A woman in a beige cardigan and jeans with a brown shoulder bag walks toward a dark parked SUV in a dimly lit concrete parking garage, holding a key fob.

Uninsured Motorist Coverage — Delaware

Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage pays for your injuries and vehicle damage when the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little to cover your losses.

Compare my rates

Free to compare

What Is Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Insurance?

Uninsured motorist coverage (UM) and underinsured motorist coverage (UIM) protect you when another driver causes a crash but lacks adequate insurance. UM pays when the at-fault driver has zero coverage. UIM kicks in when their liability limits fall short of your actual damages. Both coverages pay through your own carrier, not the other driver's—you file the claim with the company you pay premiums to, even though someone else caused the collision.

A vehicle sideswipes you on Route 1 and flees. You never identify the driver. Your uninsured motorist coverage treats this as an uninsured claim and pays for your injuries and vehicle damage. Most policies require you to report the hit-and-run to police within 24 hours and provide a sworn statement. Without UM, you have no collision coverage to fall back on unless you carry separate collision insurance.

A woman in an olive jacket sits in the driver's seat of a car holding a phone to her right ear, viewed through the windshield with the steering wheel in the foreground.

Who Needs Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Insurance?

If you finance or lease your vehicle, your lender may require UM coverage as part of the loan agreement.

Compare the annual UM premium to your health insurance deductible and out-of-pocket maximum. Most drivers find that math compelling. If you carry collision coverage, you already have vehicle protection for at-fault and single-vehicle crashes, but collision won't help if an uninsured driver totals your car and you want to recover your deductible.

How Much Does Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Insurance Cost?

Your ZIP code's uninsured driver rate—areas with higher percentages of uninsured motorists see slightly higher UM premiums.
Stacking versus non-stacking coverage in states that allow it—Delaware does not permit stacking, so this factor doesn't apply here.
Your liability limits—some carriers price UM as a percentage of your liability coverage, so higher liability limits can push UM premiums up slightly.

Related Coverage Types

Driver's point of view from inside a car at night, with both hands on the steering wheel, illuminated instrument gauges ahead, and blurred street lights on the road through the windshield.

Full Coverage Car Insurance→

A man in a dark button-up shirt sits at a wooden desk looking at an open laptop, with scattered papers, a mug, a lit desk lamp, a potted plant and a window showing a sunset sky behind him.

Non-Owner Car Insurance→

A man in a dark jacket sits in the driver's seat of a vehicle, pulling the seat belt across his chest toward the buckle, with a tree-lined street visible through the window.

Liability Insurance→

Driver's-eye view from inside a car at night, with two hands gripping the steering wheel, an illuminated instrument cluster behind it, and a road with blurred lights through the windshield.

Minimum Coverage Car Insurance→

A woman in a tan jacket, dark top and jeans walks across a wet parking lot at night holding keys, with parked cars and lit light poles behind her.

Meet Delaware's Requirements Without Overpaying

Get My Delaware Car Insurance Quote