Pennsylvania · Uninsured driver · Updated Oct 2026
Hit by an uninsured driver in Pennsylvania: coverage, penalties and what to do
Your coverage, the penalties and how to claim your losses.
Short answer
Driving without insurance: $300 fine, plus PennDOT suspends the vehicle's registration and the owner's license for 3 months (an owner may pay a $500 civil penalty instead of serving the registration suspension in some cases) (75 Pa.C.S. § 1786). Not required.
- Uninsured motorist (UM) coverage
- Not required
- Minimum liability
- 15/30/5
- Insurance system
- Choice no-fault
- PIP required
- $5,000
Uninsured motorist coverage in Pennsylvania
- Uninsured / underinsured motorist (UM/UIM)
- Not required. Insurers must offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage; you may reject it by signing the written rejection forms.
- Liability minimum
- 15/30/5
- Official text
- Read the official text
Compare every state in the minimum insurance table.
If the other driver has no insurance in Pennsylvania
- If the other driver has no insurance, your uninsured motorist coverage (if you bought it) can pay.
State forms and programs in Pennsylvania
- If no coverage applies, the Pennsylvania Assigned Claims Plan can pay up to $5,000 in medical benefits to eligible people (75 Pa.C.S. § 1753).
Penalties for driving uninsured in Pennsylvania
- Driving without insurance: $300 fine, plus PennDOT suspends the vehicle's registration and the owner's license for 3 months (an owner may pay a $500 civil penalty instead of serving the registration suspension in some cases) (75 Pa.C.S. § 1786).
No-fault benefits in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania uses a choice system: drivers choose options that decide how injury claims work, such as no-fault benefits or limits on suing for pain and suffering. The details are below. Choice no-fault. Every policy must include $5,000 in first-party medical benefits, paid by your own insurer first.
How fast an insurer must handle a claim in Pennsylvania
- 31 Pa. Code § 146.5: insurers must acknowledge a claim within 10 working days. § 146.7: a first-party claimant must be told within 15 working days after proof of loss whether the claim is accepted or denied; if more time is needed, the insurer must explain why, then write again after 30 days and every 45 days.
Claiming from the uninsured driver in Pennsylvania
Small claims limit for car damage in Pennsylvania: $12,000 (Magisterial District Courts and Philadelphia Municipal Court). Pennsylvania small claims guide on Small Claims Map
Step by step if an uninsured driver hits you in Pennsylvania
- Report the crash to the police. Call the nearest police right away if anyone is hurt or killed, or if any vehicle is too damaged to be driven and needs towing. Reporting a crash in Pennsylvania and getting the police report
- Write down the other car's plate and get witness names.
- Claim under your uninsured motorist coverage; in Pennsylvania it is not required.
- File your PIP claim on time; Pennsylvania's no-fault benefits don't depend on who caused the crash.
- 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 Pennsylvania, with the calculator
Free help in Pennsylvania
Questions about uninsured drivers in Pennsylvania
Is uninsured motorist coverage required in Pennsylvania?
Not required. Insurers must offer uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage; you may reject it by signing the written rejection forms.
What happens if you drive without insurance in Pennsylvania?
Driving without insurance: $300 fine, plus PennDOT suspends the vehicle's registration and the owner's license for 3 months (an owner may pay a $500 civil penalty instead of serving the registration suspension in some cases) (75 Pa.C.S. § 1786).
What can I do if an uninsured driver hits me in Pennsylvania?
If the other driver has no insurance, your uninsured motorist coverage (if you bought it) can pay. If no coverage applies, the Pennsylvania Assigned Claims Plan can pay up to $5,000 in medical benefits to eligible people (75 Pa.C.S. § 1753).
What is the minimum car insurance in Pennsylvania?
15/30/5
How long do I have to sue an uninsured driver in Pennsylvania?
2 years for property damage and 2 years for injury.
How fast must an insurer handle a car insurance claim in Pennsylvania?
31 Pa. Code § 146.5: insurers must acknowledge a claim within 10 working days. § 146.7: a first-party claimant must be told within 15 working days after proof of loss whether the claim is accepted or denied; if more time is needed, the insurer must explain why, then write again after 30 days and every 45 days.
More for Pennsylvania drivers
- All car accident rules in Pennsylvania
- Comparative fault
- Reporting a crash
- Deadline to sue
- Minimum car insurance in every state
- Guide: hit by an uninsured driver
- Fault and payout explainer
- Deadline calculator
- Insurance claim letter
- Police report request letter
Nearby states
- 75 Pa.C.S. § 1731 (UM/UIM offer)
- 75 Pa.C.S. § 3746 (notice to police)
- 75 Pa.C.S. § 3747 (driver's written report)
- 75 Pa.C.S. § 1702 (financial responsibility amounts)
- 75 Pa.C.S. § 1705 (tort options)
- 75 Pa.C.S. § 1711 (required medical benefit)
- 75 Pa.C.S. § 1753 (Assigned Claims Plan benefits)
- 75 Pa.C.S. § 1786 (penalties)
- 42 Pa.C.S. § 7102 (comparative negligence)
- 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524 (two years)
- 42 Pa.C.S. § 5522 (notice to government unit)
- 31 Pa. Code § 146.5
- 31 Pa. Code § 146.7
- PSP: Request a copy of a vehicle crash report
- PA Insurance Department: complaints, questions, help
Last checked: Oct 24, 2026.