Connecticut · Uninsured driver · Updated Oct 2026

Hit by an uninsured driver in Connecticut: coverage, penalties and what to do

Your coverage, the penalties and how to claim your losses.

Short answer

Your own required uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage pays for your injuries if an uninsured or underinsured driver hurts you. Required.

Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage
Required
Minimum liability
25/50/25
Insurance system
Fault (tort)

Uninsured motorist coverage in Connecticut

Uninsured / underinsured motorist (UM/UIM)
Required. Your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage must equal your bodily injury liability limits unless you ask in writing (on a signed informed-consent form) for less, and never less than 25/50. Insurers must also offer UM/UIM at twice your liability limits (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 38a-336).
Liability minimum
25/50/25 (or $50,000 single limit)
Official text
Read the official text

Compare every state in the minimum insurance table.

If the other driver has no insurance in Connecticut

  • Your own required uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage pays for your injuries if an uninsured or underinsured driver hurts you.

State forms and programs in Connecticut

  • For a dispute with an insurer over car damage when fault and coverage are not in dispute, see the state Auto Arbitration Program.

Penalties for driving uninsured in Connecticut

  • An owner who drives or lets someone drive without required insurance can be fined $100 to $1,000, and the DMV suspends the owner's registration and license for 1 month (6 months for a repeat) (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-213b).

How fast an insurer must handle a claim in Connecticut

  • State law bans insurers, as a general business practice, from failing to acknowledge and act with reasonable promptness on claims, failing to affirm or deny coverage within a reasonable time after proof of loss, and not trying in good faith to settle promptly when liability is reasonably clear (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 38a-816(6)).
  • The statute sets no fixed number of days.

Claiming from the uninsured driver in Connecticut

Small claims limit for car damage in Connecticut: $5,000 plus interest and costs. Connecticut small claims guide on Small Claims Map

Step by step if an uninsured driver hits you in Connecticut

  1. Report the crash to the police. Stop at once and help anyone hurt. Reporting a crash in Connecticut and getting the police report
  2. Write down the other car's plate and get witness names.
  3. Claim under your uninsured motorist coverage; in Connecticut it is required.
  4. If your coverage doesn't pay everything, sue the driver before the deadline: 2 years for both property damage and injury. Deadlines to sue in Connecticut, with the calculator

Free help in Connecticut

Questions about uninsured drivers in Connecticut

Is uninsured motorist coverage required in Connecticut?

Required. Your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage must equal your bodily injury liability limits unless you ask in writing (on a signed informed-consent form) for less, and never less than 25/50. Insurers must also offer UM/UIM at twice your liability limits (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 38a-336).

What happens if you drive without insurance in Connecticut?

An owner who drives or lets someone drive without required insurance can be fined $100 to $1,000, and the DMV suspends the owner's registration and license for 1 month (6 months for a repeat) (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-213b).

What can I do if an uninsured driver hits me in Connecticut?

Your own required uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage pays for your injuries if an uninsured or underinsured driver hurts you. For a dispute with an insurer over car damage when fault and coverage are not in dispute, see the state Auto Arbitration Program.

What is the minimum car insurance in Connecticut?

25/50/25 (or $50,000 single limit)

How long do I have to sue an uninsured driver in Connecticut?

2 years for property damage and 2 years for injury.

How fast must an insurer handle a car insurance claim in Connecticut?

State law bans insurers, as a general business practice, from failing to acknowledge and act with reasonable promptness on claims, failing to affirm or deny coverage within a reasonable time after proof of loss, and not trying in good faith to settle promptly when liability is reasonably clear (Conn. Gen. Stat. § 38a-816(6)). The statute sets no fixed number of days.

More for Connecticut drivers

Nearby states

Sources

Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.