Uninsured vs. Underinsured Motorist Coverage in Ohio

By the FigureMyTax Editorial Team · How we calculate

Ohio does not require UM or UIM. If you have UIM, it applies when the other driver's available limits are less than yours and pays your limit less those limits. Fault above 50 percent bars the claim.

Uninsured

A driver is uninsured if there is no bodily injury liability bond or policy, the insurer denies coverage or is insolvent, the identity cannot be determined but independent corroborative evidence exists, or the driver has diplomatic or governmental immunity (R.C. 3937.18(B)). Your own testimony alone is not corroboration for a hit-and-run.

Underinsured and how UIM pays

Under subsection (C), UIM applies when the limits available under all liability policies covering the people liable are less than your UIM limits, and your UIM limit is reduced by those amounts. With $100,000 of UIM and $25,000 available, UIM pays up to $75,000, and never more than your UM coverage would pay if the other driver were uninsured.

Fault

Your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault, and you are barred if your fault is greater than the combined fault of all others, so 50 percent is allowed and 51 percent is not (R.C. 2315.33). Ohio has no no-fault threshold for pain and suffering.

Deadlines

Bodily injury actions must generally be brought within 2 years (R.C. 2305.10). Your policy may require a UM or UIM claim within 3 years of the accident, so check it.

Next steps

Stacking is a separate question; see our statute post and the explainer, then use the Ohio UM/UIM stacking calculator.

This is general information, not legal advice, and the state comparisons above are illustrative, not an exhaustive survey. Confirm how Ohio's rules apply to your specific case with a licensed Ohio attorney.