How does car insurance work when you are not at fault? This question is about How Does Car Insurance Work?

When you are not at fault in an accident, the other driver’s insurance should cover the damage to your car and your medical bills, up to their policy limits. If it takes time to determine fault, you can file a collision claim with your insurer, which will then seek repayment from the at-fault driver’s insurer. In most states, you should file bodily injury claims directly with the at-fault driver’s insurer, though no-fault states require you to use your own insurance to pay for medical bills. How Car Insurance Works When You’re Not At Fault The at-fault driver’s bodily injury liability insurance will cover your medical expenses in most states. If you live in a no-fault state, you’ll need to file medical claims with your own personal injury protection (PIP) insurance. The other driver’s property damage liability insurance will cover repairs to your car and other items, like fences and mailboxes. If the at-fault driver does not have insurance, you can file a claim with your own uninsured motorist (UM) insurance, if you have it. Depending on your policy, you might also have underinsured motorist coverage (UIM), which applies if the other driver’s liability limits aren’t high enough to pay for all the damage. For more information, check out WalletHub’s guide on what to do after a car accident.

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How does car insurance work when you are not at fault?

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This question is about How Does Car Insurance Work?

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@WalletHub • 02/16/23 This answer was first published on 05/31/21 and it was last updated on 02/16/23.For the most current information about a financial product, you should always check and confirm accuracy with the offering financial institution. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company.

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When you are not at fault in an accident, the other driver’s insurance should cover the damage to your car and your medical bills, up to their policy limits. If it takes time to determine fault, you can file a collision claim with your insurer, which will then seek repayment from the at-fault driver’s insurer. In most states, you should file bodily injury claims directly with the at-fault driver’s insurer, though no-fault states require you to use your own insurance to pay for medical bills.

How Car Insurance Works When You’re Not At Fault

The at-fault driver’s bodily injury liability insurance will cover your medical expenses in most states.
If you live in a no-fault state, you’ll need to file medical claims with your own personal injury protection (PIP) insurance.
The other driver’s property damage liability insurance will cover repairs to your car and other items, like fences and mailboxes.

If the at-fault driver does not have insurance, you can file a claim with your own uninsured motorist (UM) insurance, if you have it. Depending on your policy, you might also have underinsured motorist coverage (UIM), which applies if the other driver’s liability limits aren’t high enough to pay for all the damage.

For more information, check out WalletHub’s guide on what to do after a car accident.

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What are the no-fault states for car insurance?

There are 12 no-fault states for car insurance: Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, and Utah. In these no-fault states, each driver’s car insurance provider pays their medical claims after an accident regardless of who was at fault.

No-Fault Insurance States

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If a car accident is not your fault, does your insurance go up?

If a car accident is not your fault, your insurance rate could still go up, depending on your state and insurance company. On average, a not-at-fault accident makes insurance costs go up by about 12%, compared to 45% for an at-fault accident.

Insurance rates can go up after a not-at-fault accident because statistics show that having any accident on your driving record makes you more likely to file a claim in the future. And...

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Should I call my insurance if it wasn't my fault?

You should always call your insurance company if you get into an accident involving another driver whether you are at fault or not, especially if the accident caused injuries or property damage. Even if you are not at fault, you may still want to use coverage from your insurance policy, like collision or medical payments coverage. If you want to file a claim, you’ll be required to notify your insurance company as soon as possible...

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