Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage in Connecticut: What Injured Drivers Need to Know
Learn how uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage works in Connecticut: required limits, claim deadlines, and what to do after a crash.
November 11, 2026
By McCoy & McCoy
Connecticut requires drivers to carry insurance, but a crash can still leave you facing an at-fault driver with no policy at all, or one whose coverage is far too small for your injuries. Your own auto policy may be the way out.
Uninsured motorist (UM) and underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage exist for exactly this situation, and Connecticut law (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 38a-336) sets specific rules for how they work, what they pay, and how long you have to make a claim. Here is what injured drivers, passengers, and pedestrians in Connecticut should know.
In short:
- Every Connecticut auto policy must include UM/UIM coverage, with minimum limits of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident.
- Whether you have a UIM claim depends on the at-fault driver’s limits compared with your own UIM limits, not on the size of your bills.
- UIM coverage generally pays after the at-fault driver’s limits are exhausted, and your total recovery is capped at your UIM limit.
- Policy deadlines can be as short as three years from the accident, and UIM claims have their own notice and timing rules.
What is uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage in Connecticut?
Uninsured and underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage is part of your own auto policy that pays for your injuries, up to your policy limits, when the at-fault driver has no insurance or too little. Connecticut requires every auto liability policy to include it, with minimum limits of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident.
What if the driver who hit me has no insurance in Connecticut?
You may be able to make an uninsured motorist claim through your own auto policy. UM coverage can apply when the at-fault driver has no liability insurance, when that driver’s insurer becomes insolvent before paying damages, and in some hit-and-run crashes, depending on your policy and the facts.
This is a claim against your own insurance company, not the other driver’s. UM coverage generally protects the people insured under your policy, and it can apply when you were a passenger or a pedestrian, not only when you were behind the wheel.
If the other driver fled the scene, the details of your policy matter. Review it carefully, or have a Connecticut hit-and-run attorney review it, before assuming you are or aren’t covered.
What's the difference between uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage?
Uninsured coverage applies when the at-fault driver has no applicable insurance, while underinsured coverage applies when the driver has insurance but not enough of it.
- Uninsured: the at-fault driver has no applicable liability insurance
- Underinsured: the at-fault driver has insurance, but the bodily injury limits are lwoer than the UIM limits on your own policy
The second definition surprises many people. Connecticut compares the at-fault driver’s limits to your UM/UIM limits, not to the size of your medical bills or the severity of your injuries. If you and the at-fault driver both carry $25,000 per person, that driver generally isn’t considered “underinsured” under a standard UIM policy, even if your injuries cost far more than $25,000.
That is why the limits you choose for your own policy matter. Higher UM/UIM limits can open the door to a claim when the driver who hits you carries only the legal minimum.
Is uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage required in Connecticut?
Yes. Every Connecticut auto liability policy must include UM/UIM coverage, with minimum limits of $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident, according to the Connecticut Insurance Department.
Unless a named insured chooses otherwise in writing, your UM/UIM limits must match your bodily injury liability limits. If you carry $100,000/$300,000 in liability coverage, you should have $100,000/$300,000 in UM/UIM coverage. Choosing less requires signing an informed consent form, and the limits can never go below the state minimum.
Insurers must also offer UM/UIM limits up to twice your bodily injury liability limits. To see what you actually have, check the declarations page of your auto policy.
How does an underinsured motorist claim work?
Your UIM insurer generally pays only after the at-fault driver’s liability limits have been exhausted by a settlement or judgment, and your total recovery from all sources is capped at your UIM limit.
Connecticut law says UIM benefits can’t be reduced by Social Security disability benefits you receive. And for policies issued or renewed on or after October 1, 2015, they also can’t be reduced by amounts the at-fault driver paid to people who aren’t insured under your policy, or for property damage.
Should I settle with the at-fault driver before making a UIM claim?
Talk to a Connecticut car accident lawyer first. Because UIM coverage generally depends on the at-fault driver’s limits being exhausted, how and when you settle can put your underinsured motorist claim at risk.
The release you sign, whether you accept less than the driver’s full policy limits, and whether your UIM insurer has been told about the claim can all affect what you can recover later. A settlement offer that looks like the end of the road may be only the first step.
If you’ve received a settlement offer from the other driver’s insurer, or a request to sign a release, bring it to a Connecticut personal injury attorney before you respond.
What are the deadlines for uninsured and underinsured motorist claims in Connecticut?
A Connecticut insurer can’t require you to sue or demand arbitration within three years of the date of the accident. Beyond that, the rules depend on the type of claim.
- Underinsured claims: you can extend the deadline by notifying your insurer in writing, before the deadline passes, that you are making a UIM claim, and then filing suit or demanding arbitration within 180 days after the at-fault driver’s limits are exhausted. The notice has to specifically identify a UIM claim. A vague notice of a “potential claim” has been held insufficient.
- Uninsured claims involving an insolvent or denying insurer: if the at-fault driver’s insurer becomes insolvent or denies coverage, your insurer can’t set a deadline shorter than one year from the date you receive written notice of the insolvency or denial.
These deadlines come from your policy and § 38a-336(g). They are separate from the two-year deadline to file a lawsuit against the at-fault driver, which we explain on our Connecticut car accident lawyer page. Don’t assume one extends the other.
Will my own insurance company fight my car accident claim?
It can. Even though it’s your insurer, it evaluates a UM/UIM claim much like any other injury claim and may dispute fault, the extent of your injuries, or the value of your damages.
Many Connecticut auto policies also require binding arbitration of UM/UIM disputes. When they do, a single arbitrator hears claims where the amount demanded is $40,000 or less, and a panel of three arbitrators hears larger ones.
That makes experience with insurers matter. Our attorney, Brian Parrott, spent 10 years as an insurance claims adjuster, so he knows how these claims are evaluated from the inside.
What isn't covered by UM/UIM?
UM/UIM coverage under § 38a-336 applies to bodily injury and death. Damage to your vehicle is handled separately through your collision coverage or a property damage claim.
If you were hurt in a rideshare vehicle or a vehicle you were using for work, other policies may apply as well. Connecticut law also extends an employer’s UM/UIM coverage to employees injured while occupying a covered vehicle in the course of their employment. Because several policies can be in play in these cases, it helps to have an attorney sort out which one applies first.
What should I do after a crash with an uninsured or underinsured driver?
Get medical care, document the crash, and talk to an attorney before you sign anything or accept a settlement. In order:
- Get medical attention and follow your doctors’ treatment plan.
- Call the police and get a copy of the crash report.
- Collect the other driver’s name, plate number, and insurance information if they have any, plus witness contact details and photos of the scene.
- Find the declarations page of your own auto policy so you know your UM/UIM limits.
- Report the crash to your own insurance company, and consider speaking with an attorney before giving a recorded statement.
- Don’t sign a release or accept a settlement from the at-fault driver’s insurer until you’ve talked with a lawyer.
- Contact a car accident attorney early, because UM/UIM notice and deadline rules are technical.
Talk to a Connecticut attorney about your UM/UIM claim
If you were hurt by a driver with no insurance or too little of it, call McCoy & McCoy at (860) 244-9100 for a free consultation. Bring the declarations page from your auto policy if you have it, and we’ll help you understand the coverage you have, what deadlines apply, and what to do before you respond to any settlement offer. We handle car accident cases on a contingency fee basis, so you pay no attorney’s fees unless we recover compensation for you.
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