North Carolina · Uninsured driver · Updated Oct 2026

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

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

Short answer

Every NC policy includes uninsured motorist coverage, which pays for injuries and property damage caused by an at-fault uninsured driver. Required: uninsured motorist coverage (bodily injury and property damage).

Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage
Required
Minimum liability
50/100/50
Insurance system
Fault (tort)

Uninsured motorist coverage in North Carolina

Uninsured / underinsured motorist (UM/UIM)
Required: uninsured motorist coverage (bodily injury and property damage). Limits equal your highest bodily injury limits, up to $1 million, unless you choose otherwise. Underinsured motorist coverage is also required, and it is no longer reduced by the at-fault driver's liability payment.
Liability minimum
50/100/50 (policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2025; previously 30/60/25)
Official text
Read the official text

Compare every state in the minimum insurance table.

If the other driver has no insurance in North Carolina

  • Every NC policy includes uninsured motorist coverage, which pays for injuries and property damage caused by an at-fault uninsured driver.
  • Underinsured motorist coverage pays when the other driver's limits are too low.
  • NCDOI says no law requires an insurer to give you a rental car, though it's common practice.

Recent changes in North Carolina

  • S.L. 2024-29 § 8(a) also rewrote underinsured motorist coverage: it is now required in every policy and is no longer reduced by the at-fault driver's liability payment; S.L. 2025-4 § 6.2 set its start date as July 1, 2025, for policies issued or renewed on or after that date.

How fast an insurer must handle a claim in North Carolina

  • NCDOI says that after receiving a claim, an insurer has 30 days to acknowledge it: make an offer, deny it, pay it, or tell you the investigation is ongoing.
  • Payments should be mailed or delivered within 10 business days after the claim is settled (NCDOI 'FAQs about Auto Insurance').
  • N.C. Gen. Stat. § 58-63-15(11) also makes it an unfair claim settlement practice to fail to acknowledge and act reasonably promptly on claim communications, among other practices.

Claiming from the uninsured driver in North Carolina

Small claims limit for car damage in North Carolina: up to $10,000; each county can set a lower local limit between $5,000 and $10,000. North Carolina small claims guide on Small Claims Map

Step by step if an uninsured driver hits you in North Carolina

  1. Report the crash to the police. Call police right away if anyone is hurt or killed, or total property damage is $1,000 or more (a 'reportable crash'). Reporting a crash in North Carolina 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 North Carolina it is required.
  4. If your coverage doesn't pay everything, sue the driver before the deadline: 3 years for both property damage and injury.

Free help in North Carolina

Questions about uninsured drivers in North Carolina

Is uninsured motorist coverage required in North Carolina?

Required: uninsured motorist coverage (bodily injury and property damage). Limits equal your highest bodily injury limits, up to $1 million, unless you choose otherwise. Underinsured motorist coverage is also required, and it is no longer reduced by the at-fault driver's liability payment.

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

Every NC policy includes uninsured motorist coverage, which pays for injuries and property damage caused by an at-fault uninsured driver. Underinsured motorist coverage pays when the other driver's limits are too low. NCDOI says no law requires an insurer to give you a rental car, though it's common practice.

What is the minimum car insurance in North Carolina?

50/100/50 (policies issued or renewed on or after July 1, 2025; previously 30/60/25)

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

3 years for property damage and 3 years for injury.

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

NCDOI says that after receiving a claim, an insurer has 30 days to acknowledge it: make an offer, deny it, pay it, or tell you the investigation is ongoing. Payments should be mailed or delivered within 10 business days after the claim is settled (NCDOI 'FAQs about Auto Insurance').

More for North Carolina drivers

Nearby states

Sources

Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.