State Farm insurance uninsured motorist coverage protects you financially if you are hit by a driver who does not have auto liability insurance or does not carry enough coverage to pay for your damages. It also applies in hit-and-run accidents where the responsible driver cannot be identified. State Farm offers this coverage to pay for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and in some states, physical damage to your vehicle.
Understanding Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage
State Farm breaks this protection down into two distinct types of coverage: Uninsured Motorist (UM) coverage and Underinsured Motorist (UIM) coverage. While they are often bundled together on your policy page, they address slightly different financial scenarios.
Uninsured motorist coverage applies when the driver at fault has no auto insurance policy at all, or when you are involved in a hit-and-run incident where the driver flees the scene. Underinsured motorist coverage kicks in when the at-fault driver has liability insurance, but their policy limits are too low to pay for the full extent of your injury claims or vehicle repairs.
Without these coverages, you would have to pay your remaining medical expenses or repair bills out of pocket, or attempt to sue the at-fault driver directly, which is often unsuccessful if that driver lacks financial assets.
What State Farm Uninsured Motorist Coverage Includes
State Farm divides uninsured motorist protection into two primary categories: Bodily Injury (UMBI) and Property Damage (UMPD). Depending on your preference and state laws, you can adjust your policy limits for both.
Uninsured Motorist Bodily Injury pays for medical bills and related expenses resulting from bodily harm caused by an uninsured or underinsured driver. This coverage extends beyond just the policyholder. It typically protects you, family members who live in your household, and any passengers riding in your insured vehicle at the time of the crash. It also protects you and your household family members as pedestrians if struck by an uninsured vehicle.
Uninsured Motorist Property Damage pays for repairs to your vehicle or compensates you for its total loss if an uninsured driver damages it. In some states, UMPD also covers damage to other personal property inside your car. However, UMPD is not available in every state, and where it is available, it often includes a mandatory deductible set by state regulation or State Farm policy terms.
- Medical bills, emergency room visits, surgery, and ongoing physical therapy
- Lost wages and loss of future earning capacity due to injury
- Pain, suffering, and emotional distress caused by the accident
- Funeral costs in the event of a fatal collision
- Vehicle repair costs or fair market cash value for a totaled car
How Coverage Limits Work with State Farm
When you choose State Farm insurance uninsured motorist coverage, you select specific financial limits. These limits are structured as split limits or a single combined limit. Split limits appear on your policy documents as three numbers, such as 50,000, 100,000, and 25,000, or abbreviated as 50/100/25.
The first number represents the maximum amount State Farm will pay for bodily injury per person in a single accident. The second number is the maximum amount the policy will pay for bodily injury total per accident, regardless of how many people are injured. The third number is the limit for property damage per accident.
State Farm generally limits your uninsured motorist coverage choices based on your primary bodily injury liability limits. In most cases, your uninsured motorist limits cannot exceed the liability limits you carry to cover damage you might cause to others.
Stacking Uninsured Motorist Coverage
In select states, State Farm allows or requires policyholders to consider “stacked” versus “non-stacked” uninsured motorist coverage if they insure multiple vehicles under the same household policy.
Stacking increases your overall coverage limit by multiplying your per-vehicle limit by the number of insured cars on your policy. For example, if you carry 50,000 dollars in UM coverage on two different cars and choose stacked coverage, your effective limit becomes 100,000 dollars per person. Unstacked coverage keeps the limits separate, meaning the coverage limit on the specific vehicle involved in the crash is the maximum available amount.
Stacking increases your monthly premium because it offers significantly higher financial protection. State laws strictly govern whether stacking is available, optional, or prohibited, so options vary depending on where your vehicle is registered.
State Requirements and Mandatory Coverage Rules
Auto insurance regulations are determined at the state level, which directly impacts how State Farm offers uninsured motorist protection. In some states, uninsured motorist coverage is required by law, and State Farm automatically includes it in every auto quote.
In states where the coverage is optional, State Farm is usually required to offer it to you in writing. If you decide not to purchase uninsured motorist coverage in these states, State Farm will require you to sign an official waiver or rejection form documenting that you declined the coverage.
Because state laws differ on whether hit-and-run claims require physical contact between vehicles to qualify for UM coverage, local statutes heavily influence how State Farm handles phantom vehicle claims, where a driver causes a crash without touching your car and flees.
Filing an Uninsured Motorist Claim with State Farm
Filing an uninsured motorist claim with State Farm follows a process similar to standard claims, but with key differences in how fault and driver identity are verified.
- Report the accident to local law enforcement immediately, ensuring you obtain a police report, especially in hit-and-run scenarios.
- Gather details at the scene, including driver information, vehicle descriptions, witness contact details, and photos of damage and injuries.
- Notify State Farm through the mobile app, online portal, or by contacting your local State Farm agent directly to initiate the claim.
- Provide documentation of injuries, medical treatment records, receipts, and proof of lost wages to your assigned claims representative.
- Complete State Farm’s claim investigation process while their adjusters verify that the at-fault driver was indeed uninsured or underinsured.
When you file a UM or UIM claim, you are filing against your own State Farm policy, but the process remains adversarial in terms of proving fault and documenting damages. State Farm acts in place of the uninsured driver’s insurance company to evaluate the true value of your damages.
How Uninsured Motorist Claims Affect Your Rates
A major concern for drivers is whether using their State Farm insurance uninsured motorist coverage will cause their insurance rates to go up. In general, claims filed under uninsured motorist coverage occur because another party was at fault for the accident.
In many states, insurance regulations prevent State Farm and other insurers from raising your premium rates for claims where you were completely free of fault. However, if state laws permit, or if state rules allow loss of multi-car or safe-driver discounts after any claim payment, you could see an adjustment in your overall policy rate upon renewal.
Keeping full records of the crash and securing a police report confirming the other driver was at fault remains the best way to protect both your claim payout and your insurance profile.
