Does auto insurance cover hit and run?
A hit-and-run can be covered through uninsured motorist or collision coverage, but which one applies — and whether you're covered at all — depends on the coverages you carry and your state's rules.
What flips the answer
- Covered when
You carry collision coverage — it repairs your car after a hit-and-run regardless of fault, minus the deductible.
- Covered when
You carry uninsured motorist coverage — a fleeing driver is treated as uninsured, covering your injuries (and property damage where UMPD is available).
- Not covered when
You have liability-only coverage with no collision or uninsured motorist — there's little first-party coverage for your own losses.
- Not covered when
Your state's UMPD rules require physical contact or a police report that can't be met — property-damage coverage may be denied.
When an unidentified driver hits you and flees, there's no at-fault party to bill, so you fall back on your own coverages. Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage is designed for exactly this — a hit-and-run driver is treated as an uninsured motorist. Uninsured motorist bodily injury covers your injuries; uninsured motorist property damage, where available, can cover damage to your car.
Collision coverage is the other path. It pays to repair your vehicle after a hit-and-run regardless of who's at fault, minus your collision deductible. Many drivers use collision for the car damage and UM for injuries, though the exact interplay depends on the policy and state.
Availability varies by state and coverage type. Uninsured motorist coverage is mandatory in some states and optional in others, and uninsured motorist property damage isn't offered everywhere — in some states a hit-and-run may need to make contact, or a police report may be required, for property-damage UM to apply. Personal Injury Protection (PIP) or medical payments coverage can also cover your injuries where you carry it.
If you carry only the state-minimum liability, you may have little or no first-party coverage for a hit-and-run, since liability pays for damage you cause to others, not your own losses.
Whether uninsured motorist coverage is mandatory, and whether uninsured motorist property damage is available (and requires physical contact or a police report) for a hit-and-run, varies by state.
That's the general answer. Yours is written in your actual policy.
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