriers price accordingly.
- Your claims history—filing a UM claim can affect future premiums the same way an at-fault collision claim does, even though you weren't at fault.
