What Uninsured Motorist Property Damage (UMPD) Covers, State by State

Uninsured motorist property damage coverage, usually shortened to UMPD, pays to repair your car when a driver without insurance causes the crash. It is the vehicle-damage counterpart to uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage, which pays for injuries. The complication is that UMPD is not one uniform product. Some states sell it as a separate coverage with its own limit, some describe their uninsured motorist coverage as paying for both injuries and vehicle repairs, and in at least one state uninsured motorist coverage does not repair cars at all. What you actually have depends on your state and on what is printed on your declarations page.

What UMPD pays for

The California Department of Insurance describes uninsured motorist property damage as paying for the damage to your car from an accident with an at-fault uninsured driver. The Texas Department of Insurance describes uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage as paying when you are hit by someone who had no insurance, or not enough to cover your medical and car repair bills.

Two conditions apply in every version. The other driver has to be at fault, and that driver has to be uninsured or, for underinsured coverage, carrying too little insurance. UMPD does not stand in for coverage when you are the one who caused the crash.

Why the rules vary so much by state

Uninsured motorist coverage is regulated state by state, and state regulators describe quite different products under similar names:

• California: the Department of Insurance says UMPD carries a $3,500 limit, pays only if the uninsured driver is identified, and may not be needed if you have collision coverage.
• New Jersey: the Department of Banking and Insurance says every uninsured and underinsured motorist property damage claim requires a $500 policy deductible, and that drivers on a Basic Policy have no protection when an uninsured or underinsured driver damages their vehicle.
• Oklahoma: the Insurance Department says uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage does not repair or replace your vehicle. It pays for medical care, or compensation for loss of life, for you and your passengers.
• Texas: the Department of Insurance describes uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage as reaching both the medical bills and the car repair bills that an at-fault driver cannot pay.

With a spread that wide, never assume that having uninsured motorist coverage means your car is protected. Look for a property damage line on your declarations page, or ask your insurer directly.

UMPD versus collision coverage

Collision coverage pays to repair or replace your car after an accident, no matter who caused it, minus your collision deductible. UMPD applies only when an uninsured driver caused the crash. That overlap is why California's regulator says you may not need UMPD if you already carry collision.

The two still differ in ways that matter. Collision is broader and usually carries higher limits, but you pay its deductible up front. UMPD is narrower and, depending on the state, may come with a low limit or a deductible of its own. UMPD tends to matter most in a few situations:

• You dropped collision on an older car and carry liability only, so nothing else pays for your car when an uninsured driver hits it.
• Your collision deductible is high and you want a cheaper route when the crash clearly was not your fault.
• You live in a state where uninsured motorist coverage includes property damage by default and want to understand what you are already paying for.

Hit-and-run and the identification problem

A hit-and-run is the clearest example of an at-fault driver who cannot pay, and yet it is exactly where UMPD can fall short. California's UMPD pays only if the uninsured driver is identified, so when the driver is never found, collision coverage is what fixes the car. Other states handle it differently. Washington's insurance regulator says uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage may help pay for damage and injury from a hit-and-run accident or a phantom vehicle, and that you must report a phantom vehicle accident to the police within 72 hours if you are making an insurance claim. The 72-hour rule is Washington's; look up your own state's deadline.

When the other driver is underinsured instead

Underinsured coverage applies when the at-fault driver had insurance, just not enough of it. New Jersey's regulator adds a condition worth knowing: you are only eligible for underinsured motorist benefits if your underinsured limits are higher than the other driver's liability limits. Other states use different formulas, so the limits you pick on your own policy can determine whether this coverage pays anything at all.

How to check what you have

• Locate the uninsured motorist section of your declarations page and look for a separate property damage line, its limit, and its deductible.
• If that section lists bodily injury only, assume your car is not covered under it.
• Ask your insurer whether a hit-and-run by an unidentified driver is covered under your form, or only under collision.
• If you carry stacked uninsured motorist coverage, ask whether stacking applies to any property damage portion or only to the injury limits.
• If you are considering dropping collision on an older car, ask your insurer what UMPD would cost at the same time.

Not sure whether your uninsured motorist coverage includes your car? Lanewise Auto offers plain-English guidance. Tell us what you want help with, call (888) 905-2130, or email contact@lanewiseauto.com, and we will walk you through the uninsured motorist section of your policy. Nothing to buy, no obligation.

The bottom line: UMPD fills one specific gap, damage to your car caused by a driver who cannot pay for it. Whether it is worth carrying depends on your state's version, on whether you have collision, and on how much you could absorb if an uninsured driver hit you. Read the uninsured motorist section of your declarations page before you need it, not after.