New Jersey Requires Uninsured Motorist Coverage
You're reviewing your policy or getting quotes for multiple vehicles, and you see uninsured motorist coverage listed. In many states, you can decline it. In New Jersey, you cannot. The state mandates uninsured motorist coverage on every auto insurance policy, with no option to waive it.
This requirement applies to every vehicle you insure in New Jersey, whether you're adding a second car to an existing policy or combining household vehicles onto one policy. The mandate is part of New Jersey's minimum coverage structure, sitting alongside liability and personal injury protection as a non-negotiable component of legal registration and operation.
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Get Your Free QuoteNew Jersey Uninsured Motorists
14.1%
One in seven drivers on New Jersey roads carries no insurance. The state's uninsured motorist mandate exists because collision with an uninsured driver is a structural risk, not an edge case.
Insurance Research Council, 2023
What the Mandate Covers
Uninsured motorist coverage pays for your injuries and, in New Jersey's case, property damage when you're hit by a driver with no insurance or by a hit-and-run driver who flees the scene. New Jersey's mandate includes both bodily injury and property damage components.
The minimum limits mirror the state's liability minimums: $35,000 per person for bodily injury, $70,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage. You can buy higher limits, but you cannot drop below these floors, and you cannot remove the coverage entirely.
Because New Jersey also requires personal injury protection, uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage functions as secondary protection. PIP pays your medical bills first, regardless of fault. Uninsured motorist coverage steps in when the at-fault driver has no insurance and your damages exceed what PIP covers—lost wages, pain and suffering, and expenses PIP does not address.
You cannot waive uninsured motorist coverage in New Jersey. Every policy must carry it, and every vehicle on a multi-car policy is covered under the same limits.
How the Mandate Applies Across Multiple Vehicles
The per-person and per-accident limits are policy-level, not vehicle-level. If you carry the state minimum—$35,000 per person and $70,000 per accident—those limits apply to any covered person injured in any covered vehicle. Adding a third or fourth car does not multiply the limits. The $70,000 per-accident cap covers all injuries in a single collision, regardless of how many household vehicles you own.
Property damage coverage under uninsured motorist protection works the same way. The $25,000 minimum applies per accident, covering damage to any vehicle on your policy when an uninsured driver is at fault. If you want higher protection for multiple expensive vehicles, you buy higher uninsured motorist property damage limits—not separate policies. Splitting vehicles across multiple policies to increase coverage is inefficient; raising limits on one policy is the direct path.
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Underinsured Motorist Coverage Is Optional
New Jersey distinguishes between uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage. Uninsured motorist coverage is mandatory. Underinsured motorist coverage is optional, and you can decline it in writing.
Underinsured motorist coverage pays when the at-fault driver has insurance, but their liability limits are too low to cover your damages. Given that New Jersey's minimum liability limits are $35,000 per person, a serious injury can exceed that floor quickly. Underinsured motorist coverage fills the gap between what the at-fault driver's policy pays and what your damages actually cost, up to your underinsured motorist limits.
Carriers must offer underinsured motorist coverage when you buy or renew a policy. If you decline it, you sign a rejection form. Most households insuring multiple vehicles choose to carry it, because the risk of encountering a minimally-insured driver is higher than encountering a completely uninsured one. The cost is typically modest relative to the protection it provides across every vehicle and driver on the policy.
New Jersey Minimum Liability Limits
$35,000 / $70,000 / $25,000
These are the floors for bodily injury per person, per accident, and property damage. Your uninsured motorist coverage minimums match these figures, and you can raise both in tandem when you need more protection.
New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance
Raising Limits When You Add Vehicles
Adding a second or third vehicle to your policy is the natural moment to review whether your uninsured motorist limits still fit your household's exposure. The state minimum protects you legally, but it may not protect you financially if you're hit by an uninsured driver and your medical bills or vehicle damage exceed $35,000 per person or $25,000 for property.
Raising uninsured motorist limits costs less than most drivers expect, because the coverage is priced on a per-policy basis, not per vehicle. A household with three cars pays one uninsured motorist premium for coverage that applies to all three. Compare that to liability coverage, which scales with the number of vehicles and drivers. When you request quotes for a multi-car policy, ask for uninsured and underinsured motorist limits that match or exceed your liability limits. This keeps your protection symmetrical: you're covered to the same degree whether you cause the accident or someone else does.
Compare Carriers That Write New Jersey Multi-Car Policies
Every carrier writing auto insurance in New Jersey must include uninsured motorist coverage in every policy, but premium, customer service, claims handling, and discount structures vary widely. Seventeen carriers write policies in New Jersey, including Allstate, Geico, Progressive, State Farm, Farmers, and New Jersey Manufacturers. Not all write multi-car policies with the same efficiency or offer the same multi-vehicle discounts.
When you're insuring two or more vehicles, request quotes that show uninsured and underinsured motorist limits higher than the state minimum. The difference in premium is often smaller than the difference in protection, and a single serious collision with an uninsured driver can exhaust minimum limits quickly. Use New Jersey's state minimum as the floor, not the ceiling, and structure your uninsured motorist coverage to match the value of the vehicles and the medical exposure of the drivers on your policy.