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A reasonable starting point is to carry uninsured motorist (UM) coverage that matches your liability limits, since your UM coverage can’t pay out more than the limit you selected — even if your damages are much higher. Beyond that baseline, the right amount depends on choices like add-on versus reduced-by coverage and whether you stack coverage across multiple vehicles.
It’s easy to assume any UM coverage is enough until you’re the one filing a claim against an uninsured or underinsured driver. At that point, the difference between a low UM limit and one that matches your liability coverage can mean the difference between a claim that fully covers your medical bills and one that falls thousands of dollars short.
Because UM policy language varies significantly between insurers, a Georgia car accident lawyer can help you understand exactly what your current policy would (and wouldn’t) cover before you’re ever in an accident.
A common baseline recommendation is to buy uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage (O.C.G.A. § 33-7-11) equal to your liability limits, since it doesn’t make sense to be better insured for the damage you cause than for the damage done to you.
Georgia insurers are required to offer UM coverage on every auto policy, but you can reject it in writing — so it’s worth double-checking your declarations page rather than assuming you have the coverage you think you do.
“Add-on” UM coverage pays your full UM limit on top of whatever the at-fault driver’s insurance pays, while “reduced-by” coverage subtracts the at-fault driver’s payment from your UM limit before paying the difference.
Add-on coverage generally provides more total protection, especially against a driver who has only minimal liability insurance, but it typically costs more in premium than reduced-by coverage.
If you insure more than one vehicle on the same policy, or across multiple policies, you may be able to stack UM coverage, effectively multiplying your available limit by the number of vehicles covered.
Whether stacking is available, and how much it can add, depends heavily on your specific policy language, so this is worth confirming directly with your insurer or agent.
Higher UM limits cost more in premium but provide meaningfully more protection if you’re seriously injured by a driver with little or no insurance — which, in Georgia, happens more often than many drivers expect.
See whether uninsured motorist coverage is required in Georgia for how the coverage works if you’ve never actively chosen a limit.
Add-on coverage pays your full UM limit on top of the at-fault driver’s payment, while reduced-by coverage subtracts what the at-fault driver paid from your UM limit before paying the remainder.
Depending on your policy, insuring multiple vehicles may let you stack UM coverage to increase your total available limit, though this varies by insurer and policy terms.
Generally, higher UM limits provide more protection, though the right amount also depends on your budget and how much liability coverage you carry, since the two are often matched.
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