Uninsured Motorist Coverage — Wisconsin
Uninsured motorist coverage pays your medical bills and vehicle damage when you're hit by a driver with no insurance or a hit-and-run driver who flees the scene.
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What Is Uninsured Motorist Coverage Insurance?
Uninsured motorist coverage (UM) pays for your injuries and property damage when the at-fault driver has no insurance, carries limits below your damages, or flees the scene. UM coverage fills that gap by stepping in as if the other driver had insurance, up to the limits you select. It covers your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and in some cases vehicle repair costs, depending on whether you carry UM property damage as part of the endorsement.
Who Needs Uninsured Motorist Coverage Insurance?
If you're reinstating a Wisconsin license after suspension for driving uninsured or lapsed coverage, UM coverage addresses the exact scenario that caused your suspension—getting hit by another uninsured driver. Carriers know suspended drivers are higher risk and often require UM limits at or above your liability limits as a condition of issuing a policy, even though Wisconsin law does not mandate it.
If you're financing a vehicle, your lender likely requires collision coverage, which makes UM property damage redundant—skip it and keep UM bodily injury only. Ask your carrier whether they require UM as a condition of writing your policy during reinstatement; if yes, you're buying it regardless, so select limits that match your liability coverage to avoid gaps in a serious accident.
How Much Does Uninsured Motorist Coverage Insurance Cost?
- Whether you add UM property damage alongside UM bodily injury—bundling both endorsements raises the monthly cost but eliminates out-of-pocket vehicle damage exposure in hit-and-run scenarios.
- Your ZIP code and county uninsured motorist rate—Milwaukee County has a higher uninsured driver rate than Dane County, so UM premiums reflect the increased collision risk.
- Your driving record and reinstatement status—drivers reinstating after a suspension for lapsed insurance or DUI pay higher base premiums, and carriers often require higher UM limits as a condition of issuing a policy.
- Stacking options—Wisconsin allows UM limits to stack across multiple vehicles on the same policy, which increases premium but multiplies available coverage in a serious accident.
- Carrier underwriting rules—some Wisconsin carriers include UM automatically at liability limits and require you to reject it in writing, while others treat it as optional and price it separately.
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