Updated June 2026
What Is Uninsured Motorist Coverage Insurance?
Uninsured Motorist Coverage steps in when another driver causes an accident but carries no insurance or policy limits too low to cover your losses. It pays your medical expenses, lost wages, and in some versions your vehicle repair costs—expenses you'd otherwise pay out-of-pocket if the at-fault driver is judgment-proof. Virginia law doesn't require this coverage, but insurers must offer it and you must sign a written rejection if you decline. The coverage follows your vehicle, meaning it protects you and your passengers regardless of who's driving your car.
- You're rear-ended at a stoplight by a driver with no insurance. You sustain $18,000 in medical bills and $4,500 in vehicle damage. The at-fault driver owns no property and earns $32,000 annually—a judgment won't recover your costs. Your Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury coverage pays the $18,000 in medical expenses after your health insurance processes the claim, and if you carry Uninsured Motorist Property Damage, it covers the $4,500 repair minus your deductible. Without this coverage, you pursue the at-fault driver in civil court with little chance of collection.
- A driver with Virginia's minimum $25,000 bodily injury liability crosses the centerline and hits you head-on. Your medical costs reach $62,000. Their insurer pays the $25,000 policy limit and closes the claim. Your Underinsured Motorist coverage, if you carry $100,000 in limits, pays the remaining $37,000. Many retirees discover this gap only after an accident—Virginia's minimum liability hasn't changed since 1975 and falls dramatically short of modern medical costs.
- A vehicle sideswipes your car in a parking lot and flees. You file a police report but the driver is never found. Your Uninsured Motorist Property Damage coverage treats this as an uninsured claim and pays for the $3,200 in body panel and paint repair after your deductible. Without this coverage, you file under your collision coverage if you carry it, or pay out-of-pocket if you don't.
Who Needs Uninsured Motorist Coverage Insurance?
Retirees on fixed income should carry Uninsured Motorist Coverage because Medicare treats accident-related injuries as secondary to auto insurance, leaving you responsible for costs if the at-fault driver can't pay. If you've reduced liability limits to save money, this coverage protects you when the other driver carries even less. Drivers in Hampton Roads, Richmond, and Northern Virginia face uninsured motorist rates above the state average, making this coverage particularly cost-effective in those regions.
Compare the annual premium—typically $70–$170—against your ability to absorb a $20,000–$60,000 unrecovered medical claim if Medicare denies accident coverage or processes it as secondary. If that loss would force you to liquidate assets, delay care, or burden family, carry the coverage. If your health plan covers accident injuries as primary and you hold sufficient reserves to self-insure, you can decline it and reallocate the premium to higher liability limits.
How Much Does Uninsured Motorist Coverage Insurance Cost?
Uninsured Motorist Coverage typically adds $6–$14 per month ($72–$168 annually) to a Virginia retiree's premium for bodily injury protection; adding property damage coverage raises that to $9–$19 monthly.
- Coverage limits you select—$50,000 per person costs less than $100,000, but the gap matters when medical bills from a serious accident exceed the lower limit.
- Whether you stack coverage across multiple vehicles on your policy—stacking combines limits but raises the premium proportionally.
- Your county's uninsured motorist rate—Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads show higher uninsured driver concentrations than rural Southwest Virginia, affecting carrier pricing.
- Whether you bundle Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury with Property Damage or purchase bodily injury protection alone.
- Your liability limits—carriers often tie Uninsured Motorist pricing to the liability coverage you already carry, so higher liability limits slightly increase uninsured motorist premiums.
- Claim history in your ZIP code—areas with frequent hit-and-run claims or uninsured driver accidents see marginally higher rates.