Louisiana · Uninsured driver · Updated Oct 2026

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

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

Short answer

If the at-fault driver has no insurance, you can claim under your own uninsured motorist coverage (included unless you rejected it on the state form). Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage must be included at your bodily injury liability limits, unless you reject it, choose lower limits, or choose economic-only coverage on the state form.

Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage
Included unless you reject it
Minimum liability
15/30/25
Insurance system
Fault (tort)

Uninsured motorist coverage in Louisiana

Uninsured / underinsured motorist (UM/UIM)
Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage must be included at your bodily injury liability limits, unless you reject it, choose lower limits, or choose economic-only coverage on the state form. It can't be lower than 15/30 unless you choose economic-only coverage.
Liability minimum
15/30/25
Official text
Read the official text

Compare every state in the minimum insurance table.

If the other driver has no insurance in Louisiana

  • Drivers with no required insurance also lose part of their own right to sue under 'No Pay, No Play': no recovery for the first $100,000 of injury and the first $100,000 of property damage (La. R.S. 32:866).

State forms and programs in Louisiana

  • If the at-fault driver has no insurance, you can claim under your own uninsured motorist coverage (included unless you rejected it on the state form).

More facts for Louisiana

  • 'No Pay, No Play' was raised to $100,000 for injury and $100,000 for property damage by Acts 2025, No. 16 (HB 434), effective Aug. 1, 2025 (La. R.S. 32:866).

Recent changes in Louisiana

  • Aug. 1, 2025: 'No Pay, No Play' amounts raised from $15,000 injury / $25,000 property to $100,000 each (R.S. 32:866).

How fast an insurer must handle a claim in Louisiana

  • Your insurer must start adjusting a property damage claim within 14 days after you report it (30 days after a catastrophic loss).
  • Insurers must pay a claim due to their own insured within 30 days after satisfactory proof of loss, and pay a third-party property damage claim within 30 days after a written settlement agreement.
  • They must make a written offer on a property damage claim, including a third-party claim, within 30 days after satisfactory proof of loss.
  • If a failure is arbitrary, capricious or without probable cause, the insurer can owe a penalty of 50% of the amount due (or $1,000, whichever is greater) plus proven economic damages, attorney fees and costs.
  • If your own policy includes rental coverage, the insurer must provide it within 3 business days of your written request or risk a penalty (La. R.S. 22:1892).

Claiming from the uninsured driver in Louisiana

Small claims limit for car damage in Louisiana: $5,000 in city court small claims divisions and Justice of the Peace courts, not counting interest, costs and attorney fees. Louisiana small claims guide on Small Claims Map

Step by step if an uninsured driver hits you in Louisiana

  1. Report the crash to the police. If anyone is hurt or killed, or property damage is over $500, you must tell the police right away. Reporting a crash in Louisiana 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 Louisiana it is included unless you reject it.
  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 Louisiana, with the calculator

Free help in Louisiana

Questions about uninsured drivers in Louisiana

Is uninsured motorist coverage required in Louisiana?

Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage must be included at your bodily injury liability limits, unless you reject it, choose lower limits, or choose economic-only coverage on the state form. It can't be lower than 15/30 unless you choose economic-only coverage.

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

Drivers with no required insurance also lose part of their own right to sue under 'No Pay, No Play': no recovery for the first $100,000 of injury and the first $100,000 of property damage (La. R.S. 32:866). If the at-fault driver has no insurance, you can claim under your own uninsured motorist coverage (included unless you rejected it on the state form).

What is the minimum car insurance in Louisiana?

15/30/25

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

2 years for property damage and 2 years for injury.

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

Your insurer must start adjusting a property damage claim within 14 days after you report it (30 days after a catastrophic loss). Insurers must pay a claim due to their own insured within 30 days after satisfactory proof of loss, and pay a third-party property damage claim within 30 days after a written settlement agreement.

More for Louisiana drivers

Nearby states

Sources

Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.