Picture a red light in Miramar. You are stopped, the car behind you is not, and a few weeks later you learn the other driver carried no bodily injury coverage, or far too little for your medical bills and time off work. Who pays the difference? For many Florida drivers, the answer sits in one line of their own auto policy: uninsured motorist coverage. It is an important part of a Florida auto policy, and one of the easiest to overlook, because it is optional and the decision about it is often made once, at the start of a policy, and then forgotten.
This guide explains what uninsured motorist (UM) coverage is designed to do in Florida, the choices that shape it, and how to check what you actually have.
Florida’s basic requirement leaves a gap
According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, most Florida vehicles must carry at least $10,000 of personal injury protection (PIP) and $10,000 of property damage liability (PDL). PIP generally pays 80 percent of necessary and reasonable medical expenses up to $10,000, regardless of who caused the crash. Bodily injury liability, the coverage that pays for injuries a driver causes to other people, is not part of that basic requirement for most drivers.
That means the driver who hits you may have no bodily injury coverage at all, or only modest limits. If your injuries cost more than PIP pays, recovering the rest from that driver can be difficult. UM coverage is designed for exactly that situation.
What uninsured motorist coverage is designed to pay
The Florida Department of Financial Services describes UM in its Automobile Insurance Toolkit (June 2023) as optional coverage that lets you collect from your own insurance company the amounts you could have collected from the at-fault driver if that driver had been insured. Depending on the claim and the policy, that can include medical expenses beyond PIP, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Despite the name, UM is not only about drivers with no insurance. Under section 627.727, Florida Statutes (2026), an “uninsured motor vehicle” includes a vehicle whose liability insurer provided bodily injury limits that are less than the total damages, which is why the coverage is often called uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Depending on the policy terms, it may also protect household members and passengers, not only the named insured.
UM is about injuries to people. Damage to your car is usually handled under other parts of the policy, such as collision coverage, so it is worth reviewing those separately.
Three decisions that shape your UM coverage
1. Whether you have it at all
Florida law requires an auto policy that includes bodily injury liability coverage to also include UM coverage, unless a named insured rejects it in writing on a form approved by the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. That rejection applies on behalf of everyone insured under the policy. If your policy has no bodily injury liability, UM is generally not part of the conversation, which is one more reason to look at your liability limits too.
2. How much you carry
By statute, UM limits are generally not less than the bodily injury liability limits you buy, unless the named insured selects lower limits on the approved form. Choosing lower UM limits may change the premium, but it also lowers the amount available if you are hurt by a driver with little or no coverage.
3. Stacked or non-stacked
Florida insurers may offer a non-stacked form of UM that the insured has to accept. The DFS toolkit explains the difference: with stacked UM, the available limit increases with the number of vehicles you own and insure, while non-stacked UM caps the amount at the limit shown on the policy, no matter how many vehicles you insure. How each form applies in a specific accident depends on the policy wording, so this is a good question to ask about your own policy.
Why an old decision may still be on your policy
A UM rejection or a selection of lower limits does not expire on its own. The statute allows it to carry over to renewals and to policies that replace or change an existing policy with the same bodily injury limits, and the non-stacked selection also continues at renewal unless you ask to change it. Your insurer must notify you at least once a year of your UM options, usually with your renewal paperwork, but that notice is easy to skim past.
In practice, a choice made years ago, for a different car, a different budget or a different household, may still be shaping your coverage today. Life changes such as adding a teen driver, buying a new vehicle or raising your liability limits are natural times to revisit it. If you are also reviewing larger liability protection, our guide to personal umbrella insurance in Florida explains how umbrella coverage sits on top of auto and home limits; whether an umbrella includes any UM coverage varies by insurer.
How to check your UM coverage in a few minutes
Pull up your current auto declarations page, either the paper copy or the one in your insurer’s app or portal, and look for these details:
- Bodily injury liability limits, usually shown as two numbers, per person and per accident.
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist limits, and whether they match your bodily injury limits.
- “Stacked” or “non-stacked” next to the UM line.
- No UM line at all, which may mean the coverage was rejected. You can ask your agent or insurer for a copy of the signed form.
If anything is unclear, write down your questions before you call. You can also see the personal coverages our team works with, including auto, on our personal insurance page.
Questions we often hear
Does my health insurance make UM unnecessary?
Not necessarily. Health insurance may help with medical bills, but UM is designed to respond to more than medical expenses, such as lost wages and pain and suffering, and the DFS toolkit notes that health insurance often does not cover some types of care. How the two interact depends on both policies.
Can I add or change UM in the middle of a policy term?
Many insurers allow changes during the term, subject to their rules and underwriting, and the new terms usually apply from the change date forward, not to an accident that already happened. Ask your agent how your insurer handles it.
Want a second look at your auto policy?
If you are not sure what your UM line says, or whether it still fits your household, our team can review your current auto policy with you, explain your options and prepare a quote if you would like one. Contact us any time.
EZ Assurance Group, Inc.
Phone: (954) 493-1110
Email: info@ezassurancegroup.com
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Disclaimer (October 2026): This article is general information about uninsured motorist coverage in Florida. It does not describe or change the coverage of any specific policy, and it is not legal advice. Coverage, limits, stacking options, exclusions, premiums and eligibility vary by insurer and depend on the actual policy terms and underwriting. Statute references are to section 627.727 of the 2026 Florida Statutes; minimum coverage information is from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (checked October 2026) and the Florida Department of Financial Services Automobile Insurance Toolkit (June 2023). Sources were current when published and may change. For questions about a specific accident or claim, consult your insurer or a licensed attorney.