Updated June 2026
What Is Uninsured Motorist Coverage Insurance?
Uninsured motorist coverage is your financial backstop when the at-fault driver has no insurance or their liability limits are too low to cover your losses. It pays for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and — if you add uninsured motorist property damage — repairs to your vehicle. The coverage steps in only after you've exhausted the at-fault driver's liability policy, or when no policy exists at all. In Wisconsin, you must be offered this coverage when you buy a policy, but you can decline it in writing.
- You're stopped at a red light on Highway 41 when an uninsured driver rear-ends you at 45 mph. You suffer a concussion and neck injury with $18,000 in medical bills, plus $6,500 in vehicle damage. The other driver has no insurance and no assets. Your uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage pays the $18,000 in medical costs. If you purchased uninsured motorist property damage, it covers the $6,500 in repairs minus your deductible.
- A driver runs a stop sign and T-bones your car, causing $42,000 in medical expenses and $9,000 in vehicle damage. The at-fault driver carries only Wisconsin's minimum liability limits: $25,000 per person. Their insurer pays the $25,000 limit, leaving you with $17,000 in unpaid medical bills. Your underinsured motorist coverage pays the remaining $17,000. Without this coverage, you would absorb that cost yourself or pursue a lawsuit against a driver with no money.
- You return to your parked car outside a Lambeau Field tailgate and find $4,200 in damage to the driver's side. No note, no witnesses, no plate number. Your uninsured motorist property damage coverage pays the $4,200 minus your deductible. If you only carry collision coverage, you'll pay your collision deductible — typically $500 to $1,000 — instead of the uninsured motorist property damage deductible, which is often $250 or less.
Who Needs Uninsured Motorist Coverage Insurance?
If you're working through license reinstatement after a suspension, uninsured motorist coverage matters more than it does for drivers with clean records. Wisconsin doesn't require you to carry it during reinstatement, but a second accident — even one caused by an uninsured driver — can trigger a new suspension if you can't pay the medical or repair bills out of pocket and the other driver has no coverage. Carriers offering SR-22 policies frequently bundle uninsured motorist coverage into their standard packages because suspended drivers statistically encounter more uninsured motorists in post-suspension years.
Compare your health insurance out-of-pocket maximum to the cost of uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage. If your health plan caps costs at $3,000 and uninsured motorist coverage costs $150 per year, the coverage may be redundant. If your health plan has a $8,000 deductible or you have no health insurance, uninsured motorist coverage at $150 per year is significantly cheaper than absorbing a $20,000 injury claim yourself. Add uninsured motorist property damage if your vehicle is worth more than $5,000 and you can't afford to replace it out of pocket.
How Much Does Uninsured Motorist Coverage Insurance Cost?
Uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage typically adds $8 to $18 per month to a Wisconsin auto policy, or $96 to $216 annually. Uninsured motorist property damage adds another $3 to $7 per month.
- Your selected coverage limits — higher limits increase the premium proportionally, with $100,000/$300,000 costing roughly double the state minimum equivalent.
- Whether you stack coverage across multiple vehicles on the policy — stacking multiplies your available limits but increases cost by 30% to 50%.
- Your ZIP code's uninsured driver rate — Milwaukee County and Racine County show higher uninsured rates than Waukesha or Ozaukee, pushing premiums up 15% to 25% in those areas.
- Your at-fault accident history — a recent claim, even one paid by another driver's insurer, can raise your uninsured motorist premium by 10% to 20% as carriers view you as more likely to file.
- Deductible selection for uninsured motorist property damage — choosing a $250 deductible instead of $100 reduces the premium by $2 to $4 per month.