Personal guide
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage in California
Understand how UM/UIM can protect your household when an at-fault driver has too little—or no—insurance.
What to know first
- UM/UIM addresses covered injuries caused by uninsured or underinsured drivers.
- Uninsured-motorist property-damage rules differ from collision coverage.
- Matching UM/UIM to bodily-injury limits is a strong comparison point where available.
California limits and common starting points
Common selections are 100/300 or 250/500. A protection-focused approach is to compare UM/UIM at the same level as your bodily-injury liability limit, subject to carrier rules.
These are educational benchmarks, not a recommendation for every applicant.Uninsured motorist coverage can respond when a covered person is injured by a driver with no liability insurance. Underinsured motorist coverage may apply when the at-fault driver's limit is insufficient for the covered damages.
California policies and carrier forms differ, particularly for property damage, deductibles, stacking, and who qualifies as an insured. Collision coverage may still be important for vehicle damage.
Review every household driver, regular passenger exposure, medical-insurance deductibles, income, and liability limits. Rejecting or reducing UM/UIM can materially shift accident risk back to the household.