Guide · California UM/UIM
Uninsured motorist coverage in California
One in six California drivers carries no insurance. When they hit you, the only thing paying your medical bills and lost wages is your own uninsured motorist coverage. Here's how UM/UIM works, what limits to carry, and why we default to including it on every California auto policy.
The California reality
16.6% of drivers carry nothing
Per the Insurance Research Council 2023 study, California has the third-highest rate of uninsured drivers in the country at 16.6%. In certain metropolitan ZIPs the rate runs higher; central Los Angeles, parts of Long Beach, central Santa Ana, and parts of the Inland Empire all see rates above 20%. The 30/60/15 minimum requirement (effective January 1, 2025) doesn't change the underlying enforcement reality: citations are issued after the fact, not before the accident.
What this means practically: when you're hit by another driver, there's a roughly one in six chance they have no insurance. There's an additional meaningful chance they carry minimum limits ($30,000 bodily injury per person) that won't cover the actual cost of moderate injury treatment. Your own coverage backs you up in both cases.
UM vs UIM
The two coverages and what each does
UM (Uninsured Motorist):pays your medical bills, lost wages, and sometimes pain and suffering when the at-fault driver has no insurance at all. Also covers hit-and-run cases where the responsible driver can't be identified (subject to physical contact requirements that vary).
UIM (Underinsured Motorist):pays the gap when the at-fault driver has insurance, but their limits aren't enough to cover your damages. If they carry $30,000 bodily injury and your medical bills come to $80,000, UIM picks up the $50,000 difference (up to your UIM limits).
California auto policies typically bundle UM and UIM together. The limits you select apply to both. You can decline UM/UIM in writing, but we strongly recommend against it for any California household.
What limits to carry
The default that matches your liability
Our standard recommendation is to carry UM/UIM limits matching your liability limits. So if you carry 100/300/100 liability, carry 100/300 UM/UIM. The premium impact is usually $10 to $25 a month at most carriers (illustrative).
The math behind matching: the reason you carry 100/300 liability is that you believe $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident is roughly the right size of coverage for the typical accident scenario. Uninsured drivers cause the same accidents insured drivers do. If 100/300 is the right size for you-cause-harm, it's also the right size for harm-caused-to-you.
Property damage UM/UIM
The separate coverage for your car
UM/UIM Property Damage (sometimes called CDW in California) covers damage to your vehicle when the at-fault driver has no insurance. This is a separate line from bodily injury UM/UIM. Standard limits are $3,500 with a $250 deductible, with options to raise.
If you already carry collision coverage on your auto policy, UM/UIM Property Damage is often redundant because collision pays regardless of who's at fault. If you don't carry collision (older car, liability-only structure), UM/UIM Property Damage is the cheaper backstop for the specific uninsured-driver case.
Common scenarios
How UM/UIM actually pays out in OC
Rear-ended on the 405 by an uninsured driver
Driver behind you rear-ends your stopped car in traffic. CHP report establishes fault. Their insurance? They have none. Your UM coverage pays your medical bills and lost wages up to your UM limit. If you carry 100/300 UM and your bills come to $40,000, all $40,000 is covered. If you carry only the California minimum 30/60 UM, you'd hit the cap at $30,000.
T-boned at a Westminster intersection by a driver carrying minimum limits
At-fault driver carries California minimum 30/60/15. Your medical bills are $75,000. Their carrier pays the first $30,000 per-person cap. Your UIM coverage kicks in for the remaining $45,000 (up to your UIM limit). If you carry 100/300 UIM, you're covered. If you carry no UIM, you're personally on the hook for $45,000 unless you sue and collect from the at-fault driver's personal assets (which they usually don't have if they were carrying minimum limits).
Hit and run on Bolsa Avenue
Driver hits you and flees. CHP can't identify them. UM coverage typically applies (subject to physical contact requirements, which vary). Some carriers require independent corroborating evidence (witness, video) for hit-and-run UM claims. We confirm carrier-specific rules at intake.