Alaska Lets You Choose
You're adding a second car to your Alaska policy, and the carrier asks whether you want uninsured motorist coverage on both vehicles. Alaska doesn't require it. Your liability coverage handles damage you cause, but UM pays for damage someone without insurance causes to you. The choice sits in front of you for every vehicle on the policy.
Most households treat this as a yes-or-no question for the whole policy. The structural reality: UM coverage applies per vehicle, and you can set different limits for each car on a multi-vehicle policy. A newer car might justify higher UM limits than an older one you're planning to replace. The decision repeats every time you add a vehicle.
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Get Your Free QuoteAlaska Uninsured Driver Rate
12.5%
One in eight drivers on Alaska roads carries no insurance. When an uninsured driver hits your car, your liability coverage doesn't apply because you didn't cause the crash. UM coverage fills that gap.
Insurance Information Institute, 2023
What Uninsured Motorist Coverage Actually Pays
UM coverage pays for damage to your vehicle when the at-fault driver has no insurance. It also covers your medical bills and those of your passengers. Alaska is a tort state, meaning the at-fault driver is legally responsible for your losses. When that driver has no coverage, you have two options: sue them directly for the full amount, or file a UM claim with your own carrier up to your UM limit.
The UM limit you choose sets the ceiling. You're responsible for the remaining $25,000 unless you recover it from the at-fault driver. UM property damage works the same way: the limit you select is the maximum your carrier pays for vehicle repairs.
UM coverage does not pay when you cause the crash. It does not replace collision coverage, which pays for damage to your car regardless of fault. UM applies only when someone else is at fault and has no insurance to cover your loss.
Alaska law requires carriers to offer UM coverage, but you can decline it in writing. Once you decline, you must request it explicitly to add it back.
Setting UM Limits Across Multiple Vehicles
Start with the vehicle's replacement cost. If an uninsured driver totals the newer car, your UM coverage pays up to the limit you selected. Many households set UM limits to match each vehicle's actual cash value.
UM bodily injury limits apply per person and per accident, not per vehicle. If you set $50,000 per person across your policy, that limit applies whether the crash involves your sedan or your SUV. The per-accident limit is the total your carrier pays for all injured people in one crash. A household with multiple drivers often sets UM bodily injury limits to match their liability limits, creating symmetry: the protection you give others matches the protection you buy for yourself.
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Underinsured Motorist Coverage Works Alongside UM
Underinsured motorist coverage (UIM) pays when the at-fault driver has insurance, but not enough to cover your losses. Alaska's minimum liability requirement is $50,000 per person for bodily injury.
UIM is bundled with UM in Alaska. When you buy UM coverage, you're also buying UIM at the same limit. You cannot separate them. This matters for multi-car households because a single policy decision covers both uninsured and underinsured scenarios across every vehicle. If you decline UM, you're also declining UIM.
The combined UM/UIM structure simplifies the choice but raises the stakes. An at-fault driver with minimal coverage is more common than one with no coverage at all. UIM protects against both, but only if you've added UM to your policy in the first place.
Alaska Minimum Liability Limits
$50,000 / $100,000 / $25,000
Alaska requires $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident in bodily injury liability, plus $25,000 in property damage liability. These are the floors for at-fault drivers. UM coverage protects you when the at-fault driver carries less or nothing.
Alaska Division of Motor Vehicles
When Declining UM Makes Sense
Some households decline UM because they carry collision and comprehensive coverage on every vehicle, plus health insurance that covers medical bills regardless of fault. Collision pays for vehicle damage whether the other driver has insurance or not. Health insurance pays your medical bills. UM becomes redundant in that scenario, though it still covers passengers who may not have health insurance.
Another reason to decline: you're insuring an older vehicle with low actual cash value and you'd rather absorb the loss than pay for UM coverage year after year. The math shifts when the vehicle is newer or when you're insuring multiple cars with varying values.
Adding UM After You've Declined It
Alaska carriers must offer UM coverage when you start a new policy. If you decline it, the carrier documents your decision. Adding it back later requires a written request. Most carriers process the request at your next renewal, though some allow mid-term additions. The coverage applies only to crashes that occur after the effective date of the endorsement, not retroactively.
When you add a vehicle to an existing multi-car policy, the carrier asks again whether you want UM on the new vehicle. Your prior decline doesn't automatically carry forward to the new car. You make the choice fresh for each vehicle addition. This creates an opportunity: you can carry UM on some vehicles and not others, tailoring coverage to each car's value and use.